posted January 06, 2012 06:49 PM            

Will I end up attracting all the cats in a ten mile radius? lol

There are alot of strays around here. I know how much they love it so I figured why not a garden for them to lounge in?

(and am I wrong, but doesnt it also keep fleas at bay...?) I have some Cat Nip Essential Oil and think I got it when I was researching what oils keep fleas and bugs away when I was trying to come up with an all natural flea mist)

Are there any other herbs or plants that I could plant alongside it, that they might also like?

I'm figuring out the best spot to do this in in case it does end up attracting alot more. I don't want my entire yard taken over by them. lol .....it's already bad enough. Though I do enjoy them and taking care of them.

posted January 06, 2012 07:30 PM            

short doc. (2 min.) on effects of cat nip
(in what seems to be an old catnip garden) - unfotunately in another language ....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE3L8-Tojes

posted January 06, 2012 07:33 PM            

quote:

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Catnip oil is great for aroma therapy. A strong infusion can be used to repel fleas from carpets or the fur of animals. An extract from the leaves (called nepetalactone) has herbicidal and insect repellant properties.

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posted January 06, 2012 08:04 PM            

I'm looking into getting live, mature plants shipped here now.

Think i've figured out the best spot to put them in, too. Also having the cats around might also deter any nosey or negative humans that come around too...

posted January 06, 2012 08:07 PM            

Fragrant Blue Blooms Attracts Bees and Cats While Deterring Pests!

Both the flowers and foliage are aromatic

Catnip brings the good animals into the garden and keeps the pests away! Irresistible to cats and bees, it is a spreading, carefree joy in the bed or border, blooming all summer with fragrant flowers and foliage. We've known many gardeners who began growing Catmint to please their cats and were so delighted with these plants that they ended up a permanent feature in the garden! Both the soft lavender-blue flowers and the green foliage are aromatic on these plants.

