Cat Grass

Just curious about this. i saw some at petco yesterday. What exactly is it for? I don't have enough money to spend on trivial stuff or i'd have gotten it. But what does it do for cats? I thought grass made them hork?

Well, it does make them puke, but that's actually the point of it.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=373

Some cats like it, some cats don't. Albus loves it. My parents cats are more amused by knocking it off the counter than eating it.

It can also prevent them from snacking on houseplants, ones you don't want them to eat.

My cats have never thrown up cat grass. Regular lawn yes, but not oat or wheat grasses.

I grow my own using oat or wheat grass seeds from the health food shop - I've been using a $5 bag of seeds for over a year growing a pot every week or two.

We absolutely get the benefit of the cats eating the grass and not the house plants. One of our cats prevented us from having any sort of real flowers in the house. The "cat grass" gave her what she really wanted to nibble on.

Because she had the grass inside now she also tries to get outside much less often now.

Is there a reasoning behind this? A light snack? Does it actually have any nutriotional value for them?

Aside from Bella loving the cat grass, it does seem to give her some necessary fiber to "move stuff through". I actually find she pukes less when she has her grass (she does poo a lot of grass, though )

You can get a bag of rye grass seed at Wal-Mart or something like that for not much money, and have more of it than you'll use in the next ten years. Assuming, of course, you want piles of chewed and partially digested grass here and there around your house.

Originally Posted by missymotus

My cats have never thrown up cat grass. Regular lawn yes, but not oat or wheat grasses.

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Very true- now that I think about it, Albus didn't throw up from the cat grass. Even if I did let him out, I'd be really scared of him eating grass with chemicals on it! Eek!

Triv85, read the link I posted in the second post- that explains the reasoning.

Originally Posted by Triv85

Is there a reasoning behind this? A light snack? Does it actually have any nutriotional value for them?

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Cats don't eat grass for nutritional benefits. Grass for a cat is the equivalent of us putting our finger on our throat to throw up - yep, this is the idea... When cats eat something that is hard to digest, such as hair for example, they instinctively know that it is better to regurgitate that than let it pass through their intestinal track and risk causing blockage. This is done by instinct, so keeping cat grass in the house will keep them from eating house plants. You should not let them eat grass right after meals though, because they will throw up their food if they do...

The shape of the blade of grass has more to do with the cat throwing up than anything else. Specifically the edge of the blade of grass. That being said wheat grass has a smooth edge and that is what I offer to Zoe.

*note: not visible to the eye, must use microscope

Originally Posted by FuzMugly

.. That being said wheat grass has a smooth edge and that is what I offer to Zoe.

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Aw, my kittens name is Zoe too.