Cat on the Rocks in a Xeriscaped Yard

The Cat on The Rocks

As I was walking around my neighborhood this afternoon, I almost missed this very still cat crouching in the rocks in this xeriscaped yard. She appeared to be hunting and waiting patiently for some prey to come out. I'm guessing she may have been waiting for a lizard, since I've seen a lot of cats hunt them, but she also may have heard a rodent.

Cat waiting for prey in xeriscaped yard, © B. Radisavljevic

The cat was alert, not asleep. She was very patient. She didn't move during the ten-fifteen minutes I was taking photos of the yard.

Cat waiting for prey in xeriscaped yard, © B. Radisavljevic

The Xeriscaping and Yard Art

Xeriscaping is landscaping that is designed to use very little water. It depends upon drought-resistant plants, drip irrigation, mulch, and decorative art to make it beautiful. You can see all these things in this yard. The cat I introduced above lives here, and if you look very carefully, you might see her lurking behind the rocks. But you need very sharp eyes.

Xeriscaped Yard, © B. Radisavljevic

Notice the rock mulch, drip irrigation, and drought-resistant plants used in the design. The benches are there so the owners can enjoy the garden. The cats also seem to enjoy roaming here. Below is a closer look at the plants around the tabby cat. 

Cat  in Xeriscaped Yard, © B. Radisavljevic

The  homeowner next door also made good use of yard art. I thought his cactus sculpture was clever. The tortoises, ant and bunny also caught my attention. 

Yard Art in Xeriscaped Yard, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a closer look at the ant and the tortoises. 

Close look at Ant and Tortoise Sculptures in Xeriscaped Yard, © B. Radisavljevic

The sculptures above matched the coloring of the rocks pretty well and blended nicely with the plants. They didn't try to steal the show. The art below grabs a bit more attention. 

Colorful Snail Yard Art in Xeriscaped Yard, © B. Radisavljevic

The snail is brightly colored. It appears to be a planter. I will show you a closer look at it tomorrow. That Siamese cat you see on the walkway in the background will star in tomorrow's post.  Stay tuned. 

This last photo shows the edge of the property near the sidewalk. You can see how the branches of a tree which I'm assuming the homeowner removed or trimmed features prominently as a border. 

Did you get any xeriscaping ideas from these photos?

Get more ideas from my gardening blog, Barb's Garden Observations.  

• Yarrow is Ideal for Xeriscaping
• Xeriscaping is Essential in Dry Areas

Neighbor Cats I Will Be Missing This Year

Sarah the Tuxedo Cat

Almost every  year that we lived in Templeton the tenants who have shared our property have had at least one cat. Some we adopted when they left. Some we fostered until tenants who had vacated had a place for their cats. Some, unfortunately, crossed the Rainbow Bridge.Of all the neighbor cats I will be missing this year, Sarah has become my  favorite. She is pictured here. Read more about Sarah and see several photos of her with her sidekick, Garfield in my post Our Home-Grown Extortion Cats on  Persona Paper. You don't have to register to read posts there.

Sarah was a good hunter. Unfortunately, she enjoyed catching lizards that liked to hang around our porch in Templeton. One day I had my video camera with me while she was after a lizard. You might enjoy watching Sarah and the lizard in action. This time Sarah thought she had her prize, but it kept escaping. She lets us know what she thinks about that. And do watch the lizard's tail after it's detached.

Trouble, the White Cat, Lived Up to Her Name

One neighbor had two prized cats they kept on a leash outside so they wouldn't run away.  They fed many other cats that were feral or kittens of the two  they had. I've never been sure. When they moved, they took only the two cats they cared about with them. They left five behind with us, three of which were totally feral cats and two which were not so afraid of humans. We continued to feed them, give them water, and pet the two who would let us.  We became very fond of Trouble, who lived up to her name in every way. This is Trouble.

Trouble was a white cat and small for her age. Her voice and personality made me think she was part Siamese. She always wanted to come into the house, and the only way to get her out was to shut the door to the outside. Then she would run to the door to get out. While we were waiting for her to get old enough to spay, she got pregnant.

One day she came to breakfast skinny again. It took weeks before we could locate the kittens, whom she had hidden behind some boards that were leaning against the wall of the inside of the pump house. It had a cat door. We found the five kittens too late to socialize them, but we had lots of fun watching them play.

One lasted only a couple of days. It was puny from the beginning.  The ones who remained were Piggy, another black one whose name I don't remember, Richie, and Smudgie. This photo shows Smudgie (the white one) and  Richie climbing a tree. You can click any photo to enlarge it.

Pumpkin, the Tabby Cat, Was the Easiest to Get Along With

One of the sweetest neighbor cats I've had was Pumpkin. She belonged to a former tenant and was much loved and well taken care of. She got to roam the property during the day with the other cats in her family, but they all were put back in the house at night. After the tenant moved, she still didn't have a place that would take cats, so we got to foster them for a few weeks. I really wish we could have kept them, but they were finally picked up and taken to their new home.

After having Pumpkin as my feline friend for several years, I really miss not having her around. She visited me often. I used to leave this old chair beside my sliding glass door to put things I was carrying down on while opening the door. The cats decided it was theirs.

Pumpkin was affectionate, a great hunter who kept the mice and gophers under control, and  a good lap cat. Here are some of the other photos I took of her over the years.

Pumpkin Enjoying the Mallow Plants, © B. Radisavljevic

Pumpkin Looking Up at Me, © B. Radisavljevic

Pumpkin Stretching, © B. Radisavljevic

Pumpkin Eating Gopher, © B. Radisavljevic

I hope you've enjoyed meeting the neighbor cats whom I've cared about, even  though they weren't legally mine. Here are some of the ways I've made them live forever at Zazzle.

Sticker: Tabby Cat Resting Classic Round Sticker
Find other Cats Stickers at zazzle.com

Humorous Card, white cat, blank inside Greeting Card
Check out other Cat Cards at zazzle.com

Ornament: Black Tuxedo Cat Sitting Square Metal Christmas Ornament
Create personalized picture Christmas ornaments at zazzle.com
You can make your pet a memorial ornament, too.