Cat Hacks - Cat Grass

Lucy, the World Famous Highlander Kitten Cat loves grass! When we go for a walk, she wants to nibble on green grasses in nature and landscaping. This is not the best idea, due to fertilizers, pesticides, Nicotine products haphazardly disposed of, other chemicals, all sorts of biological cooties from other creatures. She does not want to hear, "No." 

I bought her some sweet grass already grown and in a pot from a Pet Store. She loved it, but it got buggy and stinky after a few days, and it was not inexpensive. 

Next I bought the SmartyKat Sweet Greens kit for her at Walmart. The directions are easy to follow. Everything is in the kit, except the water. It grew amazingly fast. I had 4 inches of grass within a week. I wish the grass in my yard grew that fast! The first kit of grass I grew, lasted her about a month. A very good investment. Once it started sprouting, I put it in the window, until the blades of Oat Grass were substantial enough for her to be able to nibble on them and they withstand the biting. 

YouTube Lucy the World Famous Highlander Kitten Cat enjoying some SmartyKat Sweet Greens Grass

I kept the container of Sweet Grass in the kitchen window. In the morning when we go to the kitchen, Lucy goes and stands at the cabinets below the kitchen window and sink looking up, wagging her little waggy-tail. I carry her grass to the spot I always put it in, beside her water fountain. While she is having her grass appetizer, I heat up her breakfast to warm mouse temperature. I take away her grass after a few minutes of vigorous munching and exploration and put down her food. She might eat the grass too long if I let her and get her tummy out of whack. We're going for enjoyment of the senses and a balanced diet. 

When I get home at night, after our love-fest of hugging and chin rubs from being separated for a work day, she runs to the kitchen to await her favorite grass to be handed down to her. Of course she could jump up to the window and get it herself, but she has been pretty good about staying off the one counter I say, "No," to. And I am pretty sure she likes me being her servant, Mommy, at her beckon call. 

So after two packages of wonderful SmartyKat Sweet Grass and some reading, I decided to buy Oat Seed in bulk on my own and try to grow some more grass for her. 

A lot of the potting soils have chemicals added to encourage growth and I was uncertain about using them where my kitten would be exposed. How much chemical would be at the root of the grass? How much chemical would be absorbed in the blades of grass that she would ingest? And some of the organic soils have manure for fertilizer. Hmmm... a lot of cooties in the manure can make a kitty pretty sick, and Mommy would not be too thrilled about manure in the kitchen either. So I decided to try growing her some Oat Grass in cotton. (We experienced no problems with the SmartyKats soil. I just don't have a source at this time for soil that safe and carefree.)

I used a small container that had held yummy feta cheese at one time. A small plastic container, the small size you might buy hummus, salsa, guacamole, or dips in. It had been thoroughly cleaned. I turned the container upside down and with an ice pick poked 12 small holes in the bottom for drainage. 

I covered the bottom of the container with one layer of cotton balls. Then I liberally covered the cotton balls with the Oat Seeds. I could have probably laid down more seed. I watered the seed covered cotton. 

I am using the top of the feta cheese container for the "planter tray." 

Lucy has to give her approval on all projects.
(Pics - Day 1 of Growing - April 5, 2017) 

(Pics Day 3 of Growing - April 7, 2017)

Initially I placed a single layer of (medical) gauze over the seeds after the baby root emerged, but as the seed continued to germinate the sprouts pushed the gauze up. My thought was that the seeds still needed a little blanket of some medium of coverage over them so that the kitten would not pull the plants out of the cotton "ground" while she was nibbling at the grass once it was grown. As the grass continued to develop, the layer of cotton was also pushed up, but it was easy to separate away from the oat grass. I am still working on the method that best suits us.

(Pic Day 5 of Growing - April 9, 2017)

I tore apart a cotton ball and placed a thin layer over the seeds. And placed the layer of gauze on top. Later I removed both the gauze and top cotton layer as they were both pushed up by the growth of the oat grass.

                                                           

Four Inches of Grass! Woo Hoo!
(Pic Day 7 of Growing - April 11, 2017)

As Lucy began to nibble on the grass, I saw that where the roots were in the cotton "soil" and because I knocked over the "pot" of grass and the whole clump of cotton soil came up intact, that you may not need a heavy layer of cotton over the seeds to keep them in the cotton sod. It appears the roots networking through the cotton soil stabilized things. 

Regardless, if your cat enjoys exploring, chewing, nibbling or eating grass, your cat might appreciate you growing him/her some Sweet Oat Grass, whether from a kit or seed you purchase separately. It is soft to the touch of a kitten's mouth and grows very quickly. 

It's Lucy approved. 

You can follow Lucy on Instagram and YouTube.

Lucy was bred at the Love Branch Cattery in Toney, Alabama. You can also visit the LoveBranchCattery on Facebook. 

The Grass on the left is the same that Lucy was eating in the above picture, about a week worth of nibbles. The one on the right has not been nibbled on yet. I have decided to keep several little pots of grass growing, so she can nibble on one for a few days, and another can keep growing and then I can switch off and let the previous pot of grass have time to recuperate. Just enjoying the experiment of Life.

May 16, 2017