What’s Cat Grass? 4 Potential Causes Your Finicky Feline Eats Greens

Most cats are infamous meals snubbers. That’s the reason cat lovers work onerous to search out the proper meals to please the pickiest feline palate. Dry cat meals or moist cat meals? Pâté or Chunky? Chicken or salmon? Whereas the cat meals decisions are limitless, there may be one other snack in your little meat-eater…cat grass. 

Why would my finicky feline eat grass, it’s possible you’ll be asking? What’s cat grass, and is there multiple sort? Are leafy greens protected for my kitty? Here’s what it’s essential to find out about cat grass.

What’s cat grass?

Cat grass is any grass grown particularly to feed cats. It shouldn’t be mistaken with catnip — an herb associated to peppermint and spearmint. It isn’t the identical as garden grass. The grass in your garden (like Bermuda grass or Kentucky bluegrass) may be contaminated with pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and parasites.

Cat grass shouldn’t be a single sort of grass. It’s usually a mixture of alfalfa, barley, oat, rye, or wheat seeds. “Some cats want one selection over one other. And you’ll supply a number of to find out which they like the very best,” says Dr. Jamie Whittenburg, DVM, from Kingsgate Animal Hospital in Lubbock, Texas. “Cat grass could also be bought already grown and able to eat, or as seeds which you can plant and develop your self.”

What are the commonest varieties of cat grass? 

	Alfalfa	Oat Grass	Wheatgrass	Barley Grass	Ryegrass
Scientific names	Medicago sativa	Avena sativa	Triticum aestivum	Hordeum vulgare	Lolium perenne
Nicknames	Lucerne and purple medic	Frequent oat and wild oats	Bread wheat, liquid gold, inexperienced blood, and liquid sunshine	Frequent barley, Grain barley, and cereal barley	English ryegrass, winter ryegrass, darnel, or ray grass
Comes from	Turkey and Iran	Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia	Southeastern Turkey	The Center East and the Mediterranean	Asia, Europe, and northern Africa

Is cat grass protected?

Cat grass commercially or personally grown is protected for cats to eat moderately.

“It’s important to start out sluggish with small quantities of grass and see how your cat handles it,” Whittenburg says. “An excessive amount of cat grass could cause gastrointestinal points, akin to an upset abdomen and vomiting. You additionally need to be sure that your cat is consuming sufficient quantities of their common weight loss program.”

With that stated, cat grass is far safer than garden grass, which may be handled with insect or weed killer.  Although cats could confuse cat grass with different widespread family vegetation like Aloe vera or lemongrass. Put toxic plants in hanging planters or put them on a excessive shelf. 

Why do cats eat grass? 

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they want no less than 70% of their weight loss program to be meat. However felines can also digest some plant materials.

 A 2021 study discovered that 61% of cats nibble on greenery. Earlier than consuming cat grass, 9 in 10 cats acted regular, with none indicators of sickness. Apparently, solely 27% of cats had been common pukers. 

Researchers now not imagine felines use cat grass as a primitive abdomen medication. However the causes they eat grass are nonetheless unclear. Whereas scientists haven’t agreed on a single motive but, listed below are 4 potential theories.

Psychological stimulation. Kittens and adult cats could eat cat grass as a result of they’re bored. Chewing shouldn’t be solely self-soothing, it releases mood-elevating chemical substances known as endorphins.

Parasites. Grownup cats could eat grass to jump-start muscle mass of their digestive tracts. It helps push tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms from their guts. Kittens eat extra cat grass as a result of their immune systems aren’t robust sufficient to kill parasitic worms.