I am the proud parent of two! Morticia, who is 14 years old and Hawkeye who is 3 years old. No, they don't get along.
And like any dutiful parent, I buy my kids grass whenever I come across it at the pet store to aid in their digestion.
And like any bad plant owner, I eventually forget to water said grass and more than that, I neglect to offer it to my cats past the initial day of purchase. Sigh.
So I finally came up with a solution - grow my own indoor grass!
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| Morticia caught in the act! |
I started with a self-watering plant box, packed it with dirt, picked up two wheat grass plants from Petsmart and transplanted them. I set the box on the floor in front of a window.
Morticia who has a long history with grass, chowed down immediately - a little too much. We had to have a talk as I explained that this was now her grass and I would not be taking it away, so - SLOW DOWN!
Hawkeye, well he's still learning. He won't help himself and instead I have to present each blade of grass to him (Oiy!).
To my surprise and delight, the grass has taken off! So much so that the cats can't keep up and I might have to cut grass inside the house (not annoying at all!).
You may be asking yourself why you would want to offer your cat grass at all.
Well, it is very natural for them to nibble on grass, in fact in the wild, cats help themselves all the time. For indoor cats, the grass basically helps them deal with the mounds of cat hair they ingest courtesy of self-grooming. As you know, this hair is not digestible and usually ends up on your floor when you're in a hurry.
Now the bad part, the grass is not digestible either and well it binds to the fur and the cats throws it up (sometimes, now always). But! If the cat does not get the fur out one way or another, this could lead to a blockage in the intestines which is painful and traumatic and often requires surgical intervention to remove.
Also, grass is quite palatable to a cat and they enjoy the taste. Giving your cat access to grass may save your plants lives as well as they turn their attention to what they really want. Plus, grass has a lot of moisture, some trace minerals and the vitamins A and D. Grass also contains chlorophyll, which before the discovery of antibiotics, was a remedy for many ailments.
So whatever reason your cat craves grass, it's completely natural and should be offered. While grass from your lawn provides the same benefits, make sure it has not been sprayed with fertilizers or pesticides. Just like us, cats prefer organic.
If you have cats or they have you, consider planting some grass indoors as this will enable your cats to help themselves - your cats are going to love it!
Happy Bonding!
The Hoff
