Deciding Between Cat Grass and Catnip for Your Cat

When it comes to providing the best care for our feline companions, most cat owners want to go above and beyond by offering premium products that cater to their natural instincts. Two common items that often spark debate are cat grass and catnip. But what exactly is the difference, and is one actually better than the other?

To help cat lovers make the right choice, we'll analyze the key attributes of each, including origins, intended uses, health impacts, and safety considerations. Let's explore what makes these plants so popular!

Defining Cat Grass and Catnip

First, it's important to understand exactly what these products are before determining which is more suitable for your cat.

What is Cat Grass?

Cat grass refers to a specific mixture of nutritious greens used to aid feline health. It typically contains a blend of wheatgrass, rye, oats, and barley sprouts. These vitamin-rich grasses help promote digestion and healthy hairball control. Cat grass can be purchased ready-to-grow or grown from seed mixes tailored to cats.

Once established, cat grass forms dense, bright green mats of leafy vegetation that cats love to nibble on. It's an ideal boredom buster and healthy treat. When grown indoors, it thrives best in shallow containers placed in sunny spots.

What is Catnip?

Catnip is a flowering herb belonging to the mint family, with the botanical name Nepeta cataria. This perennial plant contains an essential oil called nepetalactone that triggers a euphoric reaction in about 50% of domestic cats when sniffed or ingested. For these cats, catnip acts as a stimulant, inducing stretching, rolling, and frenzied play.

Catnip can be purchased in dried form or grown as an outdoor garden plant. It has elongated green and silver spotted leaves with small lavender flowers on branching stems. The leaves, flowers, and stems all contain the ecstasy-inducing oil.

Comparing Growing Conditions

Another key difference between these two feline favorites is their required growing conditions.

Soil, Sunlight, and Water Needs

Cat grass thrives indoors in small containers filled with potting soil rich in nutrients. It grows best in sunny windowsills and requires frequent watering to stay consistently moist. Excess water should be drained from containers to prevent rotting.

Catnip prefers nutrient-rich, well-draining outdoor soil in a sunny location. While it is drought tolerant once established, regular watering encourages faster growth. It can grow up to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide when mature.

Ease of Care

As an indoor plant, cat grass is very easy to grow and care for, perfect for beginner gardeners. Simply moisten soil, sprinkle seeds, drain excess water, and place in sunlight. Snip tops with scissors as needed to encourage regrowth.

Outdoor catnip requires garden bed preparation, regular weeding, protection from pests, and proper winter care. It also reseeds prolifically, requiring containment measures to prevent rampant spread.

Container Gardening Considerations

Cat grass containers should be wide and shallow, like large baking dishes, to allow full light exposure and ample grazing room. At least 1-2 inches of quality potting mix is ideal. For catnip, 5 gallon pots are suitable for outdoor patio gardening to restrain growth.

Evaluating Health Impacts

Understanding the dietary and wellness differences of these plants is key in determining which better suits your cat.

Digestion and Hairball Aid

The main benefit of cat grass is nutritional support. The tender shoots provide important vitamins, minerals, and fiber often lacking in commercial cat food diets. This helps optimize digestion and waste elimination.

By grazing frequently, cats can more easily pass ingested hair trapped in their stomachs from grooming before it forms uncomfortable hairball blockages. Thus, cat grass delivers effective hairball control.

In contrast, while catnip is enjoyed by many cats, it offers no notable nutritional or digestive advantages. Any components that may relieve stomach issues are overshadowed by its intense neurological stimulant properties.

Stress and Anxiety Relief

Here's where catnip shines! Multiple studies confirm catnip's stress-relieving attributes. The aromatic and behavioral inducing effects deliver relaxation, joy, and tension relief for cats. These calming attributes remain long after the initial giddy excitement phase passes.

While nibbling cat grass may provide a mildly soothing diversion for some cats, the actual grass offers no real calmative agents. The benefits relate more to keeping the digestive system running smoothly.

Potential Risks and Precautions

When it comes to safety, both cat grass and catnip are considered non-toxic for cats when used appropriately under owner supervision. Neither should form the bulk of a cat's diet or be given in excess.

Possible side effects of cat grass include loose stools or vomiting if a large amount is rapidly consumed. Introduce grazing gradually. Discard dead or rotten grass clumps which can harbor bacteria.

For catnip, some cats may experience drooling, excitability, aggression, or sleepiness after exposure. Limit treat sessions and provide ample hydration. Certain cats may not react at all due to genetic traits.

Understanding Cat Preferences

Finally, knowing what triggers your cat's interest and studying their engagement style with these plants can help determine which one stimulates positive enjoyment.

Taste, Smell and Behavior Triggers

Cat grass contains nutrients and fiber cats instinctively crave to aid digestion. The sweet-tart taste and crispy-juicy texture also entice nibbling. These triggers satisfy hunger, curiosity, and play drives at once.

For catnip fans, the herb's minty, floral scent kickstarts a hard-wired euphoric response. Instinct takes over rational thinking as pleasure neurotransmitters flood neural pathways. Not all cats carry this automatic sensory reaction gene.

Interaction Styles and Effects

Cats relish cat grass similar to human snacks - grazed casually over time. Smells don't factor much into the equation. Sessions typically remain low key with mellow contentment the main outcome.

But catnip often induces an intense "high" described as similar to LSD or marijuana (for susceptible cats). This causes dynamic acrobatic play, vocalizing, drooling and even aggression in some. Reactions typically last between 5 to 15 minutes before exhaustion hits.

Both plants are safe for pet parents to grow at home. Good hygiene and reasonable access guidelines are advised.

For cat grass, use clean containers reserved solely for cat grazing. Refresh grass frequently, snipping off any dead sections. Give cats 20 minute supervised nibbling sessions a few times weekly.

With catnip, stick to small, infrequent treat portions to avoid overstimulation or ingesting too much. Store surplus dried catnip sealed in an airtight container out of kitty's reach!

When it comes to cat grass vs catnip, both products provide enjoyment on some level. Cat grass offers more health advantages, while catnip rates higher for sheer entertainment value. Consider your cat's needs, preferences and traits when deciding which is the right choice.