What is cat grass?

Cat grass is…just grass. More on what grass is in a minute.

You might have seen little pots planted with grass near the checkout stand at your local pet store, and wondered if you should buy one for your cat. If you’re like me, you might have also wondered why a dyed-in-the-wool carnivore, like a cat, would even want to nibble on grass.

And finally, you might have wondered if cats can even digest grass. (Spoiler alert: they can’t.)

We’ll dive into all of these questions below.

What is grass?

I think it’s important to define grass, before we get into specifics about cat grass.

Grass is an incredibly common type of plant. There are more than 12,000 types of grasses in the world and they thrive almost everywhere, from the hottest savannahs in Africa, to the coldest tundras in the Arctic. Grass covers more than 40% of all the land on our planet.[1]

Grass has narrow “leaves” that grow from the bottom, near the soil, rather than from their tips like other plants. This style of growing is one of the reasons grasses have been so successful. Growing from the bottom means that the plant can survive being grazed by animals or mowed by humans.

Members of the grass family include the kind of plants we use for lawns, but also plants we don’t tend to think of as “grass,” such as bamboo, corn, and sugarcane. Grains like oats, wheat, and rye are the edible seeds of grass plants.[2]

The world would be a different kind of place without grass. Grass feeds many of the world’s creatures, it holds soil together to prevent erosion, and it helps remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Is cat grass a special kind of grass?

Cat grass is just a marketing term, folks. There is no special type of grass plant that is grown just for cats.

If you don’t plant the cat grass yourself, you don’t know what kind of plant you’re actually getting, but it’s probably oat, wheat, rye, or barley, or possibly a combination of these.

Assuming the seeds used for growing started out as intended for consumption, these grass plants are perfectly safe for your cat to nibble on, with a few minor caveats, which we’ll discuss below.

Is cat grass really catnip?

Catnip, known by its scientific name Nepeta cataria, is a completely different plant from grass. Catnip is a member of the mint family, and it’s related to other plants like basil and oregano.

Catnip is appealing to cats because it contains an oil called nepetalactone; grass does not contain nepetalactone. When the leaves of the catnip plant are crushed, they release nepetalactone, which binds to receptors in a cat’s nasal passages, sending a message directly to a cat’s brain.

One thing catnip does not do is get cats high. Unlike recreational drugs, which are ingested and metabolized by some humans, catnip is neither ingested nor metabolized. It has no long-term effects on a cat’s brain and it isn’t addictive.

Cats are just responding to the scent of the catnip. Dig deeper into cats and catnip in this post.

Do cats need grass in their diet?

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they are obligated to eat meat. Meat, just meat, and only meat.

(Read about why you can’t feed a cat a vegan or vegetarian diet here.)

They are not like dogs, who are omnivores, meaning they can eat “omni,” or “all” foods. Dogs eat meat, but they can consume carbohydrate-containing foods, like fruits, vegetables, and grains as part of a healthy dog diet.

But even dogs can’t digest grass, and neither can humans. Grass is non-toxic for all of us, meaning we can consume it safely, but we just can’t get at the nutrition in grass. We are missing, among other things, the enzyme cellulase in our digestive systems to break down all the cellulose in the cell walls of grass.

Also, cats, dogs, and humans have only single-chambered stomachs. Ruminants – animals like cows and sheep – have four-chambered stomachs that allow for rumination, the regurgitating and rechewing of food that helps break down all that fibrous material in grass.

But we can all digest some grass seeds

We can, however, eat the seeds of some grasses. If you’ve ever had bread, oatmeal, or corn on the cob, you have eaten grass seeds. These grass seeds contain digestible sugars and starches, not to mention fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein.

But just because cats can digest some carbohydrates, doesn’t mean they need to eat them. A cat’s digestive system was designed to process meat.

I cover this topic in more detail in my post comparing wet cat food and dry cat food.

If cats can’t digest grass, why do they eat it?

Nibbling on grass is a natural behavior for a lot of wild animals who can’t actually digest grass. There are a lot of theories about why dogs and cats and other animals eat grass, which I discuss in this post about why cats eat grass and then vomit it up.

But theories are just theories until science comes along and, in this case, science has provided us with a very recently discovered answer.

Grass eating seems to be an instinctual behavior amongst wild carnivores to keep intestinal parasites at a tolerable level.[3] So, even though most of our well-loved house cats have parasites under control, they’re just doing what their ancestors have always done to help them survive, which is eat grass.

Can’t I just let my cat just eat grass from my lawn?

Most lawn grass is treated with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers which are toxic to cats.

If you want to indulge your cat in his grass fetish, purchase a specially grown kitty garden for him, or grow your own.

Do I need to give my cat access to a grass garden?

Eating grass is not essential to a cat’s mental or physical health. You are not obligated to give your cat access to grass.

It is unlikely that a cat is extracting any nutrients from grass, nor do they need the grass for fiber or any of the other reasons cat-grass-kit manufacturers promote on their packaging and websites.

Does eating grass help cats with hairballs?

