KITTY GRASS
by Pauline Dewberry

It’s a strange phenomenon for anyone who has watched a cat eating grass and then looked on with astonishment as a few moments later, the cat’s body starts convulsing from its hindquarters upwards in a rippling motion and then the grass is spewed forth in a frothy mixture of bile and bubbles. Sometimes, in this expulsion there is a long oblong sausage shape which is caused by a furball. Sometimes, the entire contents of the most recently eaten meal emerges fully intact – almost exactly the same as when it went into the cat – so perfect is it in form.

Cats eat grass for a couple of reasons. They need roughage and grass helps to provide it and aids digestion. Grass also has traces of nutrients, most notably, folic acid, which are not always present in the food we feed them. And thirdly, grass is an emetic, which cats being sensible physicians know, will help them to dislodge any foreign particles or furballs.

What can your cat do if he or she is an indoor cat with no access to the great green outdoors?  Well, you can grow some kitty grass which comes complete in a little container. You just add water and literally watch it grow. Depending on the type you buy, it can be ready in just a couple of days.

PetShopMan supplied me with a tub of kitty grass and I followed the instructions of pricking the bottom of the tub, watering it until it was quite damp and putting it somewhere dark to germinate. Within two days it had sprouted a little ‘crew cut’ of tiny grasslings but by the following day it was almost two inches high and ready for harvesting.   

You can buy tubs of kitty grass from most pet suppliers and your beloved feline darlings can indulge in an orgy of grass eating within two days of germination.

You can order online at PetsMart:  and for $3.99 you have a cheap healthy treat for your cat.

If your cat has access to outdoors, you can grow Kitty Grass from seed. Some garden centres and plant catalogues sell the seed. Here in the UK try www.thompson-morgan.com or www.mr-fothergills.co.uk

Once you have your seeds, something as simple as an old margarine container will be purrfect for growing them. All you need to do is prick 5 holes in the base with pointed scissors for drainage and then sow the seeds thinly on multi-purpose potting compost. Cover the seed with a fine sprinkling of potting compost until they are hidden from view and then give them a thorough watering using a fine rose on your watering can – careful not to wash them away.

Put them on a warm windowsill indoors or in a greenhouse and within two weeks you’ll be harvesting grass for your kitties to enjoy. If you sow at monthly intervals you can have grass all year round. Cut back the shoots regularly to keep the grass tender and your cats will love you even more than they do already!!    

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