Cats hijack ‘dog blog’ to discuss merits of cat grass

Dear future admirers,

It has come to our attention that far too much is written about Oreo, the rowdy and frankly obnoxious dog. So we’ve hijacked this blog.

Arrow doing research with his specs on.

Arrow doing research with his specs on.

Who are we, you ask? My name is The Green Arrow, and snacking on cat grass beside me is my best friend, Bobo Jinx. But you may simply call us Bo and Arrow, the household cats. We were here long before Oreo, and rest assured, we’ll be here long after him. That’s not a threat; it’s a fact. We have 18 lives between us, whereas the dog clearly has a death wish.

It’s been 1 year and 70 days since that black-and-white dog entered our home; and since then, he’s somehow managed to steal the spotlight. We’re not impressed. So we’re here to prove to you that the felines are superior in all things, blogging included.

For our debut post, let’s talk about cat grass — a topic that is both timely and delicious.

Arrow (from left) and Bo

Arrow (from left) and Bo

A few weeks ago, the human servants of the household planted seeds in three clay flower pots and left them on the back patio. We were intrigued. It took just a few days for the grass to start to grow, and it was about a week and half before the servants carried the plants inside and set it on the floor for our inspection. They called it cat grass.

We nibbled. We gnawed. We devoured.

Since our diet typically consists of meat — grilled seafood and beef Fancy Feast to be exact — it struck me as odd that we’d suddenly crave something green. Perusing the internet, we found that it may be instinctual. In the wild, carnivores often ingest plant material to help digest food. You’ll notice that sometimes eating grass causes a cat to regurgitate; that’s because we lack the necessary enzymes to break down vegetable matter, according to PetMD. Regurgitation is important for cats because it helps us get rid of inedible parts of our prey (bones and feathers) and fur balls.

Arrow thinking his book collection might help.

Arrow thinking his book collection might help.

While Bo and I are indoor cats, our ancestors roamed the wild. This is evident in Bo’s uncanny ability to stalk houseflies and dust bunnies.

Cat grass also contains an essential vitamin — folic acid — which helps in the production of hemoglobin, the protein that moves oxygen in the blood, according to PetMD, a website authored and approved by veterinarians.

If you try to find a definition for cat grass online, you will soon be disappointed by the lack of information. That’s because cat grass isn’t anything particularly special. It’s simply grass that is cultivated for cats to eat. It includes all sorts of types of grass, including wheat grass, oat grass, rye grass and barley grass. Most importantly, its grown without harmful chemicals.

Any dutiful human servant should consider growing this treat for their household cats. Here are a few cat grass options that we like the looks of because they’re mixes of several grass types:

Cat grass makes Bobo Jinx feel like a tiger.

Cat grass makes Bobo Jinx feel like a tiger.

We’ve got better things to do than continue on about how much we cats enjoy such treats. I believe we’ve made our point. Next time we’ll discuss the mystery that is cat nip. Until then, good luck with Oreo.

(…yeah, this got a little weird.)

 

 

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.