Why Do Cats Eat Grass?

Cats eat grass for a few different reasons, namely, to do with their digestive system and keeping it in good working order. Cats are obligatory carnivores, meaning they must eat meat. Many dog owners choose to feed their omnivorous dogs on a vegetarian or vegan diet, which can be achieved through plant protein, however cats don’t have that option.

All cats require taurine in their diets which can only be sourced through eating meat. That doesn’t mean the only thing they require is meat though. A natural diet for a cat involves them hunting birds and rodents. When ingesting their prey, they will also ingest their stomach contents which are where they get lots of their fibre from.

Grass contains folic acid which when broken down by chewing is released. We humans often take wellness shots for our digestion like wheatgrass which tastes terrible but is great for our bodies. The health benefits of eating grass are like them taking a wellness shot only they’re chewing on it instead!

The body needs folic acid to aid in the production of haemoglobin which is how oxygen travels through the bloodstream to reach the cells of the body, it’s a vital vitamin that they can source from grazing on grass. Eating too much grass can have a negative impact on your feline friend when it causes a nutritional imbalance, but very few cats overdo it. Frequent grazers can sometimes get sneezing fits if they get blades of grass caught in their nasal chambers, but they can usually dislodge these themselves.

Even our pampered pet’s ancestors used to eat grass from time to time. Grass may not have a lot of nutritional value. In fact cats lack the stomach enzymes to break it down so if it passes through their digestive tract, it will come out the other end looking practically unchanged! While they may not be able to access any nutrients from it, it still benefits them by aiding in their digestion.

Grass helps with bowel movements and can even relieve constipation so if you see your moggy munching on grass, they might just be trying to get their digestion tract working again if they’re feeling a little stopped up and bloated. Grass works as a natural laxative for cats and can even help them remove anything unwanted too like bones, fur, and feathers.

You may spot your beloved pet eating grass when they have parasites like worms. It’s thought that it could be an instinct remaining from their ancestors who didn’t have preventative treatments to try and rid themselves of worms. Your cat may be eating grass to expel any worms.

If you expect your cat is eating grass because they have worms, you can help them with removing them so they’re not just relying on the grass to do the job. Keeping up to date with preventative parasite treatments like flea and worming is important to maintaining a healthy and happy pet.

Cats will often eat grass to help them be sick. Whether they’re feeling unwell, or they’ve eaten something nasty, they can eat grass to help bring it back up.

If your cat is allowed to roam outdoors, there’s a good chance they will be hunting small rodents and birds. When cats eat their prey, they often eat bones and fur which they can’t digest and could even do damage if it’s passing through their intestines.

This, along with their own fur from grooming can just sit in their stomach offering no nutritional value whatsoever. Grass will help to bind it all together so they can vomit it and remove it from their stomach.

While cats may eat grass when they feel like they might go sick, it’s often to help them be sick if they need to go so you shouldn’t try too hard to intervene. The only time you may want to stop them is it’s been going on a long time and then you want to take them to the vet to make sure they’re ok.

The only way you can really stop your cat from eating grass involves managing where they’re allowed to go. You can either only allow them to explore grass free areas of the garden or keep them inside, so they have no access to it. Most of the time, grass eating is caused by nutritional needs or if they’re feeling unwell so the best way to stop grass eating is to figure out why they’re doing it in the first place.

If your moggy has frequent stomach issues then their diet may be the cause and they may be intolerant to the source of protein being used to allergic to grain. Altering their food to a hypoallergenic diet is gentler on their stomach could prevent the behaviour from happening in the future.

For all of your kitty essentials to help keep your moggy happy and healthy, take a look at our wide selection of products in-store and online.