Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kitten...

Eva Stern writes: "This cat is Raindrop. He lives at my aunt's farm in Lothian, MD, USA. I am not sure of the history on Raindrop, but he and his partner-in-crime, Katrina, have been around for at least 10 years. They are tame barn cats with access to a heated space in the winter and all of the regular house-cat perks of food and treats."

Nontoxic Plants for Cats

Here is a lovely graphic I found on Pinterest that leads to the ASPCA.org and shows several safe or nontoxic garden plants for cats. With so much about what is dangerous for cats, I thought this was a good list to have for a cat-friendly garden or when making an indoor bouquet.

This list includes:
- Zinnia
- Orchids
- Snapdragons
- Hollyhock
- Fern
- Rosemary
- Roses

To it, I would add:
- Wheatgrass
- Basil
- Mint
- Calendula
- African Violet
- Cosmos
- Nasturtium

And here is also a link to another safe plants for cats list, that seems well-researched.

Deep Roots

Meet Dandelion. "This Southern Belle enjoys eating vast quantities of dry cat food instead of mice, lying in the shade to watch you load wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of compost, and prowling the tomato patch to be sure you cut out all the blight. She does not enjoy getting out of the harvest bin or dieting."

Pamela Hess, Executive Director of  Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, in Alexandria, VA, writes, "Dandelion enjoys jumping in your car, biting your arm, and tricking you into giving her extra food."

"She dislikes: when you kick her out of your car and when you don''t give her extra food."

 

 

And now for something completely different...

Here is another share from Graham Spencer of Plants For Europe, a leading independent plant breeders' agent. (He previously shared his kitty, Treacle, with us here.)

He writes:  "This is Monty. Treacle and he are not brother and sister, although they were kittens in the same pen at the rescue centre all those years ago. Monty thinks he is in charge. Treacle knows better."

Treacle Sponge in the Sun

Graham Spencer of Plants For Europe, a leading independent plant breeders' agent, shared this photo of Treacle. He writes: "She is 11 years old. We got her from the rescue centre when she was a kitten -- the owner of her mum was an old lady living alone and couldn't cope with a pregnant cat, so she was born in the cattery. She only talks when a tuna can is being opened. She knows she's pretty and milks it for all it is worth."

Happy Halloween and Caturday!

This year Halloween is on Caturday (aka Saturday)! We here at Cats in Gardens blog LOVE this holiday. How about you?

We have shared a number of black cats on this blog through the years, view our collection of beautiful, black kitties here:

http://catsingardens.blogspot.com/search/label/black%20cats

Granny Cat

Stephanie Thompson Fleming of Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD, shared this special cat memory:

"Granny was our first cat that found us. She appeared before we even built our house sometime in 1984. I think she lived to be 22 years old and one day just disappeared. We think she knew it was her time and she found a peaceful place to die. She was the BEST cat ever -- a great hunter and great friend. She loved the kids. Smokey appeared when she was about 18, so we think she trained him to behave."

"Granny loved to stretch out everywhere. In the greenhouses, she would lay down on the benches just so everyone walking by would rub her head."