😼🧐Why Do Cats Like Cat Grass?🌿

   🤔 Cats are naturally curious about plants, as anyone with a green thumb and a cat knows. They'll even chew or consume some plants, like cat grass. Why do cats adore cat grass so much, and what is it exactly?🍃

What Is Cat Grass?

    🍃It's possible that some people confuse cat grass with catnip and catmint. However, cat grass is not the same as it sounds. Plants in the mint family include catmint and catnip. Although catmint and catnip are commonly referred to as one and the same, they are actually two different species in the same genus, Nepeta. Cats react less strongly to catmint than to catnip, despite the fact that they may look alike.🍃

    🍃Cat grass is a very different matter. If you cultivate cat grass and catnip, you can see this in the way the plants look differently. In actuality, cat grass is the grass of some cereal grains, including rye, wheat, oats, barley, and alfalfa.🍃

Why Do Cats Like Cat Grass?

    🍃Though considerable research has been done, the reason cats like to chew on any grass, especially cat grass, is still unknown. It used to be thought that cats would eat grass to help soothe their stomachs when they were sick. But this has been called into question by a study1. When a study of cat owners was conducted, 65% of the cats' weekly eating habits were reported by the respondents. Just 6% of these had an owner who reported them sick prior to them eating the plant, and 37% had frequent vomiting thereafter.Given that 94% of the cats in the poll appeared to be well before consuming any food, this suggests that cats don't genuinely consume plants, including cat grass, to feel better. There is also a theory that cats eat cat grass to aid in the removal of hairballs. Would giving grass to a vomiting cat make it easier for a long-haired cat to cough up a hairball? This idea was examined in the same study that examined if cats might use grass as a stomach settler. However, they discovered that there was no variation in the frequency of vomiting between cats with long hair and those with short hair. 🍃

    🍃The theory that eating grass could help regulate and eliminate intestinal parasites is being considered. A study conducted in Belgium examined a variety of wild carnivores, such as different Canidae species, as well as a variety of wildcats, such as lynx, cougars, pumas, and leopards. According to this study, eating grass is a normal behavior for all cats and is not limited to domestic cats alone. Even wild cats have been observed to consume grass.🍃

Where Can You Purchase Cat Grass?

    🍃It's actually not too hard to find cat grass. It's available in small trays at pet supply stores, but nurseries are also good places to find it. Keep in mind that cat grass can be sold as "wheat grass," etc., because it can be wheat, barley, alfalfa, or rye. If you want to grow your own cat grass, you can also buy seed packs. Once more, these might be sold as rye, wheat, barley, or alfalfa grass instead of cat grass seeds.🍃

Where Can You Plant Cat Grass?

    🍃You can grow cat grass outside in your garden or indoors in a container. If cultivating outside, you have two options: transfer an established cluster of cat grass from a container to the ground or sow the seeds straight into the ground. It is possible to sow the seeds at any time of year if you are growing indoors. The soil should be kept moist and they should be planted 1/4" deep. The seedlings should appear within a week or two. Keep them somewhere they will receive enough of consistent sunlight at this phase. When planting cat grass outside, it should receive full sun and be done in the spring.🍃

Why Is It Better For Cats to Eat Cat Grass Than Regular Grass?

   🍃For a few reasons, your cat should chew on cat grass rather than lawn grass. Inadvertent ingestion of pesticides by your cats poses a health concern if you use any for treating your grass. Your cat may also run the risk of consuming parasites and/or coming into contact with fleas and ticks when they nibble on lawn grass. Naturally, this can also be the case if your cat eats anything in your yard, even cat grass. Take clippings from outside plants and give them to your cat after giving them a thorough wash, or bring a tiny bit of cat grass indoors for your cat to nibble on.🍃

    🍃Cat grass is healthy for cats to consume, yet the reason why they enjoy it is still unknown. It might be an additional enrichment item in their house.🍃