Whenever my indoor cats get outside for a few minutes they head straight to the grass and start chewing. Cat's aren't exactly like dogs whereas if they head straight for the grass and start eating, they're probably not feeling good. No, cat's actually eat grass even when they feel great. Think of it more like health maintenance.

Cats naturally like to nibble on greens. According to Purina cats eat grass for the nutrients, laxative properties or to relieve an upset stomach. Providing cat grass keeps them from getting outside to get at regular grass which may have been treated with chemicals. Growing your own cat grass also keeps your cats from going after your house plants which may be toxic. 

It's really easy to grow cat grass, in fact it could be the easiest plant you ever grow. You'll just need some seeds, a pot and some dirt...oh and water of course! 

What is cat grass?

Cat grass is the early sprouts of wheat, oat, rye or barley seed. Since the cats start eating it as sprouts, it only takes a few days till it grown enough for them! 

You can buy fancy bags of cat grass seed at pet stores or online. It will cost you about $6 for a small bag. Or you can go for the big guns and buy a 25 pound bag of winter wheat berries at the feed store, that should only set you back about $10. There's a 1 Lb option on Amazon for about $9 if you don't think you'll use a large bag. I know that's only $1 less than the huge bag, but unless you're doing a lot of juicing or growing fodder for livestock animals, you probably won't use that much seed before germination rate falls.

Fun fat: Cat grass grown from wheat seeds is the same wheat grass that people use for juicing!

How to grow cat grass

There are two methods to growing cat grass. The first is to just  throw a handful of seeds into a pot, mist daily with water and let the cats enjoy. Seeds are created with enough nutrients to sprout and start to grow. The seeds have no problem getting to be a few inches tall with just water and a little bit of sunshine. You'll want to put a pretty thick layer of seeds in there though, so that the roots will create a mat to hold the whole thing down when the cat chews on the grass. 

At some point the seeds do run out of nutrients. This is where soil and compost (or compost tea) come in handy.

The second method is to put soil in the pot as if you're planting any other seed. Lay the seeds on top of the soil. Mist with water. Cover lightly with more soil. Mist daily until sprouts appear. You may need to water more depending on how dry your climate is. If the seeds are drying out too quickly, you can cover them with plastic wrap or a clear lid to keep the moisture in, but also let the sun in.

The seeds should sprout in a few days and you can let your cats have them once they get a few inches tall. Some cats need to be given limited access to the cat grass as they will eat it all the way down any chance they get! This can make quite a mess if they pull the sprouts out to eat them. Other cats will take a bite here or there but not overdo it. See how your cat acts before you decide if you want to give them unlimited access to the cat grass.

Watered and fed like any other houseplant, cat grass will continue to grow for up to 3 months. 

While you're at it you can plant some catnip for your cat too. Here's How I grow catnip for my cats It's much cheaper to grow your own and you don't have to worry about it being treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides!


~Lisa

Want cat care and natural health information sent right to your email weekly? Click right here to join my list and get new posts sent directly to you the day they're published!

(This post contains affiliate links. If you chose to purchase something through the link, I will get a small payment from Amazon. It will not affect your purchase price. Click for full disclosure .)