Cat and dog gardens

WELL EVENTUALLY most readers had a fair share of wet days when it rained cats and dogs and water tables were raised considerably. This can only be of benefit to gardeners that concentrate on accommodating as many interesting colourful and beneficial plants in their mini botanical gardens.

However those whose gardens are dedicated to giving previously stray cats and dogs a home may not have been so happy for wet weather means wet animals, often with muddy paws, preferring to find a way indoors or least into a dry covered terrace areas where there might be comfortable seat covers to sleep on while drying and discarding uncomfortable fleas and other vermin.
Luckily thoughtful cat and dog owners will have taken steps to accommodate such inconveniences of owning or caring for stray pets and ensuring that they don’t inconvenience those neighbours who are more interested in developing gardens into wild animal and bird reserves rather than menageries or zoological gardens housing exhibits that are coaxed into enjoying unnatural human comforts and food scraps and which, if over fed or under exercised, spend the rest of their lives getting over weight and enjoying long siestas in the sun or shade, depending on the temperature and the density and length if their fur or hair coats. For some this leads to chronic ill health in parallel with owners who take little exercise and enjoy unhealthy processed foods.
Over the years I have visited a good number of gardens given over to animals with a minimum of plants as they had been flattened , dug up or killed by natural weed killers.
Unfortunately they are characterised by depending on only hardy plants that can withstand the pressure of passing animals and animals flattening them to use them as beds and vegetables only grown in wire covered raised beds to reduce the chance of seed beds being scratched over, young plants being dug up or any chance of claiming that resultant remaining vegetables being able to be described as naturally ecologically or organically grown.
Although a few dogs can find their way into adjacent gardens through holes in hedges or fences even fewer jump or fly to disturb pristine flower beds, recently sown or weeded vegetable beds, areas of raked stone chippings terraces and lawns. However cats do climb almost all obstacles to pass from garden to garden and soon become immune to the odour of cat off products. Fortunately they don’t have the habit at barking at hidden neighbours in a friendly or menacing way but their soft purring has enticed many reluctant gardeners to feed them and their friends when they appear, having heard of a new source of delicious food. After a few weeks if they distain the food initially offered they might be lucky enough to each have individual bowls with individually chosen gastronomic cat foods.
But that that is preferable to the wander lost cats left to their own devices except during summer holidays, festival weekends and the odd visit to water what is left of the garden. Unfortunately stray rarely well fed and watered cats feast on frogs, newts, lizards, geckoes, birds and butterflies carefully attracted by garden features and perfumed plants designed to attract the dwindling wild life in the area to a natural haven. This can be very frustrating especially when their droppings have to be cleaned up for owners are unlikely to ring the bell carrying a plastic bag to clean up after their pets or fostered strays.
So three pleas to the owners of domesticated pets: Train them not to bark except at strangers, exercise them several times a day, feed and water them regularly, give them scratch boxes in your own gardens and a covered warm area in which to shelter in inclement weather. In that way keen and not so keen gardeners can live in harmony.