Why does my cat eat grass?

1. 92

   Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years ago

   Why does my cat eat grass?
   
   My cat chews on grass when I take him outside (yes he walks on a leash!). I don't know if he swallows it or not. I usually pull him away before he has a chance to swallow it. Is he missing nutrients?
   
   

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2. 49

   Vekoslavposted 12 years ago

   This article may prove you wrong...
   
   http://www.knowyourcat.info/info/catingrass.htm
   
   I had always thought they ate eat for nutrients, but this article says it's to get indigestible food out of their stomacks.
   
   It's important that the grass isn't sprayed with chemicals, of course...

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   1. 92

      Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      How is that proving me wrong? I asked if it was because they were missing nutrients, I didn't say it was why.

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3. 69

   Adamowenposted 12 years ago

   I presume it's as you said lack of nutrients, or as a "cure" for digestive issues.

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4. 60

   becomingthirtyposted 12 years ago

   Hi, my cat usually eats grass to help his digestion along. I only know this from observation as he tends to eat grass to help him 'do what he needs to do'. BTW - my cat also walks on a lead! We often get strange looks!

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   1. 92

      Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      We get strange looks too! Loki (the one that walks on a lead) kinda walks me, he leads the way. But he likes getting outside, so he doesn't mind the leash apparently. It's really cute though!

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      becomingthirtyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It is cute to see them walk on the lead. We travelled with Isa so he had no choice but to learn!

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5. 37

   ChristinSposted 12 years ago

   I can only speak from the experiences I had with my kitty as he got older.  He would go out and chew on grass to help aid his digestive process.  Sometimes he would eat grass and then later I would find that mixed with hairballs he had coughed up (gross sorry lol)
   
   For whatever reason eating grass helps them "move things along" in much the same way I suppose a high fiber diet does so for us.

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   1. 92

      Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I guess I should just let him eat it then. The general consensus is they eat it for fiber. Thanks everyone for the help, Loki will be quite happy when I let him eat all the grass he wants! lol

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6. 60

   Dragonrainposted 12 years ago

   Not too long ago I did a lot of research and wrote a hub about why dogs eat grass.
   
   http://dragonrain.hubpages.com/hub/WhyDoDogsEatGrass
   
   There where a lot of theories, including that they do it to get nutrients they are lacking, and for digestive reasons.  But it seems like most vets/experts feel that, in the case of dogs at least, that most of them probably eat grass just because they like too.  Maybe it tastes good to them?
   
   I'm not a cat expert by any means, but I know that dogs, and I assume cats as well, don't actually get much if any nutrients out of eating raw plant matter.  Their digestive tracts where designed to digest meat, not plants.  If anything, some people feel that they may do it to get more fiber in their diet.   
   
   Also, a study done on dogs showed that only a very small percentage of dogs actually throw up all the time after eating grass, so they don't seem to be doing it to make themselves throw up like many people assume.  I'm not sure if a similar study has ever been done with cats.

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7. 58

   Insane Mundaneposted 12 years ago

   I think some cats just like to eat grass because they like the way it taste.
   I had a cat one time that stayed inside a lot, and would go eat grass almost every time it went outside.  That cat was well fed and had no digestive problems, hairball issues or anything, but just liked to change up his diet, I suppose.  In fact, since he liked it so much, I would occasionally feed it lettuce during the winter for a snack.  Most cats I have had over the years, rarely mess with the stuff, albeit my outdoor dog would eat it all the time, but then again she would eat almost anything, and I mean anything (fruits & veggies included).

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8. 64

   afriqnetposted 12 years ago

   Why is my cat eating grass’ is a very common question that is comes along with another related question ‘Why is my cat eating grass and throws up or vomits’ I would like to highlight and guide cat owners in this Hub publication on possible reasons why their cats are eating grass or are eating grass and vomiting. If you are a careful cat owner you should by now be aware of the normal behaviors of cats and for the sake of those who are new to cats, or have not had previous experience as cat owners read more

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9. 82

   peachpurpleposted 12 years ago

   my pet cat chews grass too. Yes, she did those coughing up and gross stuff. I think cats eat them because indigestion just like us human. Maybe, no appetite? I think it is a cat natural habit.

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10. 69

    ddsurfscaposted 12 years ago

    cats always eat grass, and you should let him.  They eat it because it helps with their digestion, and it is a natural hairball cure, as it helps them eliminate them.

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11. 61

    taazakhabarposted 12 years ago

    Not only cats but even other animals like Dogs chew grass to cleanse their digestive system and through up.

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12. 59

    JamesGrantSmithposted 11 years ago

    My mum has 3 cats, 2 of them eat grass. I watched a TV show which suggested it is supposed to settle their stomach. This being said the cat is usually sick after so it does not at least appear to do a very good job.

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