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+--- Thread: Cat addicted to grass (/Thread-Cat-addicted-to-grass)
Cat addicted to grass - FunkyMonkey - 10-25-2014
So, my cat, Wren, is absolutely *addicted* to the green stuff. She's an indoor cat so she has some pots of grass, but it's at the point where every time I come in she's at the door, ready to spring across to the lawn to eat some more. I usually pick a handful to bring in with me and she always has my hand off to get at it.
She's absolutely fine in other ways. Food goes in and comes out again in an exemplary fashion - I feed her a mix of wet and dry which at the moment is Bozita (a Swedish grain-free brand) and Lily's Kitchen (British grain-free brand) with Royal Canin Gastro-intestinal biscuits (because she had a dry food which made her bloat, then diarrhoea when I changed it to something else). She doesn't usually throw up from the grass and when she does she's not bringing up any hairballs or anything like that.
She's in for her vaccinations next week so I will be asking The Vet about it, but does anybody have any input? Could it be her diet? Is there anything I should make sure he checks? Or is she just a little weirdo?
Thanks in advance!
RE: Cat addicted to grass - FunkyMonkey - 11-01-2014
H'okay, so nobody had any input but I'll post an update anyway in case the people of the future search the board for this kind of thing.
I asked The Vet about the grass and he said she probably just enjoyed it, like catnip. He also said the whole "Cats eat grass to throw up" thing was just a theory and he didn't actually believe it was correct. As long as she was eating fine and looking generally healthy, he didn't think there was anything to worry about.
So, she's just a little wierdo then.
(He also said that when he gets reincarnated, he wants it to be as my cat so I clearly give the impression of somebody who knows what they're doing with regards to feline welfare).
RE: Cat addicted to grass - Happyflowerlady - 11-02-2014
Greens and in this case, grasses, are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals; so it may be that your cat is just "supplementing" her diet with a needed vitamin or mineral.
I think that most animals, like dogs and cats , will eat grass from time to time. Even parakeets like to have some greens; so it is not just when something is wrong, or the animal is sick that they eat grass.
Many people actually grow greens for their pets to eat.
You may have heard of wheatgrass ? It is highly nutritious, and is very easy to grow. I just use an old baking pan, or even one of those cheap ones from the grocery store, add a little potting soil, and mix in some wheat berries.
Once they sprout, they will be tender and tasty to your cat, plus you won't have to worry about her picking up anything bad from the grass outside on your lawn.
As the wheatgrass grows, if your cat is not eating it all, trim it back a little so it makes more tender sprouts.
Your cat will love you for the delicious greens, and be healthier for eating them.
RE: Cat addicted to grass - FunkyMonkey - 11-23-2014
This thing is though, cats have a very short intestine which means they can't actually absorb any nutrients from grass or any kind of vegetation. She may love to eat it, but it all comes out the other end undigested.
I do have a couple of pots of grass for her which she tends to treat like toys. Many is the time I've gone downstairs to find them both upended, dirt everywhere, and a very soppy kitty having a roll in the mess she's created. Once she managed to pull the grass free of the pot and carry the whole lot upstairs to the bathroom matt!
RE: Cat addicted to grass - Happyflowerlady - 11-23-2014
My goodness ! ! It does sound like your cat is crazy about grass, way beyond the normal grass chewing that both dogs and cats usually do. I think that in this case, asking your veterinarian about why she is doing this, is definitely in order.
I am still thinking that there is some sort of a mineral or vitamin deficiency that is causing the obsessive grass-eating; but I don't know what she might be short of. it sounds like you are feeding her an excellent diet. She would actually get some vitamins from the grass just by chewing it, eeven though it doesn't really digest properly.
Another possibility is that your cat thinks that the grass is a sort of toy for her to chew and play with, especially since you said she drags it out of the dirt and chews it up. Maybe, this is kind of a "substitute mouse" for her, that she loves to catch and "eat" when she gets a chance. Cats are very ingenious when it comes to their playtoys; so I can see this as a possibility maybe ??
RE: Cat addicted to grass - gypsee - 12-02-2014
Cats are mostly strict meat eaters, however some choose to eat grass if they are sick and need to puke (horses usually cannot). You probably shouldn't let your cat eat grass, my cat eats it for fun sometimes as im not entirely sure. Trust me, my cat ate grass once and it was not pleasant at all. Cats are domestic, however their wild ancestors ate only meat, so cats are not just purely domestic, my cat still is wild. (I regret letting her near a dog, it wasn't fun to hear)
My cat eats a variety of foods, usually meow mix or special kitty (it's great food!), but she eats kit kaboodle now. (my mom picked that out for her)
RE: Cat addicted to grass - kfander - 12-02-2014
Published in Dave's Garden, an article by Geoff Stein, a veterinarian, discusses the issue of cats eating grass.
In the article, he considers several reasons why cats might eat grass and concludes that there is no definitive answer to why many cats eat grass, but that it is "probably safe in most cases." He also suggests that there is no real need to offer cat grass to your pet.