eating grass

[Jack Wheeler]

Why do cats eat grass? We have three cats and two of them can't wait
to get outside in the morning and start grazing. Our small fenced in
yard looks like a miniature pasture! Then, the cats come inside and
throw up.

I heard once that they eat the grass because they need to throw up,
but I have also heard that this was a myth. They love being outside
so much that I hate to deprive them of this, but I can't stand to see
them throw up this much. They seem completely healthy otherwise, and
in the winter when they are inside all the time, they don't throw up
much at all.
Anyone know why they do this?
Jack
--

Jack Wheeler
es...@wwa.com
http://miso.wwa.com/~esox/index.html

[Madlyn]

>------------------->>>
The grass acts as an natural emetic. I have had many cats eat grass,
only one of the cats I have now do this, he NEVER upchucks a furball in
the house, or needs Laxatone or Petramalt. The cat that doesn't eat
grass has to have Petramalt several times a week. They are both
longhairs and I appreciate this help from nature, *but* I can never use
chemical weed killers or fertilizers on my back lawn. Did you know that
a solution of vinegar and water sprayed on weeds will kill some weeds?
Manure may be smelly but it is cheap and you can use it on lawns as a
fertilizer. I don't think it is as harmful, when the cat ingests the
grass, at any rate..........Madlyn

[Tracy Bell]

My understanding was that it helped them to bring up fur balls but I have
seen some other ideas since joining this newsgroup.

[rm...@news.dp.beckman.com]

In article <3358FA...@worldnet.att.net>, Madlyn <astr...@worldnet.att.net> writes:
> Jack Wheeler wrote:
>>
>> Why do cats eat grass? We have three cats and two of them can't wait
>> to get outside in the morning and start grazing. Our small fenced in
>> yard looks like a miniature pasture! Then, the cats come inside and
>> throw up.

> The grass acts as an natural emetic. I have had many cats eat grass,

> only one of the cats I have now do this, he NEVER upchucks a furball in
> the house, or needs Laxatone or Petramalt. The cat that doesn't eat
> grass has to have Petramalt several times a week. They are both
> longhairs and I appreciate this help from nature,

>.........Madlyn

My cats realy enjoy a salid before diner. So I Keep a small "pasture" in
the house (about 1/2 sq ft of sprouting oats & wheet). The cats keep it
grazed down (some times I think they're part goat) and complain biterly
when the sprouts start to die out.

They both toss up an ocational furr ball; but, I've never seen any grass
in there "gifts" to the carpet.

Near a I can figure there's something in the grass that they eather need
or like.

Just my $.02
Ron