If Whiskers is nibbling on your zinnias or rolling around in the dirt next to your tomato plant, it may be time for a garden of his own.

Providing your feline friend with an edible garden has a variety of benefits. A garden offers your cat a special place where he can enjoy fresh air and sunshine while nibbling on a variety of vitamin and mineral-rich plants.

"Providing a secure outdoor garden is a valuable part of good cat care," says Dori Slater, a veterinarian who has an enclosed garden for her four indoor cats, Leah, Lucky, Tuxedo and Lacy. "Cats love to sleep among the plants, play and watch the world go by. A garden relieves boredom, especially if the owner is away at work all day."

An outdoor garden for cats also has a variety of health benefits.

"Natural sunlight on the fur stimulates vitamin D production for healthy bones. Sunlight through glass doesn't provide these benefits," says Slater. "And daily exposure to periods of light and dark influences normal neuroendocrine functions."

The plants cats like to snack on are also often high in vitamins and minerals. Parsley is a favorite that provides vitamins A, B, C and beta carotene, potassium and other minerals, while carrot tops contain Vitamin A and beta carotene, and spinach is high in calcium and Vitamins C and A.

A cat garden can also make a colorful display. Felines enjoy attractive edible flowers such as zinnias, marigolds and Johnny-jump-ups, as well as catnip, cat thyme, oat grass, rosemary and bean sprouts.

Although catnip has a reputation as a cat favorite, you might want to try some on your cat before you plant it, because not all cats like it. It's important to try fresh catnip; dried taste differently.

"Some cats take to catnip and some don't," says Mary Lou Heard of Heard's Country Gardens in Westminster. She says cat thyme is very similar.

One plant that just about all cats like is oat grass, she says. "When cats are hungry for chlorophyll, they eat grass."

Adds Slater, "The good thing about oat grass is that it doesn't have serrated edges or rough foliage, so cats are less likely to vomit after ingesting it."

For your cat's safety and economy's sake, it's often a good idea to raise plants from seed. That way you know that the plants haven't been treated with any harmful chemicals, and you're not spending a great deal of money on plants that often need to be replaced regularly.