Mr Bump is a notoriously mischievous little thing. Anything green and he will have a go at it. Especially plants that I don’t want him to touch. Spider plant is a particular favourite of his. So to try to dissuade him from destroying my hard-earned graft and making himself incredibly sick. It was time to get him back on some Cat Grass.
Cats love grass, your cat included.
Setting up an area for your cat to chomp down on some tasty grass will benefit him in so many ways. It aids digestion, settles upset stomachs and is pretty darn fun to do. It’ll also discourage him from looking at your house plants and having a little taste. Many house plants are toxic to pets so avoiding this by offering cat grass is a no-brainer.
How do I set up an area?
Easy!
Finding a place where you can observe your little one is the obvious place to start. Next to a window is always my preferred placement. It allows your cat to observe the world around him while he has a little nibble.
Having it on the windowsill will also give the grass enough sunlight to grow.
If you can’t place it on a windowsill, place it in a bright room to allow as much sunlight to reach your grass as possible. Cat grass seeds are easy to grow, so if you can’t provide lots of light they will still grow. So don’t worry, this is all about enriching your cats life.
Got an area? Great.
What size Pot?
How long is a piece of string? I always say.
It is completely up to you. The size of the pot is however big you want it. If you don’t have a great deal of space using a small 6′ pot will be fine, you can still plant a few seeds with fantastic results. And it will keep your whiskered friend happy.
I, on the other hand, go as big as possible. The bigger the better. I will usually use a pot that’s got a 15′ diameter, this allows me to use all the seeds I have and allows Mr Bump to actually sit inside the pot. Cat’s love weird places to sit.
What soil should I use?
You can use any really but remember it is feeding your cat so a little bit of caution is needed.
I use organic soil. Seeing as grass doesn’t need fertilisers, being a weed and all, the grass will grow naturally from good organic soil. You can find a plethora of organic soils from your local garden centre.
Can I use Vermiculite?
No. Plain and simple. Vermiculite is a compound that expands in water, it is great to use with growing plants to help with aeration but your cat may decide to have a little dig or even taste of the soil. If he was to ingest some vermiculite it may expand and will ultimately result in a costly visit to the vet. So it is just best to avoid it altogether.
Seeds
You have probably seen a hundred and one packs of cat grass around and have wondered what seed it is.
Well, there’s loads. The seeds are usually wheat grass or barley seeds, these are undoubtedly the cheapest and easiest to obtain. I’ve listed all the common grass seeds on the market currently.
- Oat grass
- Barley grass
- Wheatgrass
- Rye grass
- Orchard grass