What Is Wrong When Your Cat Is Eating Grass?

Cats commonly can be seen chewing and eating grass, which can often be misconstrued as an unusual behavior, as the nutritional value from grass and plants is minimal at best to cats. If the behavior is not necessarily beneficial, then what does it mean when your cat eats grass?

  1. The Misconception

    • The biggest misconception is that eating grass means that your cat is sick. Although commonly thought that somehow eating grass helps the cat to get over a sickness, it has been found that eating grass is a regular behavior that normally isn't associated with sickness.

    Cat's Common Behaviors

    • Cats commonly can be seen eating grass and then regurgitating the food. This is a normal behavior simply because cats cannot digest many pieces of animals that they eat--regurgitating allows an opportunity to get rid of the indigestible parts that accumulate over time. Hairballs fall into this category as well.

    Cat's Systems

    • Cats lack the common digestive enzymes to get rid of plants or grass; therefore, they gain nothing from the actual grass they eat, other than the ability to regurgitate other substances.

    Abnormal Behavior

    • It is important to keep an eye on your cat for abnormal behavior. Although eating grass is not necessarily a sign of sickness, if your cat's behavior changes it can be a sign that you need to take your cat to a veterinarian. Such behaviors could include things such as personality changes, or eating far more grass than normal.

    Warnings

    • Be careful as to the types of plants you keep around your house since cats can't recognize plants that are harmful to their health.