If you are a cat or dog owner, you probably noticed your feline or canine friend sometimes wanders off to a green spot and starts eating grass.
Both cats and dogs are carnivores, so why would they ever eat grass?
Most people might not know that nontoxic “cat grass” brings a lot of benefits to a cat’s health, from digestion, to inducing the vomiting of fur balls until dietary supplementation.
Animals know instictively, what’s good for their health.
In this post, we’ll learn something your pet probably already knows: the benefits of cat grass or wheat grass mainly for cats, but also dogs and even other animals.
Cat Grass Health Benefits
There are a lot of foods that provide many of the benefits wheatgrass does for humans, but as you probably know, cats don’t usually enjoy eating broccoli, bananas or carrots.
So here is a list of the things cats love about cat grass:
It helps them… poop better!
The biggest health benefit of cat grass is what it does for the cat’s digestion. Every cat can benefit from cat grass, since the fiber helps speed up the digestion process.
It is theorized that cats might look for grass to aid the digestion of certain things they can’t easily digest, such as hair.
If you notice your cat is eating grass regularly and especially if their poop is a bit dry, it might be because they’re not getting enough fiber in their diet.
The same as humans, pets need a balanced diet to achieve optimal health and happiness! It’s tough to feel happy with a hairball stuck on your stomach.
Prevention of parasites
Eating grass can help the cat’s stomach to purge worms and parasites they might have ingested from hunting.
Cat Grass Provides Vitamins and Minerals
Cat grass provides a few vitamins, such as B vitamins, folic acid, chlorophyll, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, antioxidants, and also compounds that combat cancer and tumors.
If a cat isn’t feeling that well, they might eat grass in an effort to become healthier.
You can now imagine your cat wearing glasses and reading a book about feline nutrition.
It’s fun!
Besides being good for their health, eating grass is something different from what cats eat most of the time.
The shape and texture of cat grass stimulates the cat’s instincts and they can exercise things such as smelling, chasing and choosing.
An Extra Benefit for the Owners: Fresh Breath
The chlorophyll in the grass can also aid in the freshening of your cat’s breath! I bet that’s good news for you!
But that’s not all chlorophyll can do for your cat (and for you).
The Chlorophyll in the Cat Grass can Help your Pet Live Longer
We all wish our pets could live forever and wheatgrass gets us closer to this goal.
Also called liquid sunlight by some, chlorophyll is a green pigment that acts as a life source for plants and is made through sunlight.
It is a natural blood booster and for that reason, it helps the cat’s body produce stronger and healthier blood and helps increase oxygen levels in their blood. It also slows down the aging process.
Wheatgrass contains up to 70% chlorophyll.
Should Cats Eat Just any Kind of Grass?
No.
Some plants might be poisonous and make any situation regarding your cat’s health worse.
The safe thing to do is to buy high quality cat grass and let your cat eat it at home, under your supervision and with the knowledge of their veterinarian.
Cat Grass Benefits for Dogs: Can Dogs Benefit from Eating Cat Grass?
Yes. Dogs can also benefit from eating wheatgrass and other kinds of nonpoisonous grass.
Both cats, dogs and many other animals need the fibers, vitamins and minerals that cat grass provides for their optimal health.
Wheatgrass Benefits for Cats
Wheatgrass smoothies are popular among healthy people, since it provides a lot of benefits such as a variety of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and more. But maybe you didn’t know wheatgrass is also amazing for your cat’s health.
Here is a list of nutrition benefits of wheatgrass for your cat or dog:
- Antioxidants, chlorophyll, flavonoids, carotene
- B Vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K1
- Compounds that might prevent and fight cancer and tumors
- A lot of essential amino acids for cats
- A lot of minerals including magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, sulfur and manganese.
Antioxidants are known for their anti-inflammatory properties and they can help your cat be strong and young for a long time. They also prevent a variety of diseases.
How much Grass should Cats eat?
Cats should eat cat grass in small amounts at a time.
If your cat or dog consumes too much grass at once, they can end up feeling sick and throwing up a few minutes later.
It is actually common for cats to throw up a bit of grass after they eat, but it’s smart to consult a veterinarian to make sure their digestion is functioning as it should, and to learn how much grass each of your pets can eat.
Photo by Jelena990