I feel awful that my first post isn’t some sort of grand, insightful question, but this has been bugging me (and my better half) for some time.
Recently, my boyfriend and I were watching the cat eat grass, and he told me that I shouldn’t let him do that. I was always told that it helps aid their digestion. He says that since the cat is a carnivore, it shouldn’t eat anything of the sort. Which one of us is right?
Thanks!
Sincerely,
Pie
You are. Cats have evolved for millions of years. If grass were bad for them, they wouldn’t eat it. Pet stores even sell special “pet grass” you can buy for your cats to eat if they’re indoor cats. Our male cat loves to eat grass. Our female sticks to the houseplants.
It wont harm them, usually it makes them puke up the contents in their stomachs that are bugging them. My dog does it too so don’t feel like it’s a weird thing.
They don’t always puke when eating it though.
My personal opinion is with all the dry garbage we feed our animals which are filled with preservatives and fillers and are the main cause of animals wanting and needing more than what we feed them.
Cats need more protein than dogs but both need some veggies (grass fits into this realm) of some type in their diet. According to one of my books Natural Pet Care by Gary Null, cats need about 75% of their diet from protein and dogs about 50% of their diet from protein. Keep in mind that will depend on age, mostly that puppies and kittens need more protein than older animals.
My male cat liked to eat a lot of grass while my female cat just likes to wander through the yard. I think every animal is different in how it will digest the food we give them. And as Opus said, they do have kitty grass you can buy to grow inside your home. If you fertilize or put other chemicals on the lawn (or your landlord) then I suggest growing some of your own grass for your cat to ingest.
It’s very simple, in a sunny window, with a pot of good soil, use some typical grass seed, bury about 1/4 inch or so deep. Water well, cover lightly with some plastic wrap. Once the seeds sprout, remove the plastic and keep moist (not soaked.) Once they grow to about 2 inches, you have kitty greens.
BTW, my male cat loved everything from broccoli to oranges and everything inbetween including the grass in the yard. My female cat is not as enthused (sp) by vegetation, she usually prefers to eat proteins and fats – you should see her when I have meat, cheese or cottage cheese but she does like the occasional taste of bread. Again, I think it’s different from animal to animal, just like their personalities.
Oh and another weird thing. My female cat can’t stand canned food but my male cat (may he RIP) loved canned food. I never quite understood that.
Thank you, tech.
Raggedy Anne eats grass every day.
And every day throws up.
I kind of understand this, now.
My cat is also male and he tends to throw up after he eats the grass (he WAS an indoor cat, but ever since I let him out once, he is a cat obsessed). I am going to grow that indoor grass…he LOVES to chew on things, so he might as well chew on something that’s good for him. =)
I did try to take him outside using one of those cat harness things, but he flipped out. The woman at the pet store said that they don’t take well to collars…now I’m stuck chasing the crazy little man all over.
Thanks again!
-Pie