Eating leaves/grass?

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Jacciisamazing
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Eating leaves/grass?

Post by Jacciisamazing »

We've just recently started letting our new rescue cat out for small periods of time in the garden, but for some reason all she wants to do is chew/eat leaves and grass!
It wouldn't worry me except that I know lots of plants are poisonous to cats and I'm concerned that they could harm her. She won't stop unless you chase her away, I've tried clapping but she just ignores it. Has anyone else had this problem with their moggies?
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Lilith
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by Lilith »

Hi and welcome - this is a very good guide -

https://www.cats.org.uk/dangerous-plants#

Grass is fine and cats do need to chew on this and other greens to maintain stomach balance ... they will of course eat their fill and then come back inside and sick it up on the newest carpet or rug ... and their aim is unerring ... :o :lol: :lol: :lol:
Jacciisamazing
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by Jacciisamazing »

Haha yes I've had experience with cats and their talent at puking! Thank you for the link, I'll have a look to see, I just don't know how I'll be able to stop her when she's out on her own.
AndyMac
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by AndyMac »

I was going to post a similar topic as I have a cat 2 weeks now that I took home from an adoption centre - I think she was an indoor cat with the previous owner and had been as the shelter for 2 months - she is 2 years old. I introduced her to my garden and she has been eating grass every time she goes out but has not been sick once. She will chew on it for ages and was wondering if it is because of her diet which is Purina One biscuits.

My previous cat would eat grass to be sick and her diet was wet and dry food but wondered with Mia and her diet is she eating grass to supplement something she is not getting from her food ??
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Janey
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by Janey »

AndyMac wrote:I was going to post a similar topic as I have a cat 2 weeks now that I took home from an adoption centre - I think she was an indoor cat with the previous owner and had been as the shelter for 2 months - she is 2 years old. I introduced her to my garden and she has been eating grass every time she goes out but has not been sick once. She will chew on it for ages and was wondering if it is because of her diet which is Purina One biscuits.

My previous cat would eat grass to be sick and her diet was wet and dry food but wondered with Mia and her diet is she eating grass to supplement something she is not getting from her food ??
Why is she only having biscuits, is there a reason for that? I adopted 2 cats who had tummy troubles but were fine with Purina sensitive, but I still used to give them some other foods, e.g. foods which we ate, such as fish, and the odd other pouch they could tolerate. I just think it must be really boring and sad for them to eat the same thing day in day out, i.e. that same taste and texture. My cat and the ferals get a real mixture of different foods and biscuits every day. They still eat the odd bit of grass though, especially this time of year, I think a lot of cats do :)
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

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Janey wrote:Why is she only having biscuits, is there a reason for that? I adopted 2 cats who had tummy troubles but were fine with Purina sensitive, but I still used to give them some other foods, e.g. foods which we ate, such as fish, and the odd other pouch they could tolerate. I just think it must be really boring and sad for them to eat the same thing day in day out, i.e. that same taste and texture. My cat and the ferals get a real mixture of different foods and biscuits every day. They still eat the odd bit of grass though, especially this time of year, I think a lot of cats do :)
When I adopted her I was informed by the shelter that she ate ProPlan or Purina One and Felix wet food. I tried her on the wet food as I have so much since my previous cat died and Mia had no interest in any wet food I gave to her (Felix, Whiskas, Gourmet Perle etc....) so I give her the biscuits and try to rotate each day with varitiey but agree it must be boring for her. I do give her sliced chicken and turkey and will hopefully try to vary the food with fish and other meats but she has only been with me 2 weeks and I am trying to see what she likes/dislikes. The grass tho so does eat quiet a lot but she does poo every day which seems normal. She is full of life and still getting used to her surroundings and being outside but I am a bit concerned wth the grass tho.
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Janey
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by Janey »

AndyMac wrote:
Janey wrote:Why is she only having biscuits, is there a reason for that? I adopted 2 cats who had tummy troubles but were fine with Purina sensitive, but I still used to give them some other foods, e.g. foods which we ate, such as fish, and the odd other pouch they could tolerate. I just think it must be really boring and sad for them to eat the same thing day in day out, i.e. that same taste and texture. My cat and the ferals get a real mixture of different foods and biscuits every day. They still eat the odd bit of grass though, especially this time of year, I think a lot of cats do :)
When I adopted her I was informed by the shelter that she ate ProPlan or Purina One and Felix wet food. I tried her on the wet food as I have so much since my previous cat died and Mia had no interest in any wet food I gave to her (Felix, Whiskas, Gourmet Perle etc....) so I give her the biscuits and try to rotate each day with varitiey but agree it must be boring for her. I do give her sliced chicken and turkey and will hopefully try to vary the food with fish and other meats but she has only been with me 2 weeks and I am trying to see what she likes/dislikes. The grass tho so does eat quiet a lot but she does poo every day which seems normal. She is full of life and still getting used to her surroundings and being outside but I am a bit concerned wth the grass tho.
]

Oh I see. Well if you try different foods and she prefers those then that’s what she wants. Funnily, my cat came from a home nearby (she kept leaving so ended up staying with us!) and they only fed her Go-Cat! Although she has all these other foods I feed her, and she enjoys them, she still loves Go-Cat and I let her have some because that’s what she likes and she seems to get grumpy if she goes a few days without :lol:
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by MarySkater »

You could try growing cat grass in a pot for her in the house, something like this:
https://seeds.suttons.co.uk/search?w=cat+grass
If she can "graze" indoors, she might not be so desperate for greenery when she goes out. But most outdoor cats chew grass, and don't seem to come to any harm.
Jacciisamazing
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by Jacciisamazing »

MarySkater wrote:You could try growing cat grass in a pot for her in the house, something like this:
https://seeds.suttons.co.uk/search?w=cat+grass
If she can "graze" indoors, she might not be so desperate for greenery when she goes out. But most outdoor cats chew grass, and don't seem to come to any harm.
This is a good idea, thanks!
Thanks for everyone's thoughts though, I feel like it's more normal now :D
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MarySkater
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by MarySkater »

When I lived in a flat, I gave my cats a constant supply of pot-grown cat grass. It springs up very quickly, but also dies back in a few weeks. It's not actually "grass," usually it's oats. I grew mine in 1-litre ice cream cartons. Usually if you get two of the same type, one will nest inside the other with a small gap at the bottom. I'd make drain holes in one carton; a soldering iron, if you have one, is a convenient way of melting holes in plastic. Put compost and grass seed in the carton with holes, and sit it inside the other one so that the water has somewhere to drain.
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by Antonio »

My cat Pallina chew and eat grass only to vomit, so I do not allow her to eat it!

I was told by a vet that the grass in a cat's stomach leads to inflammation and possibly gastritis. My cat has IBD, duodenitis and other GI issues, so I would more than happy if she stays away from anything that is green.
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MarySkater
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by MarySkater »

I don't know about your cat with her specific health issues. But I've always believed that grass is good for a normal cat. They need to be able to vomit to get rid of hair in the stomach. And many will nibble a little grass even if not enough to make them sick. It looks to me like normal healthy behaviour.
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Re: Eating leaves/grass?

Post by Antonio »

When my cat eats the grass and vomits, she throws up stomach juices or (un)digested food, not hair.
So I prefer she does not eatany grass at all.

The other cat I had would eat lots of grass, she never puked in her life. So there was no purpose in eating it, just for the taste of it :)
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