Cat Grass....

Hello everyone just need some infor.....about Cat Grass...

I wentto the store and I saw this product was for sale and it was something for the Kiddies, so I brought it thinking it was something I could only get store brought. I read the contains and it basically only has Oat seeds and dirt. I thought to myself I can make this grass on my own. What I need to know is how to make this grass for my grass using some soil and oat seeds brought from the store...I would really hate to have to go and get this stuff from the store everytime I want them to have this grass. So please enlightton me......


Thanks,
PrettyRabbit

Just fill a plant container (ie terra cotta pot, plastic pot) with potting soil mix if keeping inside or your garden soil. Sprinkle the seeds on top and lightly cover with soil (so you don't see the seeds). Press the soil until firm and sprinkle with water . The seeds should be kept evenly moist (check daily). Either place outside or in sunny warm window to germinate. May take from 7-14 days. Then just let grow until height that you want cats to chomp on it (2/12 to 3 inches) If gets too long-trim with scissors!! Just hope they don't throw it up in the house!!

I'd suggest a terracotta pot, the plastic pots are very light even when filled with potting soil, and when the cats nibble on the grass, they will tip it over. Sam loves pulling the shoots out by the roots. When it gets longer, he nibbles the ends, more like a lawnmower.

I start a new batch every couple of weeks, so there is always a fresh crop. And sow the seeds very thinly, a little goes a long way.

The potting soil and seeds are definitely preferable to the store-bought kits, because the grass generally lasts longer. If you plant 2 or 3 pots at about two week intervals, you can rotate the pots so that the kitties always have a pot with long grass available - you'll be surprised how much they can consume. If you're lucky, your cats will be like ours - he spits up the grass in his litterbox, which I find quite kind of him!

I have bought a kit for this grass too, but have not done anything with it yet. So reading the above I presume I can just transfer the lot to a terracotta?

Originally Posted by Cilla

I have bought a kit for this grass too, but have not done anything with it yet. So reading the above I presume I can just transfer the lot to a terracotta?

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Yes, but the grass will live longer if you substitute potting soil for the substrate in the kit.

I got one of those kits and planted it a couple of weeks ago, even though I normally allow my guys outside. There are times I have to use weed killer on my overgrown weed patch out there, and need to keep my babies in for several days so they don't eat the poisoned grass, and I thought it would be great for those times. But I find that Red Cat consumes the stuff regularly at night even when he is allowed out during the day. (He prefers to spit it up on the carpet, rather than in the litterbox, however.) I've never seen Purdy touch it, though. But it will be great to have some growing inside for the two-week period I will be on a trip and they won't be permitted out.

Interesting to know that the grass will keep longer in potting soil than using the kit substrate.

I use peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite that's for use in human vegetable gardens. There's a lot of potting soil and the like that may not be safe for consumption, because they're designed to just grow flowers or whatever. That's what I like about the better kits--they use organic seeds, safe soil, and all, so I don't have to worry and read labels every time I buy new soil or seeds. They're supposed to last for weeks in the SmartyKat kit.

We had to tape our plastic pot down lol -_-;;

Kitty and Robin never vomited grass Are they abnormal, or do they just like their food enough to keep it down?

Originally Posted by Weatherlight

Kitty and Robin never vomited grass Are they abnormal, or do they just like their food enough to keep it down?

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I've only had three cats, so I'm no expert on cat behavior, but all of mine do (or did) eat grass when they needed a little extra help in throwing up a hairball. That's one reason I really wanted to make sure they had grass available when I'm on my trip, since they won't get brushed or combed for two weeks. I can only imagine the hairballs they will have, as I comb them every day, sometimes several times a day.