If anyone has ever seen a cat outside merely munching on grass you may be wondering if your indoor cat is missing out in any way because it hasn’t got any grass to eat. In which case you may be asking yourself if your indoor cat should be eating grass or if they even need it?

The answer in my view is yes. Not only do I think that cats should eat grass I think it’s beneficial for them. And they actually need to eat grass. Of course being indoor cats they do not have access to this unless you actually give it to them. Below I explore the reasons why your cat might want to eat grass, why it should eat grass, and how you can provide it for your indoor cat.

Cats have habits ingrained into them and they seem to know exactly what they should be doing even if they’ve been indoors all their life. It’s important to give your cat as much a natural life as possible and as much enjoyment as possible regardless of whether it’s 100% indoors or 100% outdoors or somewhere in between the two.

Should Indoor Cats Eat Grass & Do They Even Need It?

Do Indoor Cats Need Grass?

It’s my view that they do need grass whether they be indoor cats or outdoor cats. Of course, an indoor cat has no choice but to eat what you give them. Unless they go out in the backyard.

Why Do Cats Eat Grass To Make Themselves Sick?

Cats eat grass to make them sick. When they are sick it clears out their tummy. If they’ve been eating too much fur or have other debris stuck in there like many bones Feathers or other things that can irritate their tummy it gets rid of it.

Cats aren’t able to digest a large quantity of grass because they do not have enough enzymes to do that.

So if your cat is eating large quantities of grass it might pay to give it a visit to the vets to find out if there is anything else more serious going on.

Other Reasons Your Cat Might Eat Some Grass

I have heard that cats may also eat grass because they are lacking in Folic acid( vitamin B9). Although as far as I know this has not yet been confirmed. If you’re giving your cat mid-range or better quality food a lacking folic acid should not be an issue. If you think this may be the reason it may be best to take your cat to the vet’s to get it checked out for safety sake. As there may be an underlying medical condition.

They May Use Grass to Poop

Cats can’t digest grass very well so it also works to help them poop as ti acts like fibre.

They May Eat Grass Because They Are Stressed

Cats will eat grass if they are stressed or anxious.

What Are the Dangers of Your Cat Eating Grass

One of the things that can happen if your cat eats grass is that it can get tangled up and stuck in the back of the nose. If this happens your cat will start to sneeze quite a lot. Unfortunately, if this happens you have to get it removed manually so your cat will need to go to the vets.

if you’re taking your cat outside of your own private area for walks you have to be very careful when you let them eat grass. Sometimes there’s not a suitable type of grass. Or it can have been sprayed or poisoned and you can’t always tell immediately this has happened as it may take a few days to show.

Some cats will stress eat. So you may find that they actually overeat grass. If you find in a continuously eating grass then it may be that they are eating because of anxiety or stress. It’s best to check this with your vet.

6 Ways to Feed Indoor Cats Grass

There are several ways you can make sure your indoor cat can have grass. Below I have mentioned 6 ways.

Boo’s First Experience of Grass

I don’t think that Boo had ever had grass in his life, it was very unlikely that his previous owners gave it to him. He was 100% an indoor cat and what little I know about his background it is unlikely that they would have gone to that trouble. In addition, his habits indicated he hadn’t.

So when Boo first had grass I was really surprised at his reaction at 11 he’d never had grass far as I can tell. Yet, he seemed to know exactly what to do. Not only that he really enjoyed eating it. It is because of this I feel very much that grass is an essential part of cat life. Because if it wasn’t it would not be so ingrained into them.

How to Make Sure Your Indoor Cat Has Quality Grass

There are several ways to make sure your indoor cat has enough grass. See the Quick overview below:

1. You can buy readily grown cat grass in its entirety
2. You can grow cat grass from seed
3. If you have to space you can make your cat a grass area or cat grass fed
4. If your cat has a cat so you can make sure in the Catio there is a grass area for your cat
5. If your cat goes out on a leash/lead you can make sure your cat has access to grass
6. If your cat has a yard you can make sure that your cat as an area within the yard the where they can eat grass

More Detail On Making Sure Your Kitty Has It’s Grass

1. If you have a look in your local garden centres or craft fair events or special cat events you may find that you can buy ready-made cat grass already growing.
2. To you can also buy seed for cat grass but you can grow on yourself. You can either get this locally in your garden centre sometimes from your rescue centres and also online in places like Amazon.
3. If you have the room and a space that is suitable say in a conservatory for instance or you have your own cat room you can make an actual grass bed for your cat. To do this you need a suitable container. You also need soil and gravel for mixing with the soil for good drainage. You will also need grass seeds ideally the one, especially for cats. If you place your soil into your container you will need to make sure it’s suitably moist. Then sprinkle your grass seeds on top. And cover them over so that your cat doesn’t scratch the soil. And allow them to grow. Once they’re suitably strong you can then let your cat on them. Or you can simply buy turfs and allow them to grow inside. You need to make sure you have suitable drainage and enough light so that the grass will grow and that it’s not an annoyance in other ways.
4. If you have a Catio you can use a small area of this for your grass bed for your cats this is perfect because it’s outside and it’s going to be less of an awkward to maintain. Still, need to check it and trim it and make sure it’s watered if it’s undercover.
5. If your cat goes out on a leash it can eat grass while you are out. Just please make sure that you take note of the hazards mentioned above.
6. If you have a backyard you can create a small area where your cat has its own grass patch.

Boo: I did this for Boo. Boo has his own space for his grass. I used to small square foot sized 3 by 3  (about 1 square metre) container filled it with soil and then used turf from my mum’s garden to fill it. This works really well and he loves munching on his grass although, sometimes he still prefers to go with grass in other areas so I have made sure that I’ve put patches in pots etc for him. Rather annoyingly though he insists on sitting on the lumpy gravel between the grass and a pot and not actually on the grass. Well, that’s cats for you.

Will They Even Eat Cat Grass?

I do wonder sometimes with cats. The times I’ve bought grass in the past for different cats and they just refuse point-blank to eat it. Yank some out of a garden and give it to them, no problem. Nice fresh cut grass that has been grown especially for them they wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole.