Cat grass is…simply grass. Extra on what grass is in a minute.
You may need seen little pots planted with grass close to the checkout stand at your native pet retailer, and puzzled if you can purchase one to your cat. When you’re like me, you may need additionally puzzled why a dyed-in-the-wool carnivore, like a cat, would even wish to nibble on grass.
And at last, you may need puzzled if cats may even digest grass. (Spoiler alert: they’ll’t.)
We’ll dive into all of those questions beneath.
I believe it’s essential to outline grass, earlier than we get into specifics about cat grass.
Grass is an extremely widespread sort of plant. There are greater than 12,000 forms of grasses on the earth they usually thrive nearly in every single place, from the most popular savannahs in Africa, to the coldest tundras within the Arctic. Grass covers greater than 40% of all of the land on our planet.
Grass has narrow “leaves” that grow from the bottom of each plant, near the soil, rather than from the tip like other plants. This style of growing is one of the reasons grasses have been so successful. Growing from the bottom means that the plant can survive being grazed by animals or mowed by humans.
Members of the grass family include the kind of plants we use for lawns, but also plants we don’t tend to think of as “grass,” such as bamboo, corn, and sugarcane. Grains like oats, wheat, and rye are the edible seeds of grass plants.
The world would be a different kind of place without grass. Grass feeds many of the world’s creatures, it holds soil together to prevent erosion, and it helps remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Cat grass is just a marketing term, folks. There is no special type of grass plant that is grown just for cats.
If you don’t plant the cat grass yourself, you don’t know what kind of plant you’re actually getting, but it’s probably oat, wheat, rye, or barley, or possibly a combination of these.
Assuming the seeds used for growing started out as intended for consumption, these grass plants are perfectly safe for your cat to nibble on, with a few minor caveats, which we’ll discuss below.
Is cat grass really catnip?
Catnip, known by its scientific name Nepeta cataria, is a completely different plant from grass. Catnip is a member of the mint family, and it’s related to other plants like basil and oregano.
Catnip is appealing to cats because it contains an oil called nepetalactone; grass does not contain nepetalactone. When the leaves of the catnip plant are crushed, they release nepetalactone, which binds to receptors in a cat’s nasal passages, sending a message directly to a cat’s brain.
One thing catnip does not do is get cats high. Unlike recreational drugs, which are ingested and metabolized by some humans, catnip is neither ingested nor metabolized. It has no long-term effects on a cat’s brain and it isn’t addictive.
Cats are just responding to the scent of the catnip. Dig deeper into cats and catnip in this post.
Cats are obligate carnivores, which implies they’re obligated to eat meat. Meat, simply meat, and solely meat.
(Read about why you can’t feed a cat a vegan or vegetarian diet here.)
They don’t seem to be like dogs, who’re omnivores, which means they’ll eat “omni,” or “all” meals. Canines eat meat, however they’ll eat carbohydrate-containing meals, like fruits, greens, and grains as a part of a wholesome canine eating regimen.
However even canine can’t digest grass, and neither can people. Grass is non-toxic for all of us, which means we will eat it safely, however we simply can’t get on the diet in grass. We’re lacking, amongst different issues, the enzyme cellulase in our digestive programs to interrupt down all of the cellulose within the cell partitions of grass.
Additionally, cats, canine, and people have solely single-chambered stomachs. Ruminants – animals like cows and sheep – have four-chambered stomachs that permit for rumination, the regurgitating and rechewing of meals that helps break down all that fibrous materials in grass.
However we will all digest some grass seeds
We are able to, nevertheless, eat the seeds of some grasses. When you’ve ever had bread, oatmeal, or corn on the cob, you will have eaten grass seeds. These grass seeds comprise digestible sugars and starches, to not point out fiber, nutritional vitamins, minerals, and protein.
However simply because cats can digest some carbohydrates, doesn’t imply they should eat them. A cat’s digestive system was designed to course of meat.
I cowl this matter in additional element in my post comparing wet cat food and dry cat food.
Nibbling on grass is a pure habits for lots of untamed animals who can’t truly digest grass. There are quite a lot of theories about why canine and cats and different animals eat grass, which I focus on in this post about why cats eat grass and then vomit it up.
However theories are simply theories till science comes alongside and, on this case, science has offered us with a really just lately found reply.
Grass consuming appears to be an instinctual habits amongst wild carnivores to maintain intestinal parasites at a tolerable degree. So, even though most of our well-loved house cats have parasites under control, they’re just doing what their ancestors have always done to help them survive, which is eat grass.
Most lawn grass is treated with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers which are toxic to cats.
If you want to indulge your cat in his grass fetish, purchase a specially grown kitty garden for him, or grow your own.
Eating grass is not essential to a cat’s mental or physical health. You are not obligated to give your cat access to grass.
It is unlikely that a cat is extracting any nutrients from grass, nor do they need the grass for fiber or any of the other reasons cat-grass-kit manufacturers promote on their packaging and websites.
It is unlikely that eating grass can help a cat who is prone to hairballs to pass the hairballs. Theoretically, added grass fiber could help a large clump of hair move through a cat’s digestive system, but there is absolutely no science that supports this claim. I would not buy a grass garden for my cat for this reason alone.
