Having a pet means spending as much time outdoors as in – the garden is a fantastic place for your pet to find stimulation, adventure and even, perhaps, some intoxication! Here are some tips:

• Cat shelves

  attached to walls and fences allow your cat to move around the garden above ground level. The shelves create ideal resting places where cats can watch their territory in safety

• Spy holes

  in garden fences and gates provide dogs with a view through to the outside world, helping to prevent boredom

• Build retaining walls

  wide enough to function as outdoor seating for pets. Stepped walls also create interesting pathways for dogs and cats

• Steps made from tile or wood can be slippery

  when wet and can be hazardous for older or stiff limbed pets. Textured surfaces offer all weather grip

• Where space allows, reduce the height of steps

  and increase the width of the tread. This makes negotiating steps easier for older pets. The wide tread also provides space to display pots and containers

• Fencing around an entertaining area

  or a child's play area means you can choose to exclude your dog from these spaces when needed

• Cover your child's sandpit

  when not in use as cats will use it as a toilet. Create a small area of gravel and sand, surrounded by grasses or shrubs for privacy, and this will soon become the preferred toilet place for both dogs and cats. You must remember to clean this area regularly

• Strategic planting of prickly foliaged plants

  will stop dogs and cats entering a particular area. This is an ideal way of creating safe habitat for wild birds. Indigenous plants work well - they're often both prickly and provide a food source for birds

• Fish in a pond

  control mosquito larvae and are totally safe from cats and birds providing there are lots of water plants to hide in. Watching the fish will also be interesting for your pets, while the water feature will provide them with a constant supply of drinking water.

Planting for pets is worth the effort. Get it right and your pet can be lost in a wonderland of smells and textures. Get it wrong and you could be poisoning your best mate. Some herbs that your pet will love:

Catgrass (Dactylic glomerate):

Cats and dogs naturally seek this plant out to chew on.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria):

Some cats go head over heels over this herb. They chew on it, rub their heads against it and play with the fronds. The plant contains nepatalactone which stimulates a cat's sense of smell. The plant has grey-green leaves with a distinctive minty odour. Spikes of white flowers appear in summer. Excellent in pots.

Catmint (Nepeta x fassenii):

Contains the same chemical found in Catnip that stimulates some cats. Has purplish-blue flower spikes in summer, with grey-green foliage. Grows to about 40cm.

Plants to avoid:

While pets don't often eat poisonous plants, puppies are particularly susceptible as they'll eat anything. Cats are at risk of kidney failure if they ingest some lilies. Here's a list:

Arum Lily/Calla Lily, Asparagus Fern, Azalea, Black / Common Nightshade, Bulbs [including Belladonna Lily], Daffodil, Gladioli, Hippeastrum, Hyacinth, Iris, Jonquil, Onion, Ranunculus, Tulip, Castor Oil Plant, Cycad or Sago Palm, Datura or Angels Trumpet, Dumb Cane, Elephant Ears/Cunjevoi, Euphorbia/Spurge/Poinsettia, Foxglove, Hellebore/Lenten Rose, Holly, Ivy, Lantana, Honeysuckle, Morning Glory, Oleander, Philodendron, Privet, Rhubarb, Robinia, White Cedar, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

This list is not complete. For more information twitter me twitter.com/drjames, talk to your local nursery or click on the following link: www.abc.net.au/gardening