Trouble Waiting To Happen

Sue, a gardener in north-central Connecticut, shared these kitty pics on her Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/musabasjoosue/. We met recently at the Garden Bloggers Fling 2017. She is a big Warren Zevon fan, hence the name of this post from a song of his.

She writes of the kitty above that he was a stray and "since he didn't appear to be going anywhere soon, I figured he needed a name.  Introducing The Twerpster (aka The Twerpinator)." You can read more about her garden and her cats at her blog: http://idyllhaven.blogspot.com.

Green-Eyed Monster

Thea Vincent wrote, "My black cat's name is Little One. This silly little cat who was 'gifted' to me. I really wasn't in the market for a new pet, after having my elderly rabbit put to sleep, I felt it was good to take a break. I'm a believer in animals choosing us, and not the other way around. So when this little stinker got dropped off at my house at 8 weeks old, he became my responsibility." 
     "Funny enough, I even tried to give him away to a family and he was having a 'sleep over' to see if it was a good fit. While having repairs done on my car I was riding my bicycle through the nearby village when the mom called to tell me the kitty was really sick. Knowing my car was up on the racks, and me on my bike, I told her to bring him to the neighborhood veterinarian and I would get to him as soon as I could. So, we didn't know for sure what had actually caused him to become ill. He was dehydrated and spent the next two days at the vets office. When I brought him home he was quite happy, and I guess it was his way of telling me not to give him away again."
    "Although Little One turned 4 years old this past March, he's still as spunky and playful as a young cat should be. He simply has the best of both worlds -- indoor comforts and outdoor fun. What could possibly be better than having room to roam and tall grasses to hide out in? Daily life for this little black cat is always a mini adventure. He's a little more robust these days, but he can still climb the trees, which is one of his favorite things to do, next to enjoying the cat mint."

licking raindrops

Urban Farmer

Phantom is a feral cat on an urban farm in downtown Silver Spring, MD. Note the tipped ear. Lynn Koiner says, "He and his brother, Spirit, are part of a local trap-and-release program. They keep down the rodent and rabbit population on the one-acre farm." To learn more about the Koiners urban farm, go here.

Simply Ginger

Janet Draper, a Smithsonian Horticulturist, said:

"Her name is Ginger, and we got her as a stray-- someone moved out of a colleagues apartment complex and left her. (Outrageous!) So she should be about....12?  She is our Adventure Kitty. She is an indoor-outdoor girl. Ginger loves hanging outside--even in the rain! (She then wants to come in and sit on your lap to suck your heat/dry off!) She comes (when she feels like it) when we whistle.
   "Oh, because of her great hunting abilities--she wears numerous bells, plus a funky clown ruff-type collar that supposedly makes me more visible to birds.
   "She loves to have her belly in the sun -often she will fall asleep on the back deck in a position like this." (See photo below.)
  "What else? She loves longing in our front yard prairie especially in the grasses! So that is Ginger!"

Whiling away the hours with Wyler

Kendra Meinert is an entertainment writer, Zone 5 gardener and occasional garden columnist in Green Bay, WI. You can find her @KendraMeinert on Instagram and Twitter.

She shared this gorgeous image and said, "The cat lounging beneath my tree peony, like it was grown just for him, is Wyler. He's 11 and was adopted from the local shelter 10 years ago. He's 15 pounds of friendly. Everybody loves Wyler -- kind of a goofball, life-of-the-party type. If I'm out in the gardens, so is he (and his younger counterpart, Derby). He's  been known to chase a chipmunk up a downspout, but mostly he's really good at finding just the right spot for sprawling out to keep an eye on the gardens or catch a nap. In the heat of summer, you'll find him under the shade of the big leaves of a 'Sum and Substance' hosta. And in winter ... patiently waiting for another gardening season to arrive." 

Puss 'n Boots

Shawna Coronado of ShawnaCoronado.com shared this photo:

"We no longer have pets inside our house, so I was really thankful to have a surprise visitor wander in the garden while I was weeding today. I call her Boots, but have no idea who owns the little sweetheart, but she has captured my soul with her snaggletooth smile."

Porch Decor

Whenever I go on a garden tour, I keep an eye out for a resident garden cat. Recently, in Westminster, Maryland, I spotted this charming porch decoration at a home across the street from one of the tour houses. Even though this kitty's garden was not on the tour. I think the front garden is charming and the cat adds just the right spot of interest.