There are many guardians who ask themselves the reasons for this behaviour. Why do cats eat grass? One of the weirdest things cats do, and they do a lot, is to eat grass. In some ways, it is a mystery never really solved by scientists, at least until now.
This behaviour may seem strange and somewhat self-injurious, especially seeing him throw up soon after, but in reality, it is completely normal.
Not only is this habit not harmful to your cat, but on the contrary, it appears to have many benefits. So let’s see in detail why do cats eat grass.
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Why Do Cat Eats Grass
Anyone who owns a cat used to wandering around the garden will no doubt on Why do cats eat grass and may have noticed it. The cat often lingers on the grass, intent on chewing the grass as if it were a grazing sheep.
In the same way, even the domestic cat can be caught in the act of appetizingly nibbling the leaves of the plants in the apartment. But why does he do it? How can we decipher this behaviour? Like mischievous in spite of our cat or a gesture motivated by something else?
Helps Digestion
According to some theories, the cat would eat grass to promote digestion. Once, in fact, the cat was a wild animal and ate its prey to feed itself. Swallowing not only edible parts but also the most indigestible ones, such as hair. The herb was therefore useful for inducing vomiting and expelling difficult-to-digest parts.
According to a recent study, it was found that cats would eat grass not to throw up but simply because they have been used to doing it since their origins. A biological reason, therefore the ancestors of cats used to eat plant matter to expel intestinal parasites that are absent in domestic ones today.
The herb, in fact, was able to activate the digestive system and increase its muscle activity. The cats of today, therefore, would keep the memory of this strategy implementing it without a truly beneficial purpose.
Cat Grass is Used to Expel Hair
According to other hypotheses, the cat would eat the grass to try to expel the excess hair ingested during daily grooming, causing digestive problems. In this sense, the herb for cats, thanks to its stimulating properties, would trigger vomiting in the cat, helping it to expel excess hairballs.
The Cat Eats Grass For its Nutrients
Some types of plants are rich in vitamins and minerals, such as folic acid, vitamin D and niacin. Therefore, the cat eats grass to get these nutrients useful for its health, especially since some foods it takes may be deficient. This is Why do cats eat grass in normal times.
Why Does Cats Vomit After Eating Grass?
The reason why cats vomit after ingesting the grass lies in the lack of enzymes necessary for the digestion of plant matter in the stomach. So why do cats eat grass? Cats are obligate carnivores and in nature, they feed on their prey by ingesting even the inedible parts, such as bones, feathers and hair. This can cause digestive tract irritation resulting in stomach pain, or more severe digestive disorders. It induced vomiting through ingestion of grass, therefore, serves to relieve the cat’s discomfort.
The Laxative Effect of Grass in Cats
It is not uncommon, that the cat ingests considerable amounts of their own hair, licking, thus creating real boluses of hair in their stomach. These can cause indigestion, which is why cats try to expel them by inducing vomiting by ingesting grass. The latter, however, can also have a laxative effect if the fore mentioned boluses have gone deeper into the digestive tract of the animal, thus helping its expulsion through the faeces.
The Folic Acid Content in the Herb
The juices contained in the grass contain folic acid, a vitamin essential for the proper functioning of the cat’s body. Folic acid helps in the production of haemoglobin, the protein that moves oxygen within the blood. Folic acid is also contained in the mother cat’s milk.
The grass for the cat is therefore not only a valid means to cleanse its body of indigestible substances, but it is also important for its proper functioning, this is why do cats eat grass. It is therefore a good habit to provide your cat with some grass even inside your home, especially if your cat does not normally have free access to a garden.
A good alternative to weed is malt paste, also called remover. This paste, usually contained in a tube, helps in the removal of hairballs present in the cat’s stomach, but not only. This special pasta in fact also contains many essential nutrients for the cat, such as taurine, crude proteins, vegetable oils, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, various vitamins, as well as folic acid.
How to Tell if a Cat has Eaten Poisoned Grass?
If the cat lives in conditions of freedom or semi-freedom it could come into contact with grass in which pesticides harmful to it have been used. Here are the signs of poisoning.
- abundant salivation
- diarrhoea
- He retched
- wheezing
- convulsions.
As soon as your cat exhibits unusual symptoms, especially after ingesting something, contact your veterinarian immediately. Hope you have got more information on why do cats eat grass.
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Conclusion
Be careful if you have a garden, you need to control your cat’s access to plants, as the only beneficial thing for her body is grass. Others could compromise their health and cause them discomfort. Hope you have to know Why do cats eat grass. Visit CatsBuz for more information.