What is the deal with cat grass ?

Is it healthy for an indoor kitty ? Important ?

Little Figgy thanks you for your attention to this matter.

No one really knows. You can find lots of different theories about how and why it might help your cat, but there's no hard evidence that I've ever been able to find. Some cats just really like it, and in most cases it doesn't cause any problems, so it's just another fun thing for your cat to do.

Molly92 said:

 
...so it's just another fun thing for your cat to do.

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And another chore for me to do.  

The new kitten likes it. She's going to be an indoor kitty. I reckon I'll keep some around for her. 

Thank you. 

My cats love it. I just buy wheat grass from the grocery store.  You can grow it too for a more economical solution.

First let me say that Little Figgy is the cutest kitten I've seen all week!!! Since I spend a lot of time on this site AND have some pretty cute kitties of my own, that's quite a compliment! [emoji]128515[/emoji]

Like Laura Mae, I buy wheat grass at the grocery store, where it's half the price and twice the quantity of pet store cat grass. Most of my cats seem to really enjoy it. And if I water it and refrigerate it overnight, it lasts 2-3 weeks.

I heard long ago that it helps with hair balls, but have no idea if that's true.

I sure wish my Ned would love it.  I have some fully grown for him right now.  I saw him sniff it but never did see if he ate any.  He'd prefer chewing on my dwindling FAKE plants around the house.  Why, kitty, why?  One by one they are going out in the garage as soon as I notice him taking an interest in it.  I guess I'm going to have to get him a spider plant.  

SuzanneF said:

First let me say that Little Figgy is the cutest kitten I've seen all week!!! Since I spend a lot of time on this site AND have some pretty cute kitties of my own, that's quite a compliment! [emoji]128515[/emoji]

Like Laura Mae, I buy wheat grass at the grocery store, where it's half the price and twice the quantity of pet store cat grass. Most of my cats seem to really enjoy it. And if I water it and refrigerate it overnight, it lasts 2-3 weeks.

I heard long ago that it helps with hair balls, but have no idea if that's true.

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Thanks, we are flattered ! 

So I went to Armstrong's today and got small clay pots and seeds for cat grass (oats) and catnip. I saw wheat grass seeds while I was there. Maybe I'll go back and get some. Variety can't hurt.  

Thanks again.   

I may need to try catnip, cat-grass or wheat grass when next year's growing season begins because my gal has eaten HUGE chunks of my vegetable seedlings this year.  I gave no thought to barricading the plants from the cat because I had no idea she would be attracted to them.  So far she has consumed sweet pepper and hot pepper leaves, as well as tendergreen Japanese spinach.  And just for fun,  she pulled my tiny beet seedlings out of the ground (containers).  Who knew that cats were vegan?

Update on Ned:  I caught him eating the wheat grass this morning!!!  YAY!  I'm going to transfer it from the bag it's grown in to a proper plant pot.  It's grown huge! 

I've bought pots of it at Petco and Petsmart, and grown an abundant amount of catnip---mine won't touch any of it.  It is so strange.  There is no telling how much I've spent on fancy cat grasses.  The closest thing to a plant mine will get to is Wurp will sit directly in my large potted pineapple plant.  I mean he puts his butt right in the middle of it and squashes it!  That, and he loves cooked broccoli.  Only cat I've ever had that will beg for it.

I've had dogs that loved broccoli, but never a cat.

Not long after I adopted Jack, he surprised me by jumping on the counter and rather passionately going after some baby spinach leaves I was washing. I stood back, amazed, as he ate *six* leaves. Then jumped down and barfed them up on the kitchen floor. [emoji]128580[/emoji]

SuzanneF said:

I've had dogs that loved broccoli, but never a cat.

Not long after I adopted Jack, he surprised me by jumping on the counter and rather passionately going after some baby spinach leaves I was washing. I stood back, amazed, as he ate *six* leaves. Then jumped down and barfed them up on the kitchen floor. [emoji]128580[/emoji]

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BLECHHHH!!!  Barfed spinach could not have been fun. I had to clean up a barfed up moth the other night, nearly made me need a drink. 

Wurp will steal the broccoli out of Chinese food, I have to be very careful not to turn my back on him if I'm having Chinese.  He has come out of a dead sleep in another room sniffing until he finds the Chinese food.  He only pulls out the broccoli.  I let him eat steamed that I cook  though...just scared of what might be harmful in the sauce on the Chinese food.

I had a foster kitten who went nuts for cat grass! I had to take it away from him because I worried he would spend all of his time eating it if I didn't. I thought my cat Delilah didn't care for grass at all, but when I started taking her out on the leash she loved to plunk herself down in the yard and chew on the grass. I thought maybe it was the species of grass, but she'll try to eat anything green that's growing out of the ground outside! And when I tried growing some cat grass for her again inside, she refused to touch it, and I tried several varieties. I'm hoping maybe she'll go for it again in the winter when all her outside grass is gone. Maybe I should try growing it in a tray rather than a pot. She's a weirdo!

Molly92 said:

 
I had a foster kitten who went nuts for cat grass! I had to take it away from him because I worried he would spend all of his time eating it if I didn't. I thought my cat Delilah didn't care for grass at all, but when I started taking her out on the leash she loved to plunk herself down in the yard and chew on the grass. I thought maybe it was the species of grass, but she'll try to eat anything green that's growing out of the ground outside! And when I tried growing some cat grass for her again inside, she refused to touch it, and I tried several varieties. I'm hoping maybe she'll go for it again in the winter when all her outside grass is gone. Maybe I should try growing it in a tray rather than a pot. She's a weirdo!

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I think they just know what is ok to eat and what is not.  If it seems like it's put there just for them, they don't seem to want it!  But if it's THEIR choice, and especially if they are not supposed to eat it, well that makes it something they must try!

Leroy loves grass. So much so that if given the opportunity he will eat an entire pot nonstop even if he throws up multiple times I have to hand feed him blades of grass one by one to keep the throwing up to a minimum. I keep the pot out of reach so he doesn't try to eat more. Emma has no interest in grass at all.

It's easy to grow cat grass and even catnip at home yourself. You just need the seeds (there are special blends of cat grass seeds or just use wheat or barely grass), plain potting soil (one that doesn't contain fertilizer), and a pot (a heavy fairly tip-proof one if neeeded). Catnip can be grown directly outside in the yard where the fresh sun and nutrients already in the soil and rain water will result in big plants but the downside is that you may attract feral cats and strays and outdoor cats. A large pot about 12 inches deep or so would be best if you have the indoor space or a balcony for it.

I was always told it helps them better digest their food, but cats aren't cattle.

Anytime I bought it Anya would vomit it up. Saphira likes it though. I currently don't have any.

I grew the catnip in two huge concrete pot/urn thingys outside my porch.  I actually was growing it to help repel mosquitos last year, since they were so bad in our area.  I literally just threw in a bag of potting soil and sprinkled the seeds in and kinda rubbed over it with my hand.  That stuff grew like mad!  It filled both of those big pots and I pulled some out and put in the flowerbed.  It has come back this year and I didn't plant anymore, I didn't know it was a perennial.  The outdoor ferals that I feed come up to the house to eat (won't let me touch them) but I have seen them sniffing at it, but not really messing with it.  I cut some of it and brought it in to Wurp (he was the only one living inside last year) and he kinda showed some interest, but after it dried he really liked it.  It seemed to lose it's smell pretty quick though.