Harold and Ruth Were Planting Tomatoes. Saffron Was Working on Something Else.
Tomato season has begun, and the garden bed is a flurry of activity. Ruth kneels in her green field jacket and work gloves, laughing as she presses a young seedling into the soil, while Harold, in a canvas cap and plaid shirt, settles another plant beside her. Right in the middle of it all, Saffron is digging with real enthusiasm, one front paw scooping dark earth out of a neat little hole of her own. Clay pots, a coiled green hose, seed trays, and a weathered wooden fence surround the busy scene.
Cats are natural diggers, especially in soft, loose soil, which is exactly why freshly turned garden beds attract them. Digging is part of how they bury waste and investigate scents, so a newly planted bed can look like a giant litter box to a curious cat. If you garden with a cat around, it helps to cover young seedlings with netting or place some rough mulch, pinecones, or stones between plants, which many cats find less appealing. Be careful with fertilizers, slug pellets, and pesticides, as many are dangerous if a cat walks through them and licks its paws. Tomato plant leaves and stems can also upset a cat's stomach, so discourage nibbling.
Ruth doesn't seem the least bit worried about her helper's technique. If the tomatoes come up a little crooked this year, everyone will know exactly who to thank.
