Plant safety for cats
Is cat grass (जई / गेहूँ के जवारे) safe for cats?
SafeNot on ASPCA's list — recommended by a vet school
Yes — oat or wheat cat grass is safe, and Cornell's Feline Health Center recommends it for cats that chew houseplants. Grow it without pesticide; Navratri jaware are the same idea.
Why safe: Not on ASPCA's list; Cornell's Feline Health Center recommends it for cats that crave greens.
- Name
- Cat grassalso Oat grass, Wheatgrass, Jaware
- Hindi
- जई / गेहूँ के जवारे · jai / gehun ke jaware
- Botanical name
- Avena sativa (oat) and Triticum aestivum (wheat) seedlings · Poaceae
How to recognise it
- A dense tuft of bright-green grass blades grown from oat or wheat seed in a shallow tray
Look-alikes and name traps
Lemongrass is not cat grass — ASPCA lists it as toxic.
What to do
Listed non-toxic — no poisoning is expected.
- Any plant eaten in quantity can still cause a little vomiting or diarrhoea; call your vet if it keeps going.
- Pesticide or fertiliser on nursery plants is a separate risk: rinse new plants and keep fertiliser sticks out of the pot.
Where Indian cats meet it
Easy to grow at home in plain soil or cocopeat — wheat jaware are already grown for Navratri.
Sources
- Cornell Feline Health Center: Destructive behaviour (cats and houseplants, PDF)
- Hindi Wikipedia: जई (Hindi name)
- Hindi Wikipedia: गेहूँ के जवारे (Hindi name)
Facts last checked
General information for cat parents, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. The facts come from ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline, International Cat Care, the Merck Veterinary Manual and the other sources listed on every page — and we say so when the evidence comes from dogs or people. If your cat may have eaten something harmful, call your vet.
