Friday, April 20, 2007

Felines, Bovines, Where do you draw the line?

For the sake of you, my devoted readers, and my own insatiable curiosity (it will be the death of me one day) I’m spending a beautiful early spring day inside researching one of the oldest unsolved mysteries on earth. Why do cats eat grass?

The sage world of the Internet is all together unsatisfactory on this issue. However, everyone one from bloggers to scientists seem to agree that cats may eat grass to aid in digestion, supplement nutrients, remedy hairballs or to cause vomiting in the case of an upset stomach. All also agree that there is no actual scientific evidence to support their claims only that these are the most commonly accepted answers. Wow. What unimaginative disappointing information. Worse still, it’s only a guess. When will some enterprising scientist take on this question that’s so critical to life on Earth?

One idea put forward that I happen to agree with is that they eat grass because they like it. My own cats often nibble at some blades with sheer looks of peace on their fuzzy faces and they’re vomit and hairball free. Yet, this point has its detractors. Some argue against this idea saying that cats are true carnivores and therefore should have no drive to nibble the green.

Naturally, I have my own unique theory about why cats eat grass. I believe cats eat grass as a means of flossing. By running the blades of tall stalks of grass between their teeth they dislodge bits of the dry cereal you call “food.” Flossing, as all cats know, is an important step in a cat’s hygienic routine. It prevents bad breath and tooth decay. Besides, cats usually have cat hair in their mouths and the grass is a nice change. Just last week, I discovered I’d left my lap top on. Mysteriously, someone had pulled up Colgate.com’s article on the importance of flossing. I’m not saying it was one of my cats, but it wasn’t me and my husband was at work. Coincidence? I think not.

Whatever you choose to believe many authors pointed out that grass grown indoors especially for your cats protects them from possibly ingesting poisons such as fertilizers or weed killers that outdoor grass may carry. Most sites then offer a link so you can buy cat grass and pad the site’s pockets! I’ll abstain but I admit I thought about it!

One thing is certain. Many cats do eat grass. No matter the reasons why, offer your favorite feline friend some greens and leave the reasons why up to them. But I bet if you look closely, you’ll notice their teeth are a bit cleaner!






No comments: