Why Do Cats Eat Grass?

Have you ever wondered why cats eat grass and plants? There are genuine health reasons behind your kitty’s desire to nibble on your gladioli.

Why Do Cats Eat Grass?

Cats eat grass for all sorts of reasons, but this article will point out as many of them as we can. If you have a cat who constantly nibbles on your plants, then you will be interested to know that they are doing it in the search for two main things: regurgitation and nutrition. The problem with cats eating your houseplants is that not all plants are non-toxic. Rather than learning about the chemical makeup of your shrubbery, you can just buy some cat grass, put it in the spot they usually chow down on, and let them go to town.

Your cat devours your plants because it needs the nutrition. It also eats plants because the regurgitation process helps them weed out internal parasites like worms. Eating grass lubricates their throats and digestive systems, helping them to bring up lodged hair balls. Eating plants doesn’t necessarily trigger vomiting, however. About 30% of cats vomit after eating plants, while studies show that very few cats displayed any signs of sickness before they started eating the wildlife. Similarly, short-haired cats eat plants as often as long-haired cats, which would suggest that the primary reason your cat eats plants has nothing to do with furballs.

You Can Buy Grass Specifically For Your Cat!

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Luckily, you don’t need to suffer your cat nibbling on your petunias a second longer. Instead of allowing your cat to continue chewing on your houseplants, you can buy cat grass , specifically for them to eat. If you have an indoor cat, this gives them the nutrients they would get outdoors. If you have an outdoor cat, buying cat grass means they are not eating something another animal may have urinated on.

The Benefits of Cat Grass

The key takeaways about cat grass should be that it is good for your cat. You buy it to replace the potentially toxic plants your cats are nibbling on. Here are some of the benefits of cat grass:

Gives cats vital nutrients. Cat grass can be a mix of oat grass, wheat grass, rye, or barley. These grasses all contain similar nutritional values. Wheatgrass is even a superfood by human standards. Nutrients in cat grass include chlorophyll, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Fibre, Folic Acid, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Iron, Calcium and Magnesium.

Digestive aid. Since cat grass is rich in fibre, it helps with your cat’s digestive function. The plant material lubricates the digestive tract, helping with both elimination and regurgitation.

Hairball relief. As it lubricates digestive tracts in the body, so too does it help with hairball relief.

Stimulation for indoor cats. Indoor cats don’t get to roam outside. This means they don’t explore or experience the world the way we do. Any indoor cat ought to have its own mini jungle.

Rids them of parasites. That main point again – that cat grass helps cats rid their own bodies of parasites.

Saves your plants and your cat. Cats nibbling on houseplants is hilarious until they eat a toxic one. Cat grass is the cat-friendly plant.

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Whether your cat is an indoor cat or a feral pet, cat grass is an effective way to fill them full of nutrients.

Thank you to James Cook, owner of purrpaw.co.uk allowing me to publish this article and for answering the question why do cats eat grass?