Grass for cats: what do they like and how to grow it correctly?

With the appearance of a cat in the house, the owner has to think about purchasing different things. However, few people pay attention to the need to buy grass for their pet, in which almost any representative of the feline family is interested. The material in this article will tell readers what kind of grass cats love, what it is called and how to grow it correctly.

There are various reasons why cats are interested in grass. You should not take it as an alternative to food - in fact, cats need it:

• as ballast in the stomach;
• as an emetic;
• in case of illness.

The opinion that an animal eats grass out of nothing to do is erroneous. A cat never does anything just like that - it will not eat grass without a specific reason. For example, for the first reason, the herb is needed to create a feeling of fullness. This is especially important for sterilized individuals with a sedentary lifestyle. By eating grass, they will not eat away, therefore, in this case, the likelihood of obesity is excluded.

As for the gagging that the animal needs, the reason is simpler. Not everything that an animal eats is successfully digested in the stomach. For example, bones, skins of mice and bird feathers are poorly digested.

This is also the need to eliminate the accumulating hair that collects in the cat's stomach from the fact that the animal licks dead hair. Thus, she cleans her intestines from the hairs knocked into a ball.It also helps your digestive system.

Someone thinks that cats eat grass to get rid of parasites, others are sure that it acts on pussies as a laxative, helping to cleanse the walls of stagnant food debris. It is also believed that the grass is extremely necessary for cats during pregnancy. According to this theory, it saturates the blood with oxygen, contributes to the correct formation of the fetus.

If you closely follow the pet, you can see how he gnaws at the blades of grass without swallowing them. A certain herb attracts them with its taste. And often they like not some special, but ordinary grass. Sometimes it is noticeable that the animal does not feel well, may refuse food, but, having found grass, it noticeably revives.

The cat will never eat anything: even if it is still winter outside, he will not eat houseplants. In summer, he will not eat wormwood, dope, henbane and buttercup, but he will not ignore creeping wheatgrass. This herb is literally everywhere, it is effective in the treatment of gastritis, and also helps to normalize the metabolism in the feline body. Moreover, wheatgrass has the necessary rigidity for pets, activating peristalsis.

In addition to wheatgrass, cats like nettles, which can help improve lactation while nursing kittens. They also love parsley, using it as a diuretic. It should be noted that parsley also soothes pets.

Pets love sprouted barley, oats and wheat. This herb can be grown at home on a windowsill at any time of the year. With the funds to buy, in a pinch, you can buy an already sprouted "lawn". Of course, she will quickly lose her fresh look, but she will be able to help out the pet in case of urgent need.

At the same time, you do not need to try to treat your pet to such intoxicating herbs as valerian, lemon balm or peppermint. This is explained by the fact that this herb, in fact, is not useful. Moreover, it has been scientifically proven that it can provoke not only relaxation and intoxication, but also aggression. In addition, cats do not eat this grass, but only sniff.

A caring owner can buy grass for his pet in a specialized store. The seller will select the desired option, taking into account the sex of the pet, as well as relying on the nuances of the texture of the coat and the frequency of shedding. If the owner decided to grow the grass on his own, for a start, you can buy oats or wheat. It is sold in packs at the store and is called Cat Grass.

To prevent the cat from experiencing a shortage of greenery, the lawn can be enriched with other grasses. For example, three types of grass can be grown in one pot: wheat, barley and oats. This is how your pet can diversify its “green” menu.

Despite the fact that cats and cats sometimes need rather tough grass, the owner who has been dealing with a pet relatively recently should buy grass without ears and sharp notches on the foliage or feathers. A pet living in an apartment can get hurt on such grass. Ideally, the grass should be young and juicy, as coarse and old often do not have the desired effect on the pet. Of course, he will eat it in the absence of other greens, but for the care to be effective, the owner must take note of this nuance.

Also, when choosing, you will have to take into account the purpose: there is no grass from all the problems at once. If necessary, you will have to plant a specific one. For example, with frequent molting, it is better to have germinated sprouts of cereals in the house - they do an excellent job of removing licked wool from the stomach. As for the wheatgrass, it is desirable that this herb be one of those that grow in the house all the time. The cat's interest in her is pronounced, she will definitely come in handy for him.

