Cats love to eat grass, and as long as it’s free of pesticides and herbicides that’s safe and beneficial. But they don’t limit their interest in leafy greens to grass. Here’s what I told a reader about how to keep things safe.
Q: My cat loves to nibble on plants. What are some safe ways to allow her to indulge her love of greenery?
A: That’s a great question. Cats, despite being obligate carnivores who require meat in their diets, are also fans of a nice salad once in a while. They enjoy plants for nibbling, sniffing and play, and you have several options to keep them happy.
For chewing, offer a pot of tender grass seedlings: rye, alfalfa and wheat. Place it in a sunny spot so your cat can take a nap after her nibble.
Cats may also enjoy sniffing and chewing herbs such as parsley and thyme, which are easily grown indoors. Grow different varieties and see which ones your cat likes best. Cat thyme (not a true thyme) and lemongrass are also feline favorites.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a natural, of course. Let it reach full growth out of reach of your cat, then snip off pieces to give for her enjoyment. You can also stuff the leaves into toys or rub them on a cat tree or scratching post — a practice that has been found to increase scratching time. There’s no such thing as an overdose of catnip, so let your cat bliss out as much as she wants.
Cats also enjoy valerian (Valeriana officinalis), silver vine (Actinidia polygama) and tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica is the only variety that seems to have an effect on cats). If you have a catio, consider planting one or more of these plants around or in it to give your cat an olfactory thrill.
Give your cat the greens she wants, and make the rest less attractive to her by hanging them up high or otherwise out of reach. Now you can both enjoy greenery.
There’s more in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.
