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An elderly couple kneel at a raised garden bed planting tomato seedlings while a Siamese cat digs in the soil beside them. 29 / 31

Ruth and Harold Planted the Tomatoes. Miso Had a Gardening Plan of His Own.

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Spring planting has begun in the raised bed, and every pair of hands, and paws, is busy. Ruth, in a cream cardigan with her silver hair pinned back, cradles a young tomato seedling as she settles it into the dark soil. Harold, in a green cap and plaid flannel shirt, kneels beside her with a small trowel, tucking in a second plant. Just to the left, Miso has decided this is his project too. Head low and eyes fixed on the dirt, he scratches out a little hole of his own, sending a puff of soil into the air. A blue watering can, garden gloves and trays of starts wait along the edge of the bed.

Cats are natural diggers, and freshly turned garden soil feels a lot like a giant litter box to them. That is fine for a moment of fun, but it can mean uprooted seedlings and unwanted surprises in the vegetable bed. Gardeners often lay chicken wire or a few sticks across newly planted areas until the plants fill in, or offer a small patch of loose sand elsewhere as a cat-approved digging spot. Tomato leaves and stems also contain compounds that can upset a cat's stomach, so it helps to discourage nibbling. If your cat ever seems unwell after time in the garden, talk to your vet.

For now, nobody minds the extra help. Ruth and Harold get their tomatoes in the ground, Miso gets his hole dug, and by late summer there should be plenty of ripe fruit to show for the morning's teamwork.

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