Woman Ends Up Attracting Every Stray Cat In Her Area After Planting Catnip In Her Yard
One late trip to the nursery turned into a full-on cat magnet story for Nikki Byrne. She only wanted a few herbs for her terra-cotta pots, but the catnip she brought home ended up drawing every stray cat in the neighborhood.
At first, it was just one rough-looking tabby named Mister, then more cats started appearing in Byrne's yard. She began putting out food and water, and what started as a simple planting project quickly turned into an unexpected rescue effort.
By the time the cats kept coming back day after day, Byrne realized her yard had become the local hangout. Read on.
“I didn’t grow up with cats, and I guess I’ve never really been around them too much, so I didn’t really understand that some of them find catnip irresistible,”
“Shortly after planting it, I heard a little commotion outside one morning. I looked out the window, and there was a big old tabby cat up on the fence. He’d managed to knock one of the pots of catnip down while going after it,” Byrne told The Dodo.
Byrne nicknamed the old tabby Mister.
Mister, the old tabby, continued visiting every day.
This is also like the woman who claimed cat “allergies” after only being around one for a week.
The old tabby enjoyed spending time in Byrne's yard because he must have deemed it safe.
Soon after that, every generation of Mister's kids started showing up to play and frolic next to their dad.
Byrne converted her yard into a playground for stray cats, adding a heated cat house, multiple toys, scratching posts, and tunnels.
While the kids played, Mister preferred watching from a distance.
“We’ve had to work really hard to show him we’re not dangerous, whereas the little ones will swarm all over you,” Byrne said. “They’re really friendly.”
“Can't figure out why these kitties keep coming back. 🤔😻”
“Success!! So proud of his progress. ❤️”
“He didn’t seem like a cat who’d ever been successfully approached by humans before,” Byrne said. “I let him call the shots, and now we can actually approach him, and he’ll eat treats out of my hand - I can even pet him.”
As much as Byrne enjoyed having those cute kittens in her life, she knew they needed a more permanent solution because treats and toys weren't going to cut it. Trap-neuter-return required the help of a local community cat organization in San Luis Obispo County.
Byrne has helped many generations of cats in her area in just a year, all thanks to the power of catnip planted in a few pots.
Wait until you see the neighbor’s petty revenge against the “crazy cat lady” with roaming cats.
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