How To Choose The Best Cat Grass Seeds For Your Cat – CatTime
Do you want to make sure your cat gets the vegetation they like without the possibility of them ingesting something toxic? Consider planting cat grass seed indoors or outdoors to control the quality, variety, and benefit of your cat's veggie-munching habits. Some cats eat a little grass when they feel nauseated after having consumed something they shouldn't have, or after eating too much. Growing cat grass from seed can give your cat what they need to soothe their stomach, or potentially to help him eject harmful foods and excess hair from their digestive system.
Best Choice
For quick cat grass planting
Pros:
You can purchase up to three sets of soil and seed at a time. To use, it’s best to soak the seeds overnight in water to aid germination. When adding seeds to the softened vermiculite in the planter there is no need to mix the seeds into the vermiculite. Users say the seedlings grow strongly in just three to four days and are fully ready for consumption in ten days.
Cons:
The Catit cat grass seeds do not come with instructions for planting. If you want to plant the seed outdoors, it’s hard to say if the seeds will grow well in the geographical location where you live.
Best Sweet Greens
Organic oat seeds cats love
Pros:
The SmartyKat Sweet Greens Cat Grass Kit comes with a one-ounce pack of organic oat seeds that are preferred by felines for their flavor. It’s easy to use; just puncture a few holes in the bottom of the container and scatter the seeds onto the moistened dirt. The planter looks lovely when housed on a decorative plate. After sprouting, you can move the plant to a sunny window for your kitty to enjoy.
Cons:
Like all cat grass from seed, the plant eventually withers as part of its natural life cycle. The SmartyKat instructs users to puncture the bottom of the planter, but this can cause damage to the container and messes the soil and seeds.
Best Easy-to-Grow
Organic, non-GMO wheatgrass
Pros:
The Window Garden is the easiest cat grass kit to use. Simply wet the disc of planting dirt to pop it up and add the seed packet and allow the pack to grow in a warm window. The disc is made from coconut pith. The manufacturers say the size of the resulting plant is just enough organic, non-GMO wheatgrass for two kitties. One shipment comes with three different plant bags, so you can grow one and start planting the next in about a week, before the first starts to wither.
Cons:
To guard against knocking over the sack, it needs to be placed in a separate, stable planter. The company sells what it calls a Veg Shelf, a suction cup window holder for their cat grass kits, apart from the bags.
Best Mixed Greens
Healthy and delicious treats for cats
Pros:
The cat grass seeds from this brand come in a twenty-gram bag with very detailed instructions for planting. It is enough seed for you to sow up to ten times in your own plant container of six inches in diameter. There’s nothing difficult, just start your seeds by layering them over moist dirt with a thin layer of soil over them. When they have germinated in a shady spot, place in a warm, sunny window and allow the grass to flourish.
Cons:
Free shipping is not offered with this product. The cost of shipping significantly raises the price of the twenty-gram pack of seed. There is no larger size available for order. There is no planter or soil included with the purchase.
Best Complete Kit
Easy to grow – guaranteed germination
Pros:
To use, you only need to pop the dirt in the planter and water it with warm water. Then add the seeds and sprinkle a little soil. The plant comes alive a few days later. The Cat Ladies include detailed instructions with the grass kit and advise to keep the dirt moist until the seedlings are established at three inches height. After this you can water more sparingly. Their cat grass seeds are a blend of organic, non-GMO barley, rye, flax, wheat, and oat seeds. The planter has a removable drain plug.
Cons:
Some buyers complain that the soil is too light, and that the seeds have a difficult time rooting sufficiently into the dirt. Therefore, when cats are munching roots and soil can scatter out of the container.
What Really Matters
Your Cat’s Preference
Part of the charm of our feline friends is their absolute pickiness about life. We humor them, loving that they can adopt attitudes that we often cannot. But what happens when you grow the cat grass seeds and your cat won’t go near it?
You can’t be sure what your cat will like unless you have specifically observed them eating cat grass already. If not, kits that come with multiple types of cat grass seeds are a good way to go. When it grows, your cat can pick and choose what they like. You’ll gain a decorative house plant regardless of what they reject.
