Cat Grass - Pro's & Con's ??

mishkas mom

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I was wondering if anyone had opinions on cat grass....
Mishka has decided that she loves my ponytail tree and is using it for snacking on a normal basis
I checked to make sure it isnt poisonous for her.. and it isn't....but i'd prefer my tree stay intact without little gnawed off leaves everywhere. I was thinking about getting her cat grass to nibble on, but i'm worried that it will give her stomach issues... i just recently got her belly straightened out from when we switched foods on her... any thoughts?
 

jcat

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The only negative reports about cat grass I've read have involved pieces of grass becoming "stuck" in nasal/sinus cavities. We always keep a couple of pots of cat grass around for Jamie, who loves to munch on it, and he hasn't had any stomach problems due to it. He does, however, eat grass when I take him outside in his harness, and spits up sometimes after he ingests it.
 

gingersmom

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My Ponytail Palm now lives at my place of employment for the very same reason.


The only cons I've seen in two years of keeping cat grass growing at home are:

Occasional green cat vomit (expected)

Can be cost prohibitive unless you buy seeds and grow your own

It actually aids in digestion, so I consider it to be a very important part of my cats' diets.
 

ldg

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Ditto all of the above.
Our kitties LOVE it - unfortunately the boys are prone to calcium oxalate crystals, and so are no longer allowed to have fresh greens. ....which means the girls don't get it either, because we no longer grow it.


Laurie
 

cableknit

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We got a free package of cat grass from one of our local pet shops, and while Stan LOVED it and was constantly eating it, we noticed he was drooling a lot more and he was leaving clear mucusy stuff around the apartment. Gross. Once we got rid of the grass, the problems cleared up!

Not sure if that would happen to everyone, but I'm definitely staying away from it.
 

ldg

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Originally Posted by littleraven7726

We don't buy cat grass. It results in gorging, then barfing all over the house.
If we left it out for them to just graze on, this would happen. We kept it in a place they couldn't get to, and we put it down for them to have some, then took it away - we didn't let them gorge. We would also clip it from time to time and feed them the blades of grass. It was fun to do it that way.


Laurie
 

glitch

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I always try to grow it because my cats like it so much, but then one of them finds where its at, tips it over, and no more cat grass!!
So they dont normally get it unless I try to grow it again!
 

missymotus

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My cats love cat grass, I grow my own oat or wheat seeds from the health food shop. They've never puked it up.
 

jellybella

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Originally Posted by icklemiss21

Like Betsy, I consider it an important part of their diet, green barfs and all.

It helps with digestion and gets the hairballs up
I grow my own (most of the year--in the winter I sometimes break down and buy it) and have it out all the time.

Stan only eats it when he's trying to bring up a hairball, but Bella grazes every day, usually before she eats her meals.

I've found that there's a lot less green puke now than at the beginning and it seems to help everything "move along".
 

littleraven7726

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Originally Posted by LDG

If we left it out for them to just graze on, this would happen. We kept it in a place they couldn't get to, and we put it down for them to have some, then took it away - we didn't let them gorge. We would also clip it from time to time and feed them the blades of grass. It was fun to do it that way.


Laurie
I tried that and they busted into where I stashed it.
Gorging resumed.
And they have been the death of several spider plants.
We have 1 lone plant left in the house.
 

jcat

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Originally Posted by AZ<3Me

my cat doesnt like cat grass
You could try a different variety. Jamie isn't too crazy about oat grass, but loves Cyprus grass. I take him outside in his harness every day for a little walk, so he also eats grass outdoors, and prefers the spots in our yard that have "Kentucky bluegrass".
 

starryeyedtiger

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If you do give cat grass be sure that your cat is not swallowing long strands of it whole. Make sure kitty is actually chewing it up first (you can even take some scissors and cut it into small pieces and offer that a few times a week just to be safe). I've seen two kitties this year at our shelter that have had to have intestional blockages removed as a direct result of feeding cat grass. Both times it was where the cats swallowed the grass strangs whole without chewing them (almost has the same effect as string or twine. it can be dangerous.) If the kitty chews it up well though, it usually won't result in any problems when given in moderation and it can help aid in digestion
Just monitor the situation.
 

ldg

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Originally Posted by littleraven7726

I tried that and they busted into where I stashed it.
Gorging resumed.
And they have been the death of several spider plants.
We have 1 lone plant left in the house.
Our place to stash it was the garage. They don't have any access to it!


Laurie
 
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