Eating grass and winter coming...

Wrigley has always been a grass eater. It's the first thing she does when she goes outside. I'm wondering if there is anything that someone to recommend that I can do now that winter is coming up. I have purchased those cat grass grower things in the past but they always seem to die after a few weeks. Any other ideas?

 

Ive grown the cat grass for my cats as they are inside only - and as long as I've kept it in a sunny spot I've had luck. Except when my dog got it and grabbed the grass and shook it all over the place...that was so much fun to clean up

 

Buy the seeds and grow them yourself. It takes 3 days to germinate and will last at least 3 weeks. Or use the regular perenial grass seeds. Just plant once and it'll last and last.

Wrigley is so cute. Pumpkin does the same thing if I let her out for a min. or two. Chumping grass is so much fun!

 

Maybe you can give me some tips or ideas. I have purchased the one's that come in a small plastic potting container. The first problem is when they try to eat the grass they tip the pot over or lift it up completely when trying to pull the grass out...I guess I will try to replant it into something that will stay still.

My second problem is keeping it alive. I have tons of plants all over the house that I have kept alive for 10+ years....why is it so darn hard to keep grass alive :0011: How often should I water?

Perenial grass....I will give that a try!

 

Try a heavier pot and weight it down with rocks on the bottom. Keep the plant in a sunny place like Mary suggested and take it out once in a while as a cat treat or they will devour it in a couple of days.

Just keep the plant moist.

 

i know lots of cats that eat grass too! that picture of Wrigley very cute :wink: !

my old cat, Cracker, used to eat grass... but she would also eat the plants in the house. you said that you have lots of plants in your house, does your cat ever munch on those, or is s/he not allowed? (i'm not sure if there are certain plants that kitties aren't supposed to eat or not) if s/he's not allowed to eat certain plants, why not buy him/her a plant of his/her own and give up on growing the grass?

i'm not sure if you cat eats house plants but just thought i'd say this anyway. my Cracker used to like to eat the plants with the really long leaves. hope this helps!

 

My Stewart loves grass! If you get snow on the ground during winter then you should get the grass you grow yourself anf repot it once it start to grow that way the roots will have room to expand and wont suffocate.

 

Bemba loves (and needs) grass too, so I have a fresh supply of it growing for her at all times. She's indoor only, btw. Here are some tips for you:

First, get yourself 2 medium sized terra cotta flower pots and drain dishes for them to sit on, they're extremely cheap at walmart. I recommend 2 pots so you can start a new batch when the first batch is reaching its end a couple of weeks later, without any interruption for your kitty.

Get yourself a bag of organic potting soil from Wild Oats or a garden store that sells organic soil. A big bag is less than $3 and will last many months.

Get yourself some organic oat groats (oat seeds) and organic barley (you can plant the barley grains and they will grow) from the bulk section of a natural foods store like Wild Oats, Whole Foods, etc. Some cats also like wheat grass, so you could try mixing in some organic wheat berries as well, but from my experience they don't work as well as the barley and oats. I also tried giving Bemba pure wheat grass and she must not have liked the way it tasted or smelled, because she would not eat it. 6 months-worth of seeds should cost you less than a dollar when buying them in bulk, so it's quite inexpensive.

You may have noticed that I'm using all organic soil and seeds. I want to give my cat as pure of a grass mixture as I can, and don't want any artificial fertilizers or treated seeds to get anywhere near her. I even water it with filtered water only, since we don't drink the tap water here and neither does she.

Ok, now you're ready to start growing your first batch. Put a couple of stones around the hole at the bottom of the flower pot, and fill the pot to within a couple of inches of the top with dirt. Don't pack down the dirt, just smooth the top. Now sprinkle your seeds liberally, covering the entire surface with a layer of seeds, then cover the seeds entirely with a handful or two of dirt. You want about an inch of dirt covering the seeds. Water enough to moisten down into the seed layer, and then put the pot somewhere out of reach of your kitty.

Give it a little water each day, and about 2-3 days later it will sprout. Do not put the pot in direct sunlight until the grass is a few inches tall, and when it's around 5 inches tall, it's ready for your cat to have at it. Put it in a spot on the floor where it will get some direct sun each day, if possible, and where your kitty can easily access it. Give it a little water every other day or when the soil at the top feels dry. If you see mold, you are watering it too often.

Trim the grass with scissors, as if you were mowing the lawn, every once in a while so it will last longer. When the grass starts to die, and/or look generally unhealthy, begin the process again with your spare pot.

I've been doing this for the past year with great success, and it really beats those cat grass kits that you can buy. Not only is it cheaper, but it gives you more control and gives your kitty a sturdy pot full of grass that is un-tippable.

Any questions, let me know. Good luck!

 

Thank you all for the great ideas and suggestions!

AllieCat~I have printed out your detailed instructions...thank you so much for taking the time to write all that!
:qm1: