THE DANGERS OF GRASS SEEDS TO ANIMALS

I was prompted to write this post, which is indirectly connected to gardening, after noticing lately how my Ragdoll cat, Alfie, keeps coming home with lots of hard, pointed, and sharp grass seeds, about 3mm long, on his coat.  I noticed, on brushing Alfie, that the seeds were not easily removed and so I ran my hands firmly over his body, feeling for them.   I discovered that some seeds were working their way downwards towards his skin unseen.   I have since been carefully checking Alfie's body each time he returns from roaming a large area of neglected neighbouring land which is full of trees, branches, brambles, grass, and other types of weeds (I call it The Jungle).  Today, I found one seed right at the back of his neck, close to his collar, and the sharp pointed end of the seed was touching his skin and clearly about to embed itself. Already there were signs of roots forming. See macro image below

Grass seed found on my cat's skin - roots already emerging (see bottom left of macro image)

I read that if an animal has hairy paws, then it is likely to pick up grass seeds, but I feel that a hairy animal has only to brush past grass seed for it to be caught in the fur.  However, I do check my cat's paws as grass seeds can also embed themselves between an animal's pads.  If you find your pet scratching or shaking its head, or pawing at itself, do investigate to see if a grass seed has lodged or embedded itself in or under the skin.   

Alfie, Ragdoll cat, long fur in paw pads

The dangers of grass seeds embedding themselves into an animal's skin is that they don't just stop there, close to the surface.  No, the seeds can continue moving through the body unseen, triggering infections, and worse.  Seeds do not show up, apparently, on an X-ray, so when the animal becomes ill, then the vet cannot see the cause of the problem.  If you check on the internet, you will see horrendous images of animals being affected by seeds - on their bodies, in their ears, and even in their eyes.  Grass seeds can injure cat, dog, rabbit, or any animal where the seed can cling to their coat and work their way down to the skin. 



So, if you, were thinking of growing a lot of ornamental grasses in your garden borders, or letting your lawn turn into a wildflower meadow where grasses also grow and go to seed, then you might want to think twice if you have a pet which roams there. 

Ornamental grass and grass seed

PetPlan danger of grass seed to pets (external link)

AnimalFriends danger of grass seed to pets (external lnk)

I remember years ago hearing how someone I knew had got a raspberry or strawberry seed lodged in their gum without realising it; the seed germinated and put down roots.  I'll leave the rest to your imagination.  You can find such cases on the internet. 

Alfie, the resident Ragdoll cat.