why do cats eat grass?

Answer 1

Hi there...Cats don’t eat grass as a source of nutrients. For them eating grass has a purely mechanical function. Ingested blades of grass trigger regurgitation of indigestible or hard to digest matter, like the cats’ own hair swallowed during grooming, or fur and bones of prey. Expelling this matter through regurgitation, similar to birds of prey, is safer than allowing it to pass through the digestive tract where it could possibly cause a blockage.

Answer 2

It is actually not just cats that do this, dogs do it as well, and it is true that animals get upset stomachs and grass helps soothe it. At the same time, some eat grass because of the smells and it will infact make them throw up.

Answer 3

I have read that cats eat grass becuase grass has soemthing that helps their digestive system. My cats eat grass everytime I take them for walkies in the back yard. Persoanlly, I think cats eat grass because they instinctively know that it helps keep them healthy and becuase grass eating is a throw-back from milions of years ago when the great cats were vegetarians and not yet turned carnivores.

Answer 4

Grass is pretty indigestible for cats and dogs because they do not have the digestive enzymes necessary to breakdown the fibre content ..which is high. Apart from fibre and water, grass also contains some minerals, vitamin A and sometimes vitamin D.

The nutritional value of grass for cats and dogs is very poor...so there is unlikely to be a basic instinctive nutritional reason why cats and dogs would eat grass ...unless they have a need for dietary fibre itself which is thought to be unlikely. Cats in particular are known to be obligate carnivores and have no requirement for nutrients derived from plant material.

It has been reported (but not scientifically proved) that cats and dogs will eat grass if they have a digestive system problem such as gastritis or nausea. They will also eat unusual materials if they have a nutritional deficiency, or if they are hungry and do not have access to food. On the other hand eating small amounts of untypical foods ..grass, wood, leaves ..can just be a normal behavioural trait and is not important providing the material eaten is not toxic - such as laburnum leaves or sticks. Grass is usually safe - unless it has been sprayed with herbicide or insecticides

Answer 5

I was told that this settles their stomachs. Also you will notice that some of the new cat foods offer an "indoor cat formula" with greens in it.

Cat food must lack some vitamin that grass provides and they instinctively want to nibble.

Answer 6

Sometimes when cats and dogs get sick they eat grass to help themselves throw up. Its perfectly normal - it can also help their digestive system. But just keep an eye on it. If they do it too much it can make them more sick.

Answer 7

Either they have an upset stomach or they feel like they're missing something in their current food. My cat eats grass routinely, even when he's not sick.

Answer 8

I think cats ate grass cause thats like a medicine to them,if they have stomach problems or indigestion.

Answer 9

Because it helps with upset stomachs. Cats only eat grass when they have a belly ache.

Answer 10

To help with their digestion and if their tummy's hurt they'll eat grass.