TulsaPets Magazine May 2022

May/June 2022 • TulsaPets 37 “Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’ ” — Robin Williams I f you’re looking for ways to enjoy the warmer temps of spring and all nature has to offer, Tulsa Botanic Garden and its resident cats are ready to show you a good time. Since it opened in 2009, Tulsa Botanic Garden has been fulfilling its mission to promote the beauty and importance of plants and nature to create a more sus- tainable and harmonious world. In 2015, Tulsa Botanic Garden’s “unofficial greeter” Linden was adopted from City of Tulsa Animal Welfare. “Linden has been with us since before we opened the Tandy Floral Terraces,” says Lori Hutson, director of communications and outreach at Tulsa Botanic Garden. “His ‘gotcha’ date is February 25, 2015. [He] is the oldest. Larry joined us in July of 2018. Larry was part of a litter of kittens that lost their mother. One of our horticulturists knew the person fostering the kittens.” Fittingly, Linden and Larry (short for Laurel) are both named after plants, explains Hutson. “Linden is a common name of trees in the Tilia genus. Another common name for them is basswood. There are many types of laurels, usually shrubs with evergreen, glossy leaves.” Both Linden and Larry are indoor-out- door cats — coming and going during the day and staying in at night. And similarly, “They are both pretty spoiled,” says Hutson. “In Linden’s case, it may be from our guests as well as staff, and in Larry’s case, it’s our horticulture staff. They both provide some great comic relief in the workday.” However, the two cats have distinguish- ing appearances and personalities. “Most people are more familiar with Lin- den; he’s older and is our unofficial greeter,” Hutson adds. “He mostly hangs out in and around our visitor center and is very interested in greeting everyone who walks in, taking them on tours (aka walking with them in the garden), and hanging out for lots of attention from admirers of all ages. He is all black. “Laurel (Larry) is playful and more vocal than Linden. He is a bit more independent and stays busy with naps and patrolling our horticulture shop.” Friendly Tour Guide Available “Linden loves our visitors!” Hutson says. “He started out as a barn cat, but he moved over to the visitor center a number of years ago and has found his calling as greeter of all guests. Linden will often sit and watch out our front doors for visitors and be sure to get noticed once they’ve come inside our visitor center. He will follow along with people on their walks and find guests when he’s out strolling the garden. “Linden is really great with children, but if he’s ready for some alone time, he has places to go where he can watch everything going on from a distance. He’s curious and loves to photobomb, whether it’s local news reporters or someone taking senior pictures. He somehow knows what’s going on and gets in the middle of it if he can.” Hutson adds, “Linden is quite the charm- er and has been mentioned in our Google reviews more than once. We have Linden postcards, stickers, T-shirts, and black plush cats in our gift shop. Our members and regular visitors, especially the kids, look for him and ask about him when they arrive.” Garden Party Feline Duo Adds Enjoyment to Tulsa Botanic Garden by Anna Holton-Dean | Photos courtesy of Tulsa Botanic Garden Linden eagerly awaits visitors at the entrance of the Children’s Discovery Garden at Tulsa Botanic Garden. One of Larry’s favorite daytime perches is a bucket at Tulsa Botanic Garden