There are many ways to grow grass for your pet. For example, you can take the planting technique using soil as a basis... To do this, in a specialized store, you need to purchase the grass itself, a balanced soil mixture, and a container. If you don't want to buy a pot, you can make it from scrap material.

In addition, you will need polyethylene for planting, which will completely cover the container. You can use a regular plastic bag as it. In order for the root system of plants to develop correctly, it is necessary to provide good drainage. The seeds themselves can be simply soaked or germinated to accelerate growth.

After planting, they must be sprinkled with earth and moistened with water at room temperature, sprinkled with a spray bottle. Then the planted seeds should be covered with plastic wrap, creating a greenhouse effect. After friendly shoots, the film is removed, however, if the room where the grass is grown is very dry, at first you will have to cover the sprouts with the film. This is necessary so that they do not dry out, as this will lead to the death of the roots.

You can plant grass for cats without land, and this method is considered easier. For its implementation, you will need two plastic plates of different sizes. The bottom of one must be pierced to create drainage and drain excess water. The perforated plate is placed in one piece so that it does not rest against the bottom entirely.

Put a little cotton on the bottom, then moisten the cotton, and then spread the seeds on it. From above, the seeds are covered with gauze with large holes through which sprouts can germinate. To speed up germination and prevent drying out, cover the plate with plastic wrap on top. The method is convenient in that with all the desire, the pets do not scatter the earth, and in addition, the breeder does not have to prepare the substrate for planting.

For a makeshift lawn, a specific cat litter (such as compressed sawdust) can be used instead of the substrate. It is soaked until a homogeneous consistency is obtained, after which it is used as earth. Otherwise, the method is no different from the option of planting in a pot of soil.

After the shoots appear, the grass must be properly cared for, which will accelerate its growth, affect the rapid rooting, and also the juiciness.

• You will have to water the land daily, but so that it does not stand in the water. At first, it should be moistened with a fine water spray. Water for irrigation must be taken either filtered or boiled.
• Do not place the container with sprouts in a hot place, as this will lead to rapid evaporation of water from the soil (cotton wool, filler).
• The place for the container must be chosen correctly: drafts that can freeze the grass are unacceptable (important in winter for plants on the windowsill).
• Cat grass grows on average 2 weeks. There is no need to grow the grass for months: after the deadline has passed, it will begin to age, lose its juiciness, it must be renewed so that the cat always has a fresh portion.
• The layer of soil that is sprinkled on the grass during planting should not be thick, otherwise it will be difficult for the seeds to germinate through the soil. In addition, with a large layer, germination will take a long time.It is a mistake to think that it should be up to 3 cm: ideally, 1 cm is enough.
• Lack of light and temperature during cultivation will result in stunted grass. For optimal growth and a set of juiciness, she needs to provide all aspects of care, including not only watering, but also light and moderate temperatures.
• In summer, you can grow grass on a windowsill or outdoors. However, it should be borne in mind that it will have to be processed from dust so that the pet does not inadvertently eat it along with the necessary substances.
• To speed up germination, the seeds selected for planting can be soaked in water. The soaking time usually does not exceed 2 hours. The water should not be too hot, it is advisable to take settled or filtered.

To grow high-quality and juicy grass for a pet, you must follow several rules. For example, the growing container should not be too high and wide. The cat must easily get to every blade of grass it needs. A small cat litter box is a good container option.

Sometimes the owners prefer to harvest the grass for future use. This cannot be called an effective way to provide your pet with the necessary weed: he needs it green and fresh. Often, cats, like cats, do not pay attention to her, trying to solve their problems by looking for something else. However, you can stock up on seeds from the summer - this will allow you to grow them at home at any time.

No need to put cat grass next to houseplants. Some of them have a specific smell that scares away pets and drowns out the smell of the grass itself.

Despite the fact that street grass is considered the most succulent, today it can not only benefit the pet, but also cause its poisoning. This is due to several factors. For example, the main one is the ecological background in the region. The foliage of the blades of grass can be poisonous, in addition, the grass, like a sponge, absorbs harmful substances in the air.

This includes exhaust gas from passing cars and pesticides sprayed nearby. The body of an already weakened animal may not cope with such problems, thereby aggravating the situation. In addition, few people thought that on the street grass, helminth eggs are often present. And these are new, but extremely undesirable problems for the pet.

To learn how to grow grass for a cat on your own, see the video below.