Guide

Why you should give your cat soft cat grass

30.11.2023

If your cat’s coughing and gagging, it might have eaten wrong cat grass. Read on to find out what the dangers could be and what to look out for when buying cat grass.

Emergencies never come at a good time – but my cat always shows symptoms late in the evening or at weekends. In other words, when the vet’s closed. The last time was four weeks ago. At 10:30 p.m. sharp, she vomited bright red saliva. So – once again – we drove to the animal emergency service in the middle of the night.

Stuck behind the soft palate

As it turned out, the culprit was cat grass. I always have some in my flat, as it offers my feline friend many advantages. In particular, it’s supposed to help her get rid of hair she’s swallowed. When cats clean their fur, a lot of hair ends up in their stomach, where it clumps together. Cat grass helps cats vomit up these hair clumps or expel them in their faeces. On top of this, cat grass is a good source of folic acid (video in German), which supports cell renewal and blood formation.

So what had gone wrong with my cat? The cat grass had got stuck. As the vet explained to me, this can happen when cats vomit. If a blade of grass takes the wrong path, it can get stuck behind the soft palate (link in German). As the expert tells me, removing stuck blades of grass from a cat’s mouth – a procedure that’s done under general anaesthetic – is quite a common task for a vet.

Recommendation: soft grass from barley seeds

I now know that some cat grass can be harmful – even if it doesn’t get stuck behind the soft palate. Popular sharp-edged, robust grasses can cause injuries to a cat’s mouth and throat, as the edges and tips can cut into the mucous membrane. This isn’t only painful, but can also become inflamed.

The good news is your furry friend doesn’t have to go without its beloved cat grass. If you want to make sure your cat doesn’t end up at the vet’s like mine did, choose a soft cat grass variety. Cat grass grown from barley seeds, for example. This grass has wide, soft edges, is more flexible and easier to chew. You can find soft cat grass to grow yourself on Galaxus. This cat snack is ready to serve after just a few days.