There are lots of unsubstaniated notions and suggestions about why dogs and cats eat grass including
a lack of nutrients that modern foods have lost in processing, lack of roughage, and so on.
There is also a theory that
it can be traced back to cats and dogs in the wild - wild animals
ingest grass as part of their diet when they eat herbivores who have ingested grass,
hence they would have a genetic predisposition to like the flavor of grass.
Another theory suggests that they may even be eating grass to make themselves vomit on purpose.
Others believe that eating grass plays a medicinal role in that it helps to relieve digestive problems.
One of the most popular and probably most likely theories is that they probably just like the taste,
in other words, sometimes they just like a little salad.
Most of the above theories are conjecture and have not been proven beyond a doubt through
scientific study. Once thing is certain however, and that is that blades of grass
can be irritating to a pet's stomach and throat. Consequently, although it is a normal behavior, you
may want to consider trying some different ways discourage grass eating behavior. Start with a supplement, but also
monitor your pet's activities - keep them away from tempting green grass when you can
and
always keep them away from poisonous plants.
If your cat enjoys his greens, try growing some less irritating ones yourself.
Petco offers “cat grass” seeds in different varieties including
wheat, catnip, barley, oat and herb grasses.