However, if you think that your cat is benefitting from eating grass – if she seems to be passing hairballs more easily, for example – by all means, keep a little grass garden growing for her.
You can read about cats and hairballs in this post.
Offering just a little grass for nibbling does permit your cat to securely have interaction in a pure habits, and it’s a type of enrichment.
It could additionally discourage some cats from nibbling on houseplants or flowers (don’t rely on it). I’m going to imagine that the crops and flowers we’re involved about are already identified to be cat-safe. (Learn this post about the high toxicity of lilies, if you’re unfamiliar with the risks of this flower.)
Know that some cats are simply not considering consuming grass. You’ll be able to lead a cat to grass, however you possibly can’t make them nibble.
The danger of grass-eating for cats may be very, very low.
Anecdotally, some cat guardians have reported that cats have gotten blades of grass caught of their nasal passages, and one Redditor posted about an unusually massive wad of grass that induced a bowel obstruction. These are not common.
But it does bring me to a final point about cat grass safety: while some cats will refuse grass, other cats do seem to become obsessed with grass eating. Obsessions are never good for anyone, neither cat nor human, and grass eating should never take the place of food eating.
If your cat seems to be chomping way too much grass, you should take the grass away. You can continue to offer grass in a more limited way, assuming you have the discipline to remove something your cat is clearly enjoying, or you can stop offering grass completely.
(*Note: as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.)
You can buy a cat-grass kit, which comes with everything you need to grow grass for your cat: seeds, soil, and a potting container. All you need to do is add sunlight and water. Here are some good options:
AVERGO Cat Grass Kit for Indoor Cats
I like this one as a result of the container is extensive (and tremendous cute). It comes with 4 packets of seeds and a few lovely miniature gardening instruments.
ANEVO FARMS Organic Wheatgrass Premium Grow Kit 4 Pack
I actually like this equipment since you get 4 full grass-growing units. Your cats could be consuming from one pot of extra mature crops, whilst you’re rising spherical two in one other pot. You do solely get one number of seeds (wheat), however that doesn’t actually matter. These are natural and non-GMO, if that issues to you.
ZESTIGREENS Organic Wheatgrass Growing Kit
I just like the extensive bamboo field that comes with this equipment. It’s sufficiently big for 2 (cooperative) cats to nibble from on the identical time.
It’s also possible to develop your individual. You should buy grass plant seeds or wheat berries supposed for consumption and develop them in unusual potting soil in a cup or planter.
Listed below are some seeds you possibly can strive:
SEEDBOY Organic Cat Grass Seeds
This can be a good mixture of non-GMO wheat, oat, rye, and barley seeds.
BACK TO THE ROOTS 100% Organic Wheatgrass Seeds
This incorporates natural, non-GMO wheatgrass-only seeds. It’s made within the USA, and you should use it, too, if you happen to get pleasure from consuming wheatgrass juice.
Listed below are some planters:
YJIAYJIAY 2-Pack Cat Grass Planter
You can grow cat grass in this planter without soil. The design of the top tray encourages a cat to just nibble the tops of the plants, rather than pull them completely out.
FANHAO 2-Pack Stainless Steel Soil-Free Germination Trays
These are type of the Rolls Royce of cat-grass planters. The chrome steel makes them nearly indestructible, they usually’re actually engaging in comparison with some plastic merchandise. This product additionally permits soil-less rising.
LEJOY Garden Seed Sprouter Tray
A no-frills, low value, does-the-job plastic planter. This can be a nice solution to see in case your cat even likes grass with out spending an excessive amount of cash or effort.
- Some seeds, like wheatgrass (wheat berries) should be soaked in a single day in a jar to assist them germinate. Different seeds can simply be planted instantly within the soil. Comply with the directions on the package deal.
- Mist your seeds because the soil begins to dry out. Misting, fairly dumping water on the seeds, can stop overwatering and likewise stop the formation of mildew.
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If the soil or crops present indicators of mildew, throw the entire thing out. I might throw out the planter, too. It is not value it.
- Permit three to seven days to your seeds to sprout. The grass shall be prepared to your cat when it’s about 4 inches tall. Permit your cat to nibble the grass stalks proper from the container.
- Don’t let the grass change into too tall. Some grasses change into less-tender as they develop larger. Not solely will the extra fibrous grass blades change into much less interesting to your cat, however robust stalks might irritate a cat’s throat or digestive tract, or trigger a blockage.
- If the grass has begun to develop awns (the seed-bearing constructions), throw out this batch and begin one other. Grass awns could be very sharp, and might embed themselves right into a cat’s pores and skin, ears, eyes, nostril, or digestive tract.
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Daybreak LaFontaine is a lifelong animal lover who at all times appears to have just a little pet hair in her keyboard. Her weblog, Kitty Contemplations, helps cat guardians higher perceive and look after the particular beings they share their lives and houses with. Her cat-products enterprise, Cat in the Box, sells lovely, well-made, and award-winning merchandise that she designed to satisfy the organic wants of cats.
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