Welcome to my zone 9 garden. My roots are deeply planted in the sandy soil of sub-tropical central Florida, where the summers are long and hot, but the rest of the year is paradise!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Cat Tales

Oh, I'll bet when you read the title of this post, you thought I had misspelled "tales"...especially when you saw the photo. Come on...admit it...you know you did. :-)

Well, the truth is that I have two "cat tales" to share with you. The first is actually on cat tails. The clay soil at our new house stays moist about 9 months out of the year, so we weren't surprised to see these cat tails pop up between our property and the vacant lot next to us. I've never grown "cat tails" before, so I was excited at this new discovery.

Now, for the second of my "cat tales."

 
Our two cats...Makayla and Allie...really, really like their veggies. And, since they're indoor cats you can guess what they're eating. 
YES, MY PLANTS!
Here, Makayla is munching on some parsley. I swear our cats have the freshest cat breath around, but they're putting a serious hurting on my patio plants. What am I to do? I've relocated most of them to the back deck, and I buy canned cat food that includes veggies,
but still...they keep munching.







During my last visit to a local nursery I mentioned this to the proprietor and she suggested I plant some "cat grass." She handed me a packet of Organic...can you believe it...organic cat grass seed.

So, I thought what the heck...I'll give it a try!







My daughter and I planted it in a pot, kept it damp and 'voila within a few days we had a nice crop of cat oats.


Now, for the true test. We placed it on the patio and waited for the cats to find it. Hmmm, Makayla is cautiously checking it out...giving it the old sniff test, and then....yes, a taste. Hurray...she seems to like it!

Now, for our picky eater, Allie (check out the hair in those ears). She's curious, too. Oh, goody, she's taking a bite...

WHAT!  Yikes...she's sitting on the grass. Can you believe it? Yes, you're seeing right...this indoor kitty would rather sit on the grass than eat it. Now, she's making me feel bad that I don't let her roam around outside. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to keep my plants on the back deck instead of the patio. :-)

11 comments:

daisy g said...

I enjoyed both of your cat tales! I've never heard of cat grass, only catnip. Imagine!
daisy

Ami said...

Both of your cats are so cute. That cat grass looks quite delicious to me :) AND it is organic!

Also, just want you know that I also joined this month favorite' meme today! Yes, very late, I know. hehe...but I really don't want to miss it. At least this is still september :)

Meems said...

Hi Susan,
Oh, how I love cat tails in a boggy spot. I'm always taking photos of them because they draw me to their wildness. I would be so happy to have them on my property... but no water.

The other cats?? Yours are VERY cute. Love the grass from seed, too.

John Webb said...

In England, we call those plants bullrushes (as in Moses), or reed mace.

Here they normally grow in ponds. I have a small patch in a pond, but our native variety is very invasive.

And that final cat photo is soooooo cute.

John Webb said...

PS. I have to tell you this... I'm in the process of writing a post which is about cats and synchronicity!

I'll probably post it tomorrow (Thursday).

Dani said...

AWWWW...such cuties!!!!

NanaK said...

Cat tales are always entertaining. I've always loved cat tails as well. That picture of your kitty sitting in the grass is priceless.

Floridagirl said...

Love your cat tales. Cat tails (the plants) bring back so many childhood memories. They could easily keep a bored Florida girl entertained for quite a while. Your cat is so precious sittin' in the cat grass. I'd be so tempted to plant up huge pots everywhere and set them around my porch...if I had a cat....

Susan said...

Daisy...I've grown catnip before, but the cats pretty much destroy it by rolling around on it.

Ami...Glad you like my kitties..they are both very sweet. And, thanks for joining on with your favorites. I'll be right over.

Meems...Cat tails are neat definitely neat looking...I like the tall grassy look.

Robur...They can be invasive here, too as evidenced by roadside stands of them in wet ditches. Oh, I look forward to your next post on cats and synchronicities...two of my favorite subjects.

Dani...Thanks!

Hi Kay...She's a real goofball. A tiny little petite cat with a HUGE fluffy tail and very hairy ears. I instantly fell in love with her.

Hi FloridaGirl...Now that's a great idea. I better head back to the nursery for more seeds. Thanks for the idea!

John Webb said...

Thanks for your comment. You're absolutely right. There is no such thing as coincidence. I think there's a quote by Jung saying exactly that, in those words. I think he uses the term synchronicity to try to maintain scientific objectivity. I haven't seen anything by Robert Johnson. I'll have a look.

Incidentally, I still haven't posted my 'cats and synchronicity post' yet. It's still coming. I was literally writing it when I saw yours. It's not as long as the Feng Shui one, and not as meaty.

Orlando Realtor said...

Your kitties are not only beautiful, they are doing the "IN" thing, eating raw veggies! I love it, my youngest Bichon, Charlie, keeps eating all my ripe Everglade Tomatoes. I can't keep him away....so I don't try any more.

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