Celebrating Garden Wildlife Week

Celebrate Garden Wildlife Week by creating a safe and welcoming space for nature and your furry family.

Our gardens are more than just green spaces – they're buzzing, fluttering, hopping ecosystems full of life. This Garden Wildlife Week, we’re celebrating all the wonderful creatures that share our outdoor spaces, from hedgehogs and birds to frogs and butterflies.

It’s also a great time to think about how we can support our local wildlife while making sure our pets stay safe, happy, and healthy.

Garden wildlife matters

Even the smallest outdoor space can provide food and shelter for a wide range of creatures. Wildlife plays an important role in local biodiversity, helps control pests naturally, and creates a more vibrant, balanced environment.

For your pets, these encounters can be enriching – offering sights, smells, and sounds that stimulate their senses. But it's important to make sure both pets and wildlife can coexist peacefully.

Pet-safe ways to support wildlife

You don’t need a big garden to make a difference. Here are some pet-safe ideas that help wildlife without putting your dog or cat at risk:

• Create safe shelter – log piles, hedgehog houses, and quiet corners with dense plants make great hideaways for small creatures.

• Use wildlife-friendly, pet-safe products – avoid slug pellets, weedkillers, and insecticides, which can harm both animals and pets.

• Keep water bowls and ponds safe – cover ponds with mesh if your pets are curious, and keep wildlife water sources separate from your pet’s drinking area.

Watching wildlife with your pet

Pets are naturally curious about garden visitors. To make sure everyone stays safe:

• Supervise dogs in the garden, especially around burrows or bird feeders

• Keep cats indoors at dawn and dusk, when wildlife is most active

• Consider a breakaway collar with a lightweight bell for cats – it’s a simple way to give birds and small mammals a heads-up. Keep in mind that some cats adapt quickly to a collar, while others may become stressed or try to remove it. Talk to us if you’re worried – contact us

Quick projects for the weekend

Looking for a fun weekend project? Try one of these and watch your outdoor areas come to life:

• Bug hotel: from stacked wood, twigs, and bamboo canes - the Wildlife Trust's website has easy steps to follow for "How to Make a log shelter"

• Bird feeder: hang it out of reach of cheeky paws!

• Wild corner: leave a patch of garden to grow wild and let nature take the lead, or add a few choice pet-safe wild plants - we're always inspired by the RHS, take a look at their "Inspiring ideas for woodland gardens"

• Window flower box: even a small window box with native plants can offer food for pollinators and brighten your outdoor space.

We're here to help

If you’d like more advice on making your garden safe for curious cats and dogs – or you're worried your pet may have tangled with something they shouldn’t – we’re always happy to chat. Give us a call or book an appointment if you’d like to check in before summer’s full bloom.

Happy Garden Wildlife Week from all of us at Ollie & Florrie Vets