cat gardens!

An exhibitor at the Royal Horticultural Society RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park 2006:
West Kilbride Environmental Group
A Garden for Cat Lovers & their Cats
Designer: Angus A J Starling
Sponsors: Bayer PLC, Airtricity PLC, Purina Nestlé, Your Cat magazine
Contractor: Quality Landscapes
The theme of this garden is cat lovers and their cats. The garden is designed with both owners and their feline companions in mind, to provide a mutually harmonious space.
This is a safe, entertaining environment to encourage cats to remain in the garden, reducing the incidence of road traffic accidents and avoiding annoyance to neighbours. The garden allows owners to interact with their pets during their leisure time, and provides peace of mind during working hours.
The needs of the owner are catered for by the provision of a raised deck relaxation area, which includes a parasol. The surrounding planting creates a relaxed mood, enhanced by the subtle splashing of the water feature.
For cats, the garden is a haven, with respite areas, tempting foliage to provide shade, different structural levels, toys to keep them stimulated and beneficial plants to aid digestion.
The Zen-like design enhances the purpose of this garden, where the different elements combine to create a sanctuary for body and mind, pet and owner.

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Building a bigger, better animal house
Folsom zoo is a busy place this summer with a major project
Sacramento Bee California - July 2, 2006
[Excerpt]
The fifth project on the docket this summer isn't your typical wild-animal exhibit. Instead, it involves creation of a house and "cat garden" for about a dozen feral cats. The house and garden will occupy an area at the zoo's entrance.
The cats, though semi-wild, were the companions of Robert Bauder, a Citrus Heights resident who died last year at the age of 84. His family donated $15,000 to the Friends of the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary for the habitat, which will house about a dozen of Bauder's cats.
The cats are now in foster care. Once they are settled at the zoo, volunteers will work to socialize them and make them available for adoption, Ratcliff said. Those that aren't adopted will live out their lives at the zoo, she said.
In the past, the zoo's Shelter Select program worked with the city's animal control officers to find homes for homeless cats, and the program may be revived with the new facilities, Ratcliff said.
Part of the cat garden will be interpretive in nature, discussing the importance of spaying and neutering the animals, and keeping cats indoors to limit their exposure to disease, she said.
"They are not good wild animals," Ratcliff said, noting that many of the feral cats the zoo sees have suffered eye damage or other injuries.
In addition, she said, they prey on animals like mice that wild animals such as owls rely on for food.
The feral cat sanctuary, she said, is in keeping with the zoo's mission to promote responsible human behavior toward all animals.

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