Eating grass / Hairball ?

Okay, so a while ago Zissou had a hairball that wouldn't come up but I gave her some hairball treats and overnight she coughed up a really nasty looking thing that was all dry hair, and also some was in her box.

So I thought the hairball was gone. So yesterday we went out on our walk, and I was talking to my neighbor who also walks her cat on a harness, and Zissou must have eaten a whole bunch of grass while I wasn't looking. We don't go in any areas that are treated with pesticides / fertilizer at all, so I'm not worried about that.

When we came inside, she cleaned herself awhile and then puked up a bunch of the grass, and a massive hairball. Like, three inches long and two inches wide, solid hair (I checked of course).

Now here is the question part:

Before this hairball came up, Zissou wanted to eat grass obssessively. Now that it's been hacked up, she isn't particularly interested in eating grass when we're outside. So, did she eat the grass in order to puke up the hairball? Is that why they eat plants?

I plan on buying her some cat grass once I move next month.

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Before this hairball came up, Zissou wanted to eat grass obssessively. Now that it's been hacked up, she isn't particularly interested in eating grass when we're outside. So, did she eat the grass in order to puke up the hairball? Is that why they eat plants?

I plan on buying her some cat grass once I move next month.

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I believe it's the main reason they eat grass, but I've also read that grass is a good source of folic acid, which cats need in their diets. Jamie has little trouble with hairballs, and I really think he just likes the taste of grass, or the "munching".

I wish you luck! I am not familiar with this problem, but I hope it all works out. I will pray for your kitty.

She also loves lettuce, spinach, and other leafy greens. So I guess it could be just the liking of the munchiness.
But it's the weirdness about eating grass that gets me puzzled. She doesn't just lay down and graze a little, or eat a piece or two and move on. Before this hairball came up, it was like she was on a mission. We'd get outside and she'd run to the nearest patch of knee-high grass and try to eat it. I'd get her away from that and she'd be on to the next one. Like, she wasn't even paying attention to being outside! She just wanted that grass. I don't usually let her eat it, there are other cats around and dogs and though nobody sprays the grass right here I don't know what's on it, you know? But she must have eaten a ton!
And since the hairball came up, she is no longer very interested in eating the grass.

Thank you!

Sometimes animals just know what they need- it's fascinating!

With my mogs, they only seem to eat grass when they have a fur-ball to get rid of, maybe thats the case with yours if you havent seen the problem before.

As said above they always know when they need grass

Pixel muches on grass regularly and regularly "readjusts" something in her throat (coughing until it sounds like she's dislodged something. Then she also periodically coughs up a hairball. She won't eat the remedies that are gooey so I give her hairball treats.

The thing about growing the grass is that last time I did that happened to be a time when she wasn't interested in it. Next I will split the seeds up into a couple of batches, staggering the planting so I can catch her when she wants some.