Gardening with Cats – The Original Stars of Gardeners World

Come Outside!

The first cat we had would scratch at the back door, we’d open it and he’d just stand there meowing. We’d say are you coming in or not? – because our cats obviously understand English (when it suits them).

We’d shut the door and five minutes later we’d have the whole thing again. It took us quite some time to realise that he didn’t want to come in, he wanted us to come out into the garden – because we clearly don’t understand cat talk!

He wasn’t really a lap-cat, but he seemed to love us being outside with him. When we were gardening, he was never far away, finding a nice warm spot in the flower border, near to where we were working.

We’ll Sleep Anywhere!

We’ve long since stopped trying to understand what cats find comfortable, especially having found them sleeping in everything from a wheelbarrow to a concrete mixer!

When we were building a garage and had the roof tiles piled up in the garden, our first cat gave up his usual sunny position in the border in favour of sleeping on top of them. I must admit, it did look rather comfy!

Anything placed in the garden is fair game for sleeping on, whether it’s some old quarry tiles, a piece of plastic sheet, a cardboard box, or the freshly washed door mats. Cats will be drawn to it.

Cat Hut In The Garden

The second cat we had was a Siamese and he was a proper heat seeker!

We built a hut for the two cats, for the days when they chose to stay outside whilst we went to work. Our older cat never went through the cat-flap door, but the Siamese loved it.

What we didn’t expect though, is that he would use it on the hottest days of the year. We’d open the cat-flap, and it was like opening the oven door. He’d look at us as if we were crazy expecting him to come out.

We used to worry that we’d find him expired in there one day, but luckily, we never did!

Cats Like Climbing!

Our third kitten was half Abyssinian, the result of her pedigree mother getting out for a night on the tiles with the local tom.

Abyssinians are known for their curly, climbing, claws and on her first trip out into the garden she discovered trees were there to be climbed.

It wasn’t long before she found a great new climbing frame though, in the shape of the rose arch. But as with most cats, she liked going up but wasn’t very keen on coming back down again. Fortunately, the garden apprentice is taller than me, so had great prickly fun trying to get her out.

Chewing or Chasing

The fourth kitten to come and live with us was very timid and still is really. If she’s outside and the wind starts to blow, she shoots inside like somethings chasing her.

The only time she forgets herself is if she spots a pigeon, (regularly found under the bird feeders) then she’s off like an exocet missile! Luckily, she hasn’t caught one yet!

She’s much more likely though, to be found chewing grass or chives, yes you have read that properly, a cat that likes chives. She even found them when I planted them in the dolly tub!

She loves my ornamental grasses and spends ages chewing them. We’ve often wondered if she thinks the chives are grass, or the grass is chives, but honestly who knows!

Inherited Cat

The ultimate garden cat though, was the cat we inherited when we moved to this house. Her owner had died, and she was re-homed, but then walked all the way back to ‘her garden’ the week before we moved in. She soon made friends with our cats and became a great addition to the family.

She had so many favourite sleeping places around her garden, but seemed particularly partial to ‘Anemanthele lessoniana’ otherwise known as pheasant tail grass. Once she was inside it you couldn’t even see her.

Vegetable Beds / Cat Toilet

As with all cats, not just your own, using the garden as a toilet is not very pleasant, but I guess they’ve got to go somewhere! I can tolerate it in the flower borders but not where I grow food!

You can imagine that when we built the brick raised beds with nice, soft, sieved soil in, they were irresistible to the cats. We very promptly made covers to go on top of them. We constructed them out of wooden batons with chicken wire around and they’ve worked a treat.

Greenhouse

Of course, the greenhouse has proved very popular with the cats, even before the glass went in. They have to check everything out, to make sure it’s being done to their standards!

Once the glass went in it became a popular haunt, helped by there always being a chair or two in there.

Swinging Cats

“Well, who doesn’t like a swing in the sunshine? If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us!”

Let Me In!!!

“When I go out and about my humans sometimes forget about me. Once I’ve finished my garden patrol and want to come back in, I stand at the patio doors meowing, I even put my paws on the step to stretch up, but no-one sees me! Recently though I’ve discovered, that if I get up on their patio table I seem to get let in much quicker”.

TV Cats – The Original Stars of Gardeners World

Long before Monty’s dogs took the limelight on Gardener’s World, cats were the original stars! The late, great, Geoff Hamilton with his adorable, feline friend Dennis. Followed by the next great presenter Alan Titchmarsh and his cat Spud and now the wonderful Adam Frost and his cat Ash, who is quite determined to get in on the action!