Cats Love Wheatgrass

The guys fighting over grass

It seems that I've got a few who are surprised that cats eat grass. Well, don't be! Mrs W, a fantastic friend of mine who has dedicated her life to the cats, grows pots and pots of wheatgrass for her cats to chew on. Fivecats told me before that her Boy likes a particular species of grass that grows wild on open fields.

H, another good friend of mine, goes for walks to look for a special kind of plant that grows on the sandy soils beside tarmac roads. I've seen how her cat went gaga over it; Sniffing and chewing the roots, rubbing his face with the leaves and rolling on the floor in a state of daze. The happy cat was so intoxicated, he had drool dribbling down his chin all the way to his chest!

A few weeks ago, Mikan gave me a scare when he was hooked onto chewing the dried flowers. I guess it says that there's insufficient roughage in their current diet. Also, these guys are indoors 24/7 so a few of them derive pleasure from continuous snacking. I'm counting on the grass to give them an alternative something to chew on, hopefully my fat ones (Becksie, Princess, Maggie) can lose some weight!

Excerpt from http://messybeast.com/overweight.htm

OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE CATS
2004, Sarah Hartwell

"Owners don't like to see waste. Hence modern cat foods boast that they are "highly digestible". This is not true of the cat's natural prey which contains a degree of indigestible parts known as "animal roughage" and had vegetable matter in its gut. Historically, owners were encouraged to feed their cat small amounts of cooked vegetables with their meat to mimic animal roughage, but most modern owners have gotten out of this habit. Where modern cat foods do contain vegetable matter, it has usually been treated to make it digestible. Some foods boast that they are so digestible and efficient that they reduce the amount of faeces a cat passes. Although what goes into the litter tray seems like wasted money, it is necessary for intestinal health. Just like humans, cats are designed to deal with a certain amount of bulk. Adding that bulk back into the cat's diet can often prevent obesity. Owners need to understand that there is more to feeding a cat than dumping half a cup of kibble in its bowl."

More information on Cats and Wheatgrass:
Wheatgrass for Cats: Living Food for the Modern Housecats
Feline Grass-Eating