Plant-based diet not always best for kitty
Dear Pet Talk: What plants are safe to have around indoor kitties? Are there plants to avoid that would be harmful to cats if they ate them? — Taylor Leigh, Leominster
Dear Taylor: Your timing is excellent. We just purchased some “cat grass” (actually “oat grass”) for Captain Beano, our therapy cat. So far, he is ignoring it. However, we have hopes that he’ll check it out, because cats have a long history of adding greens to a classic carnivore’s diet.
Why do cats eat greens — and then urp them up? One theory is that because cats don’t have the right enzymes to digest greens, eating grass will help them vomit the indigestible parts of prey. Remember, a cat’s diet in the wild is a lot of fish and bird sushi — without the rice. Cats will eat bones, fur and feathers.
So why do house cats, who get lovely, preprocessed prey in a can, continue this practice? Experts in the field debate the reasons, which include that cats are pre-programmed to eat something green if they have a tummy-ache. Grass helps them eliminate fur from a swallowed hairball from the other end, so to speak.
What plants are OK for cats? Here’s a list of plants you could grow indoors, that are suggested by Petmd.com: Wheatberries and barley grass will grow quickly. Catnip and cat thyme are stress relievers, while peppermint is good for digestion. Garlic cloves are dangerous for cats, but the website suggests “pushing garlic cloves under a quality soil, pointed side up” so your cat can eat the greens. If your kitty persists in nibbling the spider plant, or your “lucky bamboo,” consider hanging planters!
Sally Cragin is the director of Be Pawsitive: Therapy Pets and Community Education. Send questions to sallycragin@verizon.net.