Cat Grass: Dangers And Alternatives

Cats love to nibble on grass. The grass helps in choking out swallowed fur. Read when nibbling on cat grass can become dangerous and what alternatives to cat grass there are.

Indoor cats need help making it easier for them to choke out hair they swallow while grooming. Cat grass, which most cats willingly accept, has exactly this effect: the cat vomits more easily. The cat grass available in specialist shops, in garden centers, or in hardware stores is usually nothing more than freshly sprouted wheat.

Is Cat Grass Dangerous?

Some veterinarians recommend avoiding cat grass. In the worst case, a cat can become a patient after eating cat grass. Straws could get stuck in the nose or throat. Please note, however, that Freerunners will eat blades of grass without harming their health in any way.

Another reason why cat grass could be dangerous: is the ready-made cat grass could have accidentally come into contact with pesticides. These can lead to dangerous poisoning in cats. Therefore, the following always applies: Wash cat grass thoroughly before serving so that no residues of toxic substances can remain.

Plant Cat Grass – This Is How You Do It Yourself

Instead of buying ready-grown cat grass, you can easily grow it yourself. You need this:

• Peel
• plant substrate
• Organic wheat grains (alternatively: barley or rye)

And this has to do with:

1. Simply sprinkle the bowl with a thin layer of plant substrate.
2. Sow the grains.
3. Cover with a layer of plant substrate about 1 cm thick.
4. Pour.
5. Place the bowl in a warm and bright place (no direct sunlight).
6. keep moist.

If you have done everything correctly, your cat will have fresh cat grass available after just three to four weeks.

Alternatives To Cat Grass

Cat grass has one major disadvantage from the perspective of cat owners: it causes the cat to vomit – preferably onto the best carpet, which is the most difficult to clean.

Malt Paste For Cats

If you want to avoid this, you can do without cat grass and offer malt paste as an alternative. Unlike cat grass, malt paste causes hair or hairballs to be excreted in the feces. The carpets and other textiles are spared and the risk of straws getting stuck in the nose or throat is averted. You can find malt paste in pet shops and wherever pet supplies are sold.

Other Plants For Cats

If you don’t mind cleaning the carpets, you can offer replacement plants as an alternative to cat grass, which often looks a bit more decorative in the apartment:

• Spider plant: The popular nibbling plant filters pollutants out of the air. If you are from a smoking household, then you should not offer this plant. Be sure to pinch off the inflorescences. Because the seed pods contain substances that cause diarrhea in cats.
• Dwarf cypress grass: The dwarf form of Cyprus grass has softer, less sharp-edged leaves than its big sister. Nevertheless, it can happen that blades of grass get stuck in the nose and throat. Some veterinarians, therefore, advise against this plant entirely.
• Barley Stalks: Many cats prefer barley. If you plant the barley yourself, make sure you use organic seeds. Alternatively, complete sets with a mini greenhouse are also commercially available.
• Normal grass: If you offer conventional grass, make sure that it does not come from near a busy road (risk of pollutants), from a cultivated meadow (toxic fertilizers), or from a dog park (risk of worm infestation).

Please note: some cats may be allergic to these alternatives to cat grass. You should also, as with purchased cat grass, make sure to wash the substitute plants well to prevent the cat from ingesting toxic pesticides.
There is always a risk of a straw getting stuck in the nose or throat. So be careful with all experiments involving cat grass and its alternatives! And never let your cat nibble on other indoor plants. Many plants are highly toxic to cats!