cat grass care?

[Jaylin A]

My cat has been having some digestive troubles, and he keeps munching on fake plants that look like grass so I thought I'd try out catgrass (wheatgrass). but hes still going after the fake plants (they have been moved now) and doesn't seem to like it... yet (buddy! eating fake plants is probably making you sick! eat the real and organic grass we spent way too much on!)

I've read a lot of mixed answers... for example, the care label says not to repot it, but online it says the plant dies quickly BECAUSE it's in such a small pot and not removed (company schemes, am I right?).. so I have some questions:

1. can wheatgrass be regrown? I saw that its not like lawn grass and doesn't regrow after it dies and only grows from seeds... so how do I harvest seeds to replant..?

2. what watering, sunlight, and trimming requirements work best?

3. do I need to refrigerate it like it says? it feels wrong to

 

[LTS3]

No, cat grass can't be regrown. Once they turn yellow and wilt, it's gone.

You can buy wheat grass / cat grass seeds anywhere and grow grass yourself as needed. Garden centers, pet stores, online obviously etc sell seeds. Use potting soil that doesn't contain any fertilizers. Water thoroughly to get the seeds started and check daily and water lightly until the seeds start to sprout and then as needed after that. When the grass is about 2 inches tall or so you can offer it to the cat. I pull out individual pieces of grass for my cat to eat. You can offer the whole pot but watch out for a knocked over pot and dirt spilling out.

Plants need light to grow. The refrigerator isn't a good place because there's no light at all. Keep the grass in a cool spot to help it last longer. Indirect sunlight is fine.

Catnip can be grown from seed too. Same growing technique as for grass.

 

[ladytimedramon]

You might also try oatgrass, which also seems to be sold for cats. Delilah had wheat grass and my friend grew her some oat grass. She totally ignored the wheatgrass for the oat. Delilah started with fake grass too. Not eating, but playing. What I will sometimes do is take a blade of grass out and wave it around like it's alive. She will grab it and eat it.

 

[CHIKITTIES]

I buy "Hard Red Winter Wheat Berries" from bulk food section. Soak in water overnight (or few hours) then keep it moist by lightly covering with something (wet paper towel or some sort of lid) until sprouts. Then remove covering and let it grow! As for watering, I normally rinse seed/root mass once a day.

3 day? old - grow quite quickly in warm weather

7 day? old - well chewed

 

[LTS3]

Sometimes you can find hydroponic wheat grass at Whole Foods and other similar grocery stores. People use them in blended drinks / smoothies. I found some recently at an independent market. Picture further down in my post here. It was in the refrigerated produce section of the market where it is cool and I think the lights stay on 24/7.

 

[Jaylin A]

wow, thank you all for so many helpful replies! these will definitely be handy in the future as I'm getting more and more iffy about the grass I just bought and would feel much better growing it myself. will try the other types like oatgrass instead of wheat grass as well, I'm thinking of putting pure pumpkin back into his diet and seeing if it helped since it somewhat did last time. we would take him to the vet to run more tests and meds... but we've already racked up a bill from the last visits/meds which provided no help or insight whatsoever and I fully expect to spend up in the K's only to be told its 1. something simple like an allergy or 2. it's something bad that they should've caught sooner and then we have to spend more
we also have catmint in our garden, not the same as catnip but very similar and our kitten likes to munch on it. thinking on it now, the mint might help my cat's stomach, congestion/ allergies, and maybe his breath

I'm still a bit confused about the whole "you can only grow them from seeds, once they're dead they're dead"..does the grass that grows produce new seeds to replant?

 

[CHIKITTIES]

It's wheat - if you grow from "grass" stage to all the way to "wheat", you will be able to harvest and replant, but it is going to be long way!
Wheatgrass Vs. Wheat: The Comparative Guide

As for pricing - my local Whole Foods sells "Organic Hard Red Winter Wheat Berries" at $1.25/lb and a tiny tray of "pet grass" around $3.50! On light requirement, our kitchen counter on previous place was far away from North facing window but still grow no problem. Honestly those are the easiest plant to grow with my limited plant growing experience! Good luck!

 

[LTS3]

I'm still a bit confused about the whole "you can only grow them from seeds, once they're dead they're dead"..does the grass that grows produce new seeds to replant?

A pot of grass isn't going to last long enough to produce seed. Hydroponic grass definitely won't last long even if watered regularly.

Cantip on the other hand will produce seeds even if grown in a pot. I'd use a large 12 inch pot or so to allow good plant growth. To encourage growth, pinch off the leaves and give to the cat fresh or dry for later use. Keep at least 4 sets of leaves near the top of the plant. When the plant matures it will produce little flowers with seeds.