Scientists have found that cats eat grass to get rid of intestinal parasites by increasing the activity of the digestive tract. This is reported by Naked Science with reference to the study.
Grass-eating was previously thought to “cleanse” cats by helping them, for example, vomit out hairballs, but new research suggests this is just a side effect of the process.
Scientists interviewed more than 1,000 cat owners who watched their pet for about three hours a day.
Plant-eating was found to be extremely common, with 71% of pets doing it about six times a day and only 11% not eating grass at all.
25% of owners observed vomiting in cats after this.
According to the authors of the work, eating grass is instinctive and is also observed in other wild animals. It turns out that chewing the herb helps in getting rid of parasites by increasing muscle activity.
Scientists believe that the plant-eating strategy probably originated in the distant ancestor of cats.
The researchers advised pet owners to buy or grow a special herb for their pets to eat or grow on their own. This will give them the opportunity to show an innate instinct without the danger of poisoning. And if after that the cat vomits, you can console yourself with the fact that it was not special .
- August 8 was the International Day of cats: interesting facts and videos .
- In June 2019, a cat therapy center was opened in Kiev .
- On February 26, an online registration service for free sterilization of stray cats and cats was launched in Kiev .
Vladislav Serdyuk
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