Topic: Two cats

[Palustris]

Here is Hannibal. Rodent Control Operative. Called Hannibal because of his colour and climbing ability. Escorts all visitors round the garden
Mytton is our Fire Watcher.


Just an excuse to post this piece about Cat friendly gardening as promised to Teresa. This took us 2 days to find.

The area described is about 2m by 1m. First of all replace the top 6 cms or so with a half and half mix of soil and cat litter (not the one based on paper though). Add a generous helping of blood fish and bone (Cats Chanel No.5) Round the perimeter plant Nepeta mussinii. Neptea cataria, Teucrium marum, Micromeria corsica, Artemisia abrotanum, Mentha pulegium, Calamintha officinalis and/or any other plants your cats like. At one end put a small lavender like L. Munstead and Rosemary at the other. Leave the centre free for "diggng"
No guarantee that a.)Cats will appreciate it. b.) Use only this area and leave the rest of the garden untouched.
Keep the middle friable and add more litter as necessary and remove "parcels"
One would also need to keep a stock of cat-plants available as the life expectancy of these is limited.
All the plants mentioned are in the Plant-finder and generally easy to come by. N. mussinii is very simple from seed.


Culled from the AGS Bulletin  Vol 43. No4 December 1975.

[teresa]

Thanks Eric with three tom cats befriending the garden have to keep them under control.
I know they like my garden I have peat and sand dug in easy digging for them. Neighbroughs garden heavy clay soil not good for cats this time of year and cannot deter them so will make a pus*sy poo corner.
My gratefull thanks Eric from your bestest friend :-*
Your cats look lovely the one by the fire looks as it has had a hard day hee hee

Teresa

[SueT]

Lovely pics Eric, Hannibal looks just like my cat Delilah, my other cat is a lovely grey softy called Bijou  ;D

[Ragged Robin]

Brill, Thanks for your efforts,
Pampering our pets....... they'll want us to wipe their bums and provide hand-washing facilities next ........ at least my 2 will.

Used to know some-one whose cats actually balanced on the loo seat and used it for correct purpose, not as a drinking vessel.

...........if only

[SueT]

Hi RaggedRobin, caught Delilah using the toilet last winter, my younger sons did not believe me until they saw it for theirselves.............clever cat!  ;) ;D

[Garden Manager]

Oh G*d I've heard it all now!! :o  If only cats could be toilet trained like children! :-/

[tim]

-and if only MEN could be trained like children - and clean up after their visits!!  I'm sure the girls will know what I mean? - Tim

[Palustris]

More info on our moggies. Mytton was left behind by the former house owners. She was semi-feral and had never been inside the house. It took us about 2 years to persuade her to come in. Another year to get her to stay in to sleep rather than just to eat and another year or so to go into the living room where she used to sleep behind the settee. Now she is getting old (no idea really but must be at least 10) we have to throw her (not literally) out during the day for toilet purposes. She is very friendly, loves a stroke, but has never willingly sat on anyone. Loathes and detests Hannibal.
Hannibal was brought home from Uni by eldest daughter when her proposed house fell through. He chased our other two cats behind the chairs, hissed at the girls, sat down on my knee and went to sleep. He hated women. So far he has had a broken hip, broken jaw, more abscesses than I can count (rat bites) eye trouble, more stiches than an embroidered tablecloth and the only scar is a lump on his head where he head butted the bars on his temperary cage when he was supposed the be immobile with broken hip. Now he escorts every visitor round his estate. Aged 10.

[Garden Manager]

Goodness Eric, hannibal has certainly used up a few of his lives hasnt he?

We've had more than a few scares with our cats over the years.

One, a ginger named Arthur, once fell sleep ina field and had her paws run over by a farm machine. Lucky not to loose one of them. Local vet patched her up very well, lost a couple of toes and a few claws, and was all bandaged up for some time, but a few months later the cat was back to her normal self.  Having learned no doubt not to go to sleep in a field again!