Ease of Use
A one-pound bag of organic cat grass seeds might be the better buy, but will you really get good enough use out of it for it to stay the economical choice? Why not start off instead with a prefabricated kit, see how easy it is, then start your own plantings just using cat grass seeds once the process of growing it tall and strong is clear.
It is easy once you get the hang of it, but grass is not really a houseplant. We’ve all seen lawns that have failed and look horrible, so the best way of picking up the process can be learning from the pros who package the kits.
Planting Location
Always check the growing instructions for the product online before purchasing. Will it need full sun or is it a shade variety? Do you have a full sun in your home where the planter can go, or good shade? Will your cat be able to reach it? Variables like full and partial sun and shade should be looked into before starting to grow cat seed grass that is impractical for you, your home, and your cat.
What’s in Right Now?
When it comes to cats, ease and practicality are always popular. Cat seed kits with six or more varieties of seeds that are pre-planted in one or more containers can be the smartest choice. Your cat will be able to choose which grass or grasses they prefer and will probably come to enjoy the others as well, so nothing is wasted.
Prices
Expensive, $50-$100: You will find bulk cat grass seeds in this category and the planting materials to plant a nice area outside for your cat.
Mid-Range, $25-$50: In this category are non-genetically modified cat grass seeds and organic varieties in packages from one to ten pounds. You can also buy kits here to plant a small garden with different types of flower and grass seeds for your cat.
Cheap, $7-$25: You can get a pound or less of non-GMO, certified organic cat grass seed in this category. The prefabricated cat grass seed kits are also in this group.
FAQs
Why should I grow cat grass seed?
Your cat needs to digest vegetation. For whatever reasons we humans are not acquainted with, cats are not strictly carnivores but omnivorous, and need small amounts of plant fiber in their diets. If your cat goes outside, they will be eating grass and other plants that meet their needs. Their senses usually tell them which plants are toxic to stay away from, but are the ones they like sprayed with pesticides? Are they beneficial to your cat’s health, or do they just help get rid of hairballs?
With cat grass seed, you can control the healthfulness of the vegetation your cat consumes and keep them away from your house plants, too. If your cat likes to lounge outdoors, plant a small area for them. Otherwise, cat grass seed planters are a good choice for an interior window and small apartment spaces.
Is cat seed grass different from other seed plants?
Cat seed grass is fundamentally different from other plants grown from seed. Grasses grow in different types of soil and are sometimes more or less hardy than plants grown from vegetable and fruit seeds. It is very beneficial to read the instructions that come with the cat seed grass before buying. Sometimes there is useful outdoor planting information that includes directions such as when to sow, how often to water, and how much sunlight is needed. Good instructions will also say in which climate the seeds can be planted and at what temperature, whether winter sunlight from a window will be too cold, and what air flow and temperature you should have in your apartment to accommodate the new plant.
The plants of cat grass from seed only last for about two weeks, after which they naturally whither. Manufacturers suggest having enough seed to replant a separate plant each week in order to keep the feed cycle going without interruption.
I do not have a green thumb. How can I grow cat grass seed?
If you are not confident in your growing abilities, a pre-made cat grass seed kit that comes in a planter might work better for you. Just add the dirt and seeds and put it in a good area according to manufacturer instructions. Then water it as stated.
My dog ate the cat seed grass and now my cat won’t touch it. Help!
Luckily, cats jump higher than dogs and perch in small areas better. Find a place that your dog cannot reach and put the cat seed grass there, instead. It might take some re-training with treats to get your cat to consider eating the grass again, but when they see it is in a special place just for them, they might comply.
If they do not reacclimate themselves, you will probably need to buy another planter kit and let it grow. Then when they’re eating it in a place reserved for them without the company of Fido, you can give the dog the other plant. You know how jealous cats are.
My cat still munches Grandma’s pampas grass outside instead of the cat seed grass I planted indoors. Help!
If your kitty prefers nestling up against beautifully tall pampas grass and lounging around munching, plant a similar area in the yard from the cat grass seed bag you’ve chosen. It might take a while to nurse them to it, but a couple of treats should do the trick over successive days. Make sure it is in a similar shady or sunny spot for your cat’s comfort as the beloved pampas grass.
Do keep your old cat grass seed planter indoors, too. One never knows; your cat may come to like it. Besides, outdoor grass will take a while to grow and tend until it looks like your grandmother’s variety.
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