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Elderly couple kneeling to plant tomato seedlings in a raised bed while an orange cat digs in the dirt beside them 16 / 33

Harold and Bev Planted Tomatoes All Morning. Toffee Was Planting Something Too.

AI imageexotic shorthairvegetable gardenspring planting

Spring planting day has arrived in the backyard. Harold kneels in his gardening gloves beside a raised bed of fresh dark soil, and Bev, smiling, lifts a leafy tomato seedling into place with gentle fingers. Their cream sweaters are already speckled with dirt, and a blue watering can waits behind them. Toffee has decided to help in his own way. Paws deep in the soil, head down and eyes focused, the orange cat is scooping out a hole of his own right next to the seedlings, entirely convinced he is doing the most important job in the garden.

Cats love loose, freshly turned soil because it feels just like a perfect litter box, which is why newly planted beds often attract them. If you would rather your cat not use the garden as a bathroom, a few gentle tricks can help: lay chicken wire or a layer of pinecones over the soil until plants grow in, or offer a dedicated sandbox in a corner of the yard. Tomato plants themselves are also worth knowing about. The leaves and stems of tomato plants can upset a cat's stomach if chewed, while ripe tomatoes are generally less of a concern. Avoid using slug pellets or chemical fertilizers where pets roam, and talk to your vet if your cat nibbles something and seems unwell.

The tomatoes will need a few months to ripen. Toffee's hole, on the other hand, was finished in about thirty seconds, and he looks very proud of it.

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