Our spare room in the old part of our house upstairs has been serving many different purposes since we moved here. First it was an exercise room, then next it became the room where we raised the chicks last year. Currently it has become my indoor garden area! I bought a wonderful 3-Tier Sunlight Garden for the farm to start some seeds indoors.
It’s been working out well, and you can see in the below photo how everything is coming along!
However, we also had this:

When I found that I flashed back to a post I wrote almost 4 years ago about our cat Samantha eating some of my plants, which were then on the porch at our old house. It was a fun one with the dogs reporting her mischief and Sam claiming all evidence was circumstantial. Here it is in its entirety for a Throwback Thursday:
Busted!! Cat Mischief!! (originally posted June 30, 2014)

Today’s Monday Mischief post is being told by the K9 Krew here at Wag ‘n Woof. They have a story they are just dying to tell you!
Cricket: I’m the oldest, so I get to start. Some of our longer time followers may remember a post from last summer where me and Sheba were accused of some mischief on Momz’ flowers. Here’s the link if you would like to see that post!
Luke: I want everyone to know I was not here back then!!
Sheba: Yes, Luke, everyone knows. This year Momz didn’t put any flowers on the deck (probably because, ahem, there’s a puppy in the house….LUKE), except for a hanging plant that no one can reach. But what she did do is put some plants on the screened in porch….trying to make the porch seem more like really being outdoors for our cat Samantha who likes to hang out there (she is not supposed to go outside).
Cricket: Well, the very next morning, guess what Momz found??
Sheba: Now, don’t let this innocent face fool you:
Luke: Yeah!! Because look what I found!!
Cricket: Now, no one else goes out on the porch at night, except for Sam. They leave the window open so she can come and go onto the porch, but the door is closed, so no dogs can get out there!!
Samantha: Clearly, the evidence is all circumstantial. You can’t prove anything.
Luke: Well, apparently Momz wasn’t too mad at her, because she went out and bought some new plants for her! That doesn’t seem fair!!
Sheba: Yeah, and you can already see where she’s been chewing on the one on the right!!
Cricket: Momz bought her catnip this time, and bigger plants, so that it would be OK if she chewed on them. I’m just satisfied that we presented all the evidence and proved that the CAT IS GUILTY AS CHARGED!
Samantha: Don’t worry, you guys, Momz is clearly punishing me by making me work for my treats in this foolish cardboard box game again!
Cricket, Sheba, & Luke: Then our work here is done!!
Back to the present:
Sam can’t make that same claim this time since Luke doesn’t have access to that room at all, she is the only suspect in this case (plus she came up when I was working in there and started chewing on one right in front of me)! The Dadz asked me what I was going to do about her eating my plants. My quick answer was that there was no way I was going to keep her out of that room. Sam’s safe space away from Luke is small enough as it is, and I think she enjoys the smell of the earth and plants in there. So I did this instead:

Now don’t think Sam is deprived, she has her own catnip plant on her windowsill in her room, which she can chew on any time she likes. Apparently, she likes cabbage and other herbs as well, but not all are safe for her, so I needed to get them out of her reach anyway. By the way, she didn’t get “punished” this time either, and she’ll be playing “Mama Cat Sam” to another batch of chicks again soon too. 😊
Chicks and plants sound a LOT more fun than an exercise room. Ha, ha! Good going Sam – keep Momz on her toes!
You are right about that, and she certainly is!!
your seedlings are looking great
Thank you! Now to just keep them alive until planting time…LOL.
There are times that it is easier to safeguard the plant than trying to convince a pet to not eat them. LOL!
That’s for sure! Sam just really has a thing for anything green!
I can see our cats eating such little plants too.
I’ve had other cats who didn’t eat plants, but ever since we’ve had Sam I had to give up on any house plants!
I’m thinking that this is entrapment. I mean you put the plants right in Samantha’s safe space. 😂
You do have a point there, and Sam thanks you for bringing that to my attention! 🙂
That was a cute flashback. I think a stray cat did it.
Or maybe the mice that Sam won’t catch? Clearly she’s a vegetarian. LOL
Miss Samantha is getting brazen in her old age, chewing on the plants right in front of you. 😁 Hehe. Sorry Sam, you can’t blame Luke this time – you were caught red-pawed!
She really is – and she keeps doing it too!! LOL
We’ve had that EXACT same cat mischief! I needed a little spring in my life, so I started some herbs in a little plastic greenhouse thing and they got too tall for the lid to stay on, so I replanted some of the best ones in cute little pots to put on the ledge in my kitchen since Soth never gets on the counters here–but since the herbs are there now, he’s always on the counter and he’s eaten everything but my basil (which he ate one little plant and then decided that wasn’t a tasty one). I guess I’ll have to wait until it’s warm enough to put them outside before I start anymore!
I’m glad to hear we’re not alone in this! Sam can’t really jump up on things (I think because she doesn’t see that well), she can only climb, so at least I can keep most things out of her reach!
Those were great photos and we always love seeing Sam!
Such a clever kitty! I’ll be curious as to how long the lids work.
Well, they’ve been working OK, but she did find a way to sneak in on the side! 🙂
Your plants look great! and so does Samantha! Giver her a hug for me please. 🙂
Done! 🙂
Samantha, I was going to support you and say you were framed by the dogs … until you chewed on a plant right in front of your mom! Oh well. Enjoy the catnip 🙂
Subtlety is not her strong point. MOL!