Asking only full sun, Catnip grows readily in poor, dry, sandy, or hot soils where little else is successful. It grows readily and returns reliably for years of pleasure.

~~~

perfect. because try as i might, i don't have much of a green thumb.

posted January 06, 2012 09:16 PM            

I have been called in too many times to reclaim a garden after planting any of the mint family so just be cautious.

posted January 06, 2012 09:52 PM            

I am taking that into consideration now. There are two areas I could plant without worry. I've a pretty large yard, front, back and sides.

You will remember me trying to grow flowers months ago, which went...somewhat well, but not great. I have moved since then (same neighborhood, but better house, better location and bigger yard). So here, I have not done much planting yet and am not worried about them destroying anything. There are some areas that might be perfect for this plant since it spreads and will get a lot of "foot traffic"....

posted January 06, 2012 11:18 PM            

and it may actually end up being a good thing... i could then work with the rescue groups already out there that catch spay/neuter and release if need be....

i agree that 'trap/neuter/return' is the most successful and humane method of helping them, or the "problem" right now....

posted January 07, 2012 09:39 AM            

Your love for the four leggeds is amazing. But I must caution being over run with stray feral cats. These kitties have worms, fleas, potential distemper, feline leukemia etc.

Not to mention the cat poop in your garden, under your steps,behind the garage etc they poop&pee everywhere and spread the worms and lovely smell of ammonia. Ever heard a cat fight where they scream and fight from one end of your bedroom window to the other all night long, night after night ? Unfortunetly there is this down side to mega stray kitties

quote:

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i could then work with the rescue groups already out there that catch spay/neuter and release if need be....

i agree that 'trap/neuter/return' is the most successful and humane method of helping them, or the "problem" right now....

yes?

---

Yes, I think working with a rescue is a wonderful idea!! also yes, live trap & neuter is the goal for successfull returns.
You would make a wonderful rescue "agent" and I hope it falls in place for you.
Don`t be discouraged by the truth of mega kitties, help where when you can and always keep your love and desire for their welfare alive in your heart!!

You`re a beautiful soul.

posted January 07, 2012 09:56 AM            

Monarda/bee balm is stunning too , blooms first year and numerous colors and double decker blooms. Makes great tea and brings in hummers & bumblebees.

Goes well with the cat nip and all onher plantings.

posted January 07, 2012 09:59 AM            

Can you hear the breaks on my idea screeching to a halt now?

quote:

---

Your love for the four leggeds is amazing. But I must caution being over run with stray feral cats. These kitties have worms, fleas, potential distemper, feline leukemia etc.

Not to mention the cat poop in your garden, under your steps,behind the garage etc they poop&pee everywhere and spread the worms and lovely smell of ammonia. Ever heard a cat fight where they scream and fight from one end of your bedroom window to the other all night long, night after night ? Unfortunetly there is this down side to mega stray kitties

---

Thank you for speaking up and bringing me back down to reality. I was thinking it would be a nice thing to do for them, but now.....well..... not so much. You are right, probably not a wise move at all. I was not thinking of all of those yucky consequences either.

quote:

---

You would make a wonderful rescue "agent" and I hope it falls in place for you.
Don`t be discouraged by the truth of mega kitties, help where when you can and always keep your love and desire for their welfare alive in your heart!!

You`re a beautiful soul.

---

Thank you! and as are you!

posted January 07, 2012 10:05 AM            

When i was very young i dreamt of having a dog rescue and had plans drawn up for it and everything.

posted January 07, 2012 10:14 AM            

quote:

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Perhaps someday it will come to fruition.

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No dream is too big... or too small

Your welcome, anytime Mother Natures balance gets skewed, like Mbirds deer, Florida`s chickens or catnip run amok, it isn`t healthy & providing balance is the key.

posted January 07, 2012 06:32 PM            

Feral Cats and Chickens of the Conch Republic

In Key West, the southernmost point in the contiguous United States and closer to Cuba than mainland Florida, all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Take cats, for example. Some 60 felines, many polydactyl (possessing more than the usual number of toes on one or more of their paws), live in, around, or near the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. Visitors to the museum are sometimes surprised to find cats in every room of the house. Today the cats are fed by staff members and are vaccinated and cared for by a veterinarian. Many are named for famous personages such as Audrey Hepburn, Sofia Loren, Archibald MacLeish, Gertrude Stein, and Pablo Picasso.
( love that)

Hemingway lived in Key West from 1928 to 1940. While there, he wrote many of his most famous works, including the final version of A Farewell to Arms. Did he turn his house over to his feline friends? Some say no, even though the story that a ship’s captain gave him a six-toed cat as a gift is well known—and widely disseminated on the island. However, there is no doubt that today’s felines, some of them, the story goes, descended from that original cat, are all around and not just in the Hemingway House. The island is populated—some would say overpopulated—with cats, who roam the island at will, finding food and affection from residents and visitors alike. To prevent too many unwanted kittens, the local Friends of Animals chapter sponsors a “Spay-a-Stray” program in Key West.

Cats are not the only special animal on this unique and fiercely independent island. Probably even more well-known is the legion of colourful chickens that stroll the streets, camp out in back yards, and loll about in restaurants and taverns. Some 2,000 to 3,000 of these feral chickens inhabit Key West and are perhaps more emblematic of the island than Jimmy Buffet, wild nightly parties, or the residents’ notorious live-and-let-live attitude.

Possibly descended from fighting ***** brought to the island long ago, the chickens are protected by local law. They are not without controversy, however, and are once again at the centre of another kind of fight—between those who think they are a nuisance and those who feel they should be protected. Efforts to control the chicken population have met with varying success. An official chicken catcher, hired by the city back in 2004, was stymied in his efforts by chicken lovers who upset his traps. Other staunch defenders of the chickens include The Chicken Store on Duval Street, Key West’s main drag, which has stepped in with its own Rooster Rescue Team, a volunteer group dedicated to aiding sick and troublesome birds and working towards greater chicken acceptance among island residents.

To many residents, the cats and chickens are an integral part of Key West’s blend of Cuban, West Indian, Bahamian, and American cultures. Known for its history of pirates, “wreckers,” who recovered treasure from sunken ships, and cigar makers, for its many 19th-century wooden homes, and as a haven for writers, artists, and those preferring less conventional lifestyles, Key West is unique among American cities. Tennessee Williams and John James Audubon, like Hemingway, fell under its spell, as did United States president Harry Truman, who chose Key West as the location of his “Winter White House.” A local nickname for natives of Key West is “Conch” [konk], and the large sea snail from which the name derives is a local delicacy, often showing up as conch chowder or conch fritters. A tongue-in-cheek secession from the mainland has been proposed, declaring the independence of the Conch Republic.

There is an abundance of wildlife in and around Key West, of course. The island lies within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, created in 1990, and several national wildlife refuges are in the area. But even such exotic animals as alligators, sea turtles, and the endangered manatee, all of which can be found there, can’t steal the limelight from the island’s famous cats and chickens.

Images: Sign of the Southernmost Point in the United States— MedioImages/Getty Images; Key West Chickens— courtesy of Catherine Tims and floridakeysnews.info; Hemingway Cat—copyright Tony Northrup

posted January 07, 2012 09:04 PM            

This time take pics of your garden and don`t take them away from me

posted January 07, 2012 09:45 PM            

I'm too young to be an old cat lady just yet.