Cat grass is a name for different grass-like plants. Owners of indoor cats know the pots of fresh green grass that four-legged friends love to nibble on. In the trade, these plants are specially declared as cat grass, but they are also available as a mixture for self-sowing. The cat grass usually only costs a few euros, but is still quite expensive in the long run, as the plants usually do not last long. But which plants are we talking about here? Are all grasses suitable or are there differences?
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Why do cats eat grass?
Cats actually feed on meat. But you can often see them eating grass outdoors. Indoor cats that have no way of consuming grasses often switch to other indoor plants. However, this can be dangerous as it may include crops that have been chemically treated or are naturally toxic to cats. It is not a quirk that cats eat grass. You need it for health reasons:
- Food supplements (e.g. folic acid and vitamins)
- Digestive support (prevents constipation)
- Choking out indigestible hairballs.
When grooming and swallowing whole prey, hair gets into the digestive tract of the animals. If the amounts are too large, the hair clumps and in the worst case leads to an intestinal obstruction. By ingesting longer grass stalks, this clumping is provoked in the stomach and choking out is made easier.
Cat grass species
A wide variety of types of grass can be used as cat grass. The commercially available cat grasses are mostly:
Sourgrass plants:
- Sedge grass (or called Cyprus grass)
Sweet grasses:
- Indoor bamboo (also called Seychelles grass)
- oats
- barley
- wheat
The leaves of the grass must not be too hard or sharp-edged, otherwise the cat can get dangerous cuts. If the cats only nibble on the blades of grass from time to time, we recommend sedge grass or room bamboo. The plants are a bit more expensive, but they last for years. Indigenous grains are an inexpensive and fast-growing alternative for cats who love green fodder.
Location and care
There is no specific location for grasses. They belong to those frugal plants that are satisfied with both sun and a shady place. However, the location should offer one thing: enough light. A place on the window sill of an east or west window and temperatures between 15 and 18 degrees for native grains are ideal for growth, but higher or lower temperatures do not harm them. However, if the temperatures drop permanently below ten degrees, the grass stops growing or slows it down significantly.
Sedge grass and room bamboo prefer it to be warm. Temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees are ideal for them.
Zypergras:
- Marsh plant
- well-moistened soils
- air permeable
- no compacted soils
- also slightly acidic pH values
- rather waterlogged than dryness (also grows in the aquarium)
Grain:
- Soil: air and water permeable, humic or loamy
- moist (in the germination and growth phase)
- sandy garden soil or potting soil
Room bamboo:
- Potting soil, loosened up with sand or granules
- moderately moist
- no waterlogging
There are different cultures of many types of grain: summer forms and winter forms. While the winter variant germinates at very low temperatures, but grows a little more slowly, the summer form needs a little more warmth.
Fertilizing and watering
If there is a large supply of nutrients in the soil, some grasses store them in their leaves. As this can be unhealthy for cats, the plants that cats use as a source of food should not be fertilized.
While some grasses prefer dry areas, others like to grow in wetlands. This should be taken into account in the casting behavior.
- Sedge grass: Water more often, likes it moist.
- Grain: Water regularly, may also dry out briefly once.
- Indoor bamboo: Water regularly, likes it neither very dry nor very wet.
Grasses thank you with fresh green leaves when the humidity is high. That is why they can be sprayed with stale water every day. Low humidity is often reflected in dried up leaf tips.
Cutting cat grass
As a rule, cat grass (like all grasses) is very vigorous. After a relatively short phase in which only delicate green leaves grow, the inflorescences quickly form. Since many types of grass are annuals, this is essential for their continued existence. While the fresh stalks are quite soft, the leaf edges can become harder over time and thus also sharper-edged. In order to avoid a bloom and always produce young leaf shoots on the grass, they can be cut to a few centimeters – similar to a lawn cut in the garden. Indoor bamboo should only be cut very carefully, as it grows slowly and otherwise loses its beautiful, bushy shape.
Propagate by seeds
A very inexpensive way to produce cat grass yourself is to grow it from seeds of various types of grain. You can buy germinable oat or wheat grains from farmers or health food stores. These seeds are placed in soil in a pot or shallow dish and kept moist.
Grains grow very quickly and form an ear after a relatively short time. Since this is not desired when the grass is used as cat grass, only smaller portions should be sown. If the cat grass is then eaten bare or if it forms flowers (ears), the next ration should already be sown.
- Time: all year round
- Germination temperature: at least 2-5 degrees (native grains)
- Water requirement: very high
- Sowing depth: 2-3 centimeters
- Soil: poor in nutrients, permeable to water and air
- in case of high temperatures or low humidity: cover the bowl with foil.
Since the majority of grass seeds have fur-covered grains, a very high water content in the soil is necessary for germination. Before sowing, the seeds can therefore simply be soaked in a glass of water for an hour. The seeds then usually germinate within a few days. Since most cats prefer young shoots, you should sow new seeds in another pot at regular intervals. These are then ready for use when the other grass is eaten or is no longer so fresh.
Multiplication by sharing
Sedge grass and room bamboo form lateral root shoots, so-called rhizomes, if the site conditions are good. If a stately plant has grown in the pot, it can be divided when repotting. The root ball is lifted out of the pot, pulled apart slightly and the individual rhizomes are separated from each other. This should be done with a very clean knife or scissors to protect against disease.
Dead roots and shoots are removed and both parts of the plant are placed in fresh soil. To make it easier to grow, the soil should be kept moist from the start.
Diseases
Grasses are not frequently afflicted by diseases or pests, neither in nature nor in homes. Only in monocultures (as is common in agriculture) are they more susceptible. Grasses on the windowsill often suffer from the low humidity, especially in winter. Then aphids or scale insects can appear. Since most pests cannot survive low temperatures, it can sometimes be enough to place the plant in a frost-free place for several days where temperatures are below twelve degrees. This does not harm the plant, but it usually kills the pest. Insofar as the cat grass is used to feed pets, pesticides must not be used. This is more harmful to the cat than it is to the lice. Doesn’t it help
Conclusion
Cat grass is a variety of grasses that cats use as nutritional supplements and digestive aids. The grasses that also have a decorative character include the Zypergras and the room bamboo. Otherwise, wheat, oat or barley seeds can also be planted in a shallow bowl for the indoor cats. They germinate after just a few days and are an inexpensive alternative to the ornamental grasses.
