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

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

The interest of cats in grass is due to various reasons. Do not take it as an alternative to food - in fact, cats need it:

• like ballast in the stomach;
• as an emetic;
• with the disease.

The opinion that the animal eats grass from nothing to do is erroneous. A cat never does anything for nothing - it will not eat grass for no reason. For example, for the first reason, grass is needed in order to create a feeling of fullness. This is especially important for sterilized individuals leading a sedentary lifestyle. Eating grass, they will not corrode, therefore, in this case the probability of obesity is excluded.

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

This is the need to eliminate the accumulating hair, which is collected in the cat’s stomach from the fact that the animal licks off dead hair.Thus, she cleanses her intestines from knitted wool. It also helps its digestive system.

Someone believes that cats eat grass to get rid of parasites, others are confident that it acts on fluffers as a laxative, helping to cleanse the walls of stagnant food debris. There is also an opinion that the grass is extremely necessary for cats during pregnancy. According to this theory, it saturates the blood with oxygen, contributes to the proper formation of the fetus.

If you carefully follow the pet, you can see how he gnaws blades of grass without swallowing them. Some grass attracts with its palatability. And often they like not some special, but ordinary weed. Sometimes it is noticeable that the animal is not feeling well, may refuse to eat, but, having found grass, noticeably comes to life.

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

In addition to wheat grass, cats like nettle, which helps to improve lactation during feeding of kittens. They love parsley, using it as a diuretic. It is worth noting that parsley also calms pets.

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

At the same time, you should not try to treat your pet with such stupefying herbs as valerian, lemon balm or peppermint. This is explained by the fact that this grass, in fact, is not useful. Moreover, it is 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 it.

A caring owner can buy weed for his pet in a specialized store. The seller will choose the right option based on the gender of the pet, as well as based on the nuances of the texture of the wool and the frequency of molting. If the owner decided to grow grass on his own, for starters you can buy oats or wheat. It is sold in packages in the store and has the name Grass for Cats.

So that the cat does not experience a shortage of greenery, the lawn can be enriched with other herbs. For example, in one pot you can grow three types of grass: wheat, barley and oats. So the pet can diversify its “green” menu

Despite the fact that cats and cats sometimes require rather hard grass, the owner who is engaged in a pet relatively recently should buy grass without ears and sharp notches on the leaves or feathers. A pet living in an apartment can get injured on such grass. Ideally, the grass should be young and juicy, as coarse and old often does not have the desired effect for the pet. Of course, he will eat it in the absence of other greens, but for the care to be effective, the owner should take note of this nuance.

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

There are many ways to grow grass for a pet. For example, you can take as a basis the technique of landing using soil. To do this, in a specialized store you need to purchase the grass itself, a balanced soil mixture, as well as capacity. If you do not want to buy a pot, it can be made from improvised material.

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

After planting, they must be sprinkled with earth and moistened with water at room temperature, sprinkled from a spray bottle. Then 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, the first time the film will have to cover the shoots. 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 more simple. For its implementation, you will need two different-sized plastic plates. The bottom of one must be pierced to create drainage and drain excess water. The perforated plate is placed in a whole so that it does not rest on the bottom entirely.

Put a little cotton on the bottom, then moisten the cotton, and after that put the seeds on it. Top 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 a plastic wrap on top. The method is convenient in that with all desire, the pets do not scatter the earth, and in addition, the breeder will not have to prepare the substrate for planting.

For an improvised lawn, instead of the substrate, you can use a certain cat litter (for example, from pressed sawdust). 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 with soil.

After shoots appear, the grass must be provided with proper care, which will accelerate its growth, will affect the rapid rooting, as well as juiciness.

• Water will have to be watered daily, but so that it does not stand in the water. At first, it should be moistened from a finely divided water spray. Water for irrigation must be filtered or boiled.
• Do not put the container with the sprouts in a hot place, as this will lead to the rapid evaporation of water from the soil (cotton, filler).
• The place for the container should be chosen correctly: drafts that can freeze grass are unacceptable (actually in winter for plants located on the windowsill).
• Cat grass grows on average for 2 weeks. There is no need to grow grass for months: after the deadline, it begins to age, lose its juiciness, it must be updated so that the cat always has a fresh serving.
• The layer of soil that is sprinkled with grass during planting should not be thick, otherwise it will be difficult for seeds to germinate through the soil. In addition, with a large layer, germination will be delayed for a long time. It is a mistake to assume 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 lighting and moderate temperature.
• In summer, you can grow grass on the windowsill or on the street. However, it should be borne in mind that it will have to be treated from dust so that the pet inadvertently does not eat it along with the necessary substances.
• To accelerate germination, the seeds selected for planting can be soaked in water. Soaking time usually does not exceed 2 hours. Water should not be too hot, it is advisable to take the settled or filtered.

To grow quality and juicy grass for a pet, you need to be guided by several rules. For example, a growing tank should not be excessively high and wide. The cat should easily get to every blade of grass he needs. A small cat tray may be a good container option.

Sometimes the owners prefer to harvest grass for the future. This is not an effective way to provide the pet with the necessary weed: he needs her green and fresh. Often cats, like cats, do not pay attention to her, trying to solve their problems by searching for something else. However, you can stock up on seeds from the summer - this will allow them to grow 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 environmental background in the region. The leaves of the blades of grass can be poisonous, in addition, the grass absorbs harmful substances in the air like a sponge.

This is the exhaust gas from passing cars, and pesticides sprayed nearby. The body of an already weakened animal may not cope with such problems, thereby exacerbating the situation. In addition, few people thought that helminth eggs are often present on street grass. 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.