What Is Cat Grass And Why Is It For These Animals

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

All cat owners know that their pets love to chew on fresh grass occasionally. This is a natural physiological need for them, and cats choose specific types of herbs

Let us recall the ancient and wild cats that ate birds, small rodents, eating them completely, with feathers and skins. Such heavy components in the animal's body are not able to be digested, it is difficult for food to pass through the entire tract and these pieces are belched back with gastric juice. The grass eaten by the cat irritates the esophagus, stimulates the regurgitation process, thereby cleansing the stomach. Even domestic cats that do not practice hunting retain the habit of eating grass. When your pet eats grass, do not disturb him, he gets rid of unnecessary substances.

In addition, eating greens provokes regurgitation of wool, swallowed as a result of daily licking and accumulated in the cat's stomach in the form of lumps. This problem should be very familiar to breeders of long-haired cat breeds.

Just do not offer your fluffy pets perennial lawn grasses, preferably freshly sprouted grass. Herbs with coarse greens, such as sedge, are useful. Oats, wheat, barley are ideal. If the cat is domestic and does not leave the apartment, purchase blanks called "Grass for cats" at pet stores. In the summer, be sure to take the cat to the cottage, provided that you do not have valerian or catnip growing.

Valerian officinalis

Surprisingly, it is a fact that all herbs whose name contains the word cat are harmful to them and have nothing to do with them.

Exactly

valerian popularly called cat grass. Unlike humans, representatives of felines from afar feel its smell, run to the plant, inhale the aroma with pleasure, lick, chew valerian. In the process of eating a plant, cats get excited, feel pleasure, play, ride on their backs. Valerian acts on cats like alcohol on humans, her scent attracts them at the genetic level. This plant contains a number of essential oils that affect the central nervous system of cats. Drawing a conclusion, it is clear that valerian and its alcoholic infusion are very harmful to domestic fuzzies, just like alcohol is to humans.

For humans, valerian is very useful and has been used as a medicine for a long time, providing a calming effect. The name of the plant already contains healing powers. Translating the word valerian from Latin, we get the phrase "to be healthy." In every modern pharmacy you can buy alcoholic infusion, tablets, dry valerian roots. In addition to the calming effect, valerian affects the expansion of the heart vessels, has an anticonvulsant and mild choleretic effect, and is an excellent antispasmodic. This beautiful herb has a healing effect on migraines, hysteria, hypertension, tachycardia, insomnia, and stomach cramps.

Cat mint

Catnip or Catnip (Lemon) in its effect on domestic and wild representatives of the feline family, it has almost the same effect as valerian. Animals, licking catnip, begin to meow, writhe, jump, wriggle all over, as if drunk. Catnip contains the substance nepetalactone, which affects the behavior of cats, being a hallucinogen for them, but will not harm them or become addictive like valerian. This state does not last long, usually 5-10 minutes, then the cat gets tired and loses interest in the plant. And some cats, having sniffed mint, stop responding to external stimuli, reflexes are suppressed, the cat calms down.

Catnip manufacturers add lemon catnip to toys and scratching posts.

Humanity uses the ground parts of catnip as a remedy in traditional and folk medicine. Boils, tumors, skin inflammations are treated with external lotions. In case of lead poisoning, catnip is used as a prophylactic agent. The active ingredients of catnip are essential oils with a pleasant lemon scent. This aroma helps to balance emotions, relaxes. Catnip helps with problems with the digestive system, liver, gynecological diseases, anemia, vascular and heart diseases.

Cat's paw

Cat's paw got its name for the tender, soft to the touch pink or white inflorescences, similar to the paws of a domestic cat. It is noteworthy that cats are absolutely indifferent to this grass. The popular name of the plant is the white immortelle (not to be confused with the sand immortelle, which has yellow flowers). Since this herb helps in the treatment of colds, the cat's paw is often called breast grass.

Cat's paw is rich in tannins, resins, alkaloids, essential oils, vitamin K. On the basis of this herb, wound-healing, analgesic, antispasmodic, diuretic preparations are made. It has been proven that funds based on a cat's paw quickly stop bleeding, accelerate blood clotting. For these indicators, the cat's paw is superior to calcium chloride and adrenaline.