Kitty in the Hanging Gardens

Did you know that cats only meow at humans? Apparently, meowing has developed just for communication with their human slaves. (See Why Do Cats Meow at Humans?) And did you know that cats respond better women because of their higher pitched voices? (See Surprising Things You Never Knew About Your Cat) 

Well, Kitty believes she is the ruler of my little front porch garden. She’s reserved a section for her litter box and another area behind the lavender for lounging. She meows at me if she feels I haven’t watered the plants enough. Once I take up the hose to do her bidding, she throws herself at my feet and lies there criticizing. She’s even attacked plants she’s unhappy with, like Jasmine and Rue. Or maybe she’s just pruning?

Although she doesn’t like some of the scented plants I added in an effort to keep her from creating more litter areas, she loves the smell of freshly washed clothes. When I bring a basket out to hang, she rushes over and crawls in the clean pile and rolls around in joy, leaving cat hair behind. Who knew that Foca detergent had such an effect on cats?

I’ve placed an old bath mat among the plants so she can watch my gardening without me accidently stepping on her tail. She has deemed it acceptable and queenly observes my actions from there. After all, she is highly offended if I accidentally get water on her while tending to my plants. 

I’ve changed the size of her food dish, thinking a larger dish with more food will keep her from complaining so much. Alas, it’s not the size of the dish but the fact that she can see the bottom of it that causes her remonstrations. The same is true of her water dish. It’s now a small bucket so there’s no chance of her running out, however she gets huffy if a leaf or stray bug falls in. Her water is not PURE. 

It’s difficult to manage such a furry diva but I’ve found that if I anticipate her complaints, she complains less. She might just get me trained yet.