It is unlikely that eating grass can help a cat who is prone to hairballs to pass the hairballs. Theoretically, added grass fiber could help a large clump of hair move through a cat’s digestive system, but there is absolutely no science that supports this claim.[4] I would not buy a grass garden for my cat for this reason alone.

However, if you think that your cat is benefitting from eating grass – if she seems to be passing hairballs more easily, for example – by all means, keep a little grass garden growing for her.

You can read about cats and hairballs in this post.

Should I give my cat grass to eat?

Providing a little grass for nibbling does allow your cat to safely engage in a natural behavior, and it is a form of enrichment.

It may also discourage some cats from nibbling on houseplants or flowers (don’t count on it). I’m going to assume that the plants and flowers we are concerned about are already known to be cat-safe. (Read this post about the high toxicity of lilies, if you are unfamiliar with the dangers of this flower.)

Know that some cats are just not interested in eating grass. You can lead a cat to grass, but you can’t make them nibble.

Are there any risks to giving my cat grass?

The risk of grass-eating for cats is very, very low.

Anecdotally, some cat guardians have reported that cats have gotten blades of grass stuck in their nasal passages, and one Redditor posted about an unusually large wad of grass that caused a bowel obstruction.[5] These are not common.

But it does bring me to a final point about cat grass safety: while some cats will refuse grass, other cats do seem to become obsessed with grass eating. Obsessions are never good for anyone, neither cat nor human, and grass eating should never take the place of food eating.

If your cat seems to be chomping way too much grass, you should take the grass away. You can continue to offer grass in a more limited way, assuming you have the discipline to remove something your cat is clearly enjoying, or you can stop offering grass completely.

How to grow grass for your cat

(*Note: as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.)

You can buy a cat-grass kit, which comes with everything you need to grow grass for your cat: seeds, soil, and a potting container. All you need to do is add sunlight and water. Here are some good options:

AVERGO Cat Grass Kit for Indoor Cats

I like this one because the container is wide (and super cute). It comes with 4 packets of seeds and some adorable miniature gardening tools.

ANEVO FARMS Organic Wheatgrass Premium Grow Kit 4 Pack

I really like this kit because you get four complete grass-growing sets. Your cats can be eating from one pot of more mature plants, while you’re growing round two in another pot. You do only get one variety of seeds (wheat), but that doesn’t really matter. These are organic and non-GMO, if that matters to you.

ZESTIGREENS Organic Wheatgrass Growing Kit

I like the wide bamboo box that comes with this kit. It’s big enough for two (cooperative) cats to nibble from at the same time.

You can also grow your own. You can buy grass plant seeds or wheat berries intended for consumption and grow them in ordinary potting soil in a cup or planter.

Here are some seeds you can try:

SEEDBOY Organic Cat Grass Seeds

This is a nice mix of non-GMO wheat, oat, rye, and barley seeds.

BACK TO THE ROOTS 100% Organic Wheatgrass Seeds

This contains organic, non-GMO wheatgrass-only seeds. It’s made in the USA, and you can use it, too, if you enjoy drinking wheatgrass juice.

Here are some planters:

YJIAYJIAY 2-Pack Cat Grass Planter

You can grow cat grass in this planter without soil. The design of the top tray encourages a cat to just nibble the tops of the plants, rather than pull them completely out.

FANHAO 2-Pack Stainless Steel Soil-Free Germination Trays

These are kind of the Rolls Royce of cat-grass planters. The stainless steel makes them virtually indestructible, and they’re really attractive compared to some plastic products. This product also allows soil-less growing.

LEJOY Garden Seed Sprouter Tray

A no-frills, low cost, does-the-job plastic planter. This is a great way to see if your cat even likes grass without spending too much money or effort.

Everything else you need to know about planting cat grass

• Some seeds, like wheatgrass (wheat berries) need to be soaked overnight in a jar to help them germinate. Other seeds can just be planted directly in the soil. Follow the instructions on the package.

• Mist your seeds as the soil begins to dry out. Misting, rather dumping water on the seeds, can prevent overwatering and also prevent the formation of mold.

• If the soil or plants show signs of mold, throw the whole thing out. I'd throw out the planter, too. It's not worth it.

• Allow three to seven days for your seeds to sprout. The grass will be ready for your cat when it is about four inches tall. Allow your cat to nibble the grass stalks right from the container.

• Don’t let the grass become too tall. Some grasses become less-tender as they grow bigger. Not only will the more fibrous grass blades become less appealing to your cat, but tough stalks could irritate a cat’s throat or digestive tract, or cause a blockage.

• If the grass has begun to develop awns (the seed-bearing structures), throw out this batch and start another. Grass awns can be very sharp, and can embed themselves into a cat’s skin, ears, eyes, nose, or digestive tract.

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Dawn LaFontaine

Dawn LaFontaine is a lifelong animal lover who always seems to have a little pet hair in her keyboard. Her blog, Kitty Contemplations, helps cat guardians better understand and care for the special beings they share their lives and homes with. Her cat-products business, Cat in the Box, sells beautiful, well-made, and award-winning products that she designed to meet the biological needs of cats.

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