It might seem like fresh cat grass was always a box on your doorstep, but that has only been true for a short while. From wild hunters nibbling greens to slow kits on the windowsill, cat grass has come a long way. Here is a brief look at the journey, from the wild to the next-day box.
The early days
Long before anyone grew grass for cats, cats were finding plants for themselves. Scientists have gathered 316 records of plant remains from 213 studies of wild cats, covering 24 species, found in their scat or stomach contents. Nobody handed those cats a box. They just ate greens, for reasons scientists are still debating. The leading ideas involve parasites, hair and simple enjoyment, and all of them remain hypotheses rather than settled fact.
House cats kept the habit. In owner surveys published in 2021, 725 of 1,021 cats had been seen eating plants at least six times. Even stray cats in Perth were found with fresh green grass in their digestive tracts. For a cat with a garden, grass was simply there. For a cat indoors, it was not.
Grass comes indoors
For cats living indoors, people who think carefully about cat welfare began suggesting grass. A 1999 housing review by Rochlitz suggested considering grass for cats that like chewing. A 2007 welfare code in Australia's Capital Territory recommended grass twice weekly for owners without garden access. A 2010 review of indoor cats by Herron and Buffington suggested suitable grasses as a chewing outlet.
None of it claimed grass treated anything. The advice was simply practical: give an indoor cat a chance to nibble something green. For years, that meant growing it yourself.
The DIY kit era
Enter the grow kit: seeds, a pot and a lot of hope. Kits typically took more than a week to grow, needed daily watering and attention to sunlight, and the results were hit or miss. Pet store grass was inconsistent at best. Plenty of cat owners tried, gave up, and went back to watching their cat chew the houseplants.
Even now, grass is far from universal. A 2021 social-media survey of 565 UK cat caregivers found that 84 of them, 14.9%, provided cat grass. It is one survey in one country, but it suggests most cats were still waiting for their turn.
Ready-grown, delivered next day
Then came the box. Every Sprouties box is organic, grown hydroponically here in the UAE, pesticide-free and non-GMO. We harvest it the morning it is delivered, pack it chilled, and it reaches you the same day between 12 PM and 10 PM. No seeds, no kits, no waiting a week. It is the same idea the welfare advice had all along, give your cat something green, minus the part where you have to grow it.
Order today and your box arrives the next day, harvested that morning, across all seven emirates. A Saturday order arrives on Monday. Three grasses, wheat, oat and barley, all of which help with hairballs, and plans you can skip, pause or cancel any time. Ready to nibble the day it arrives, and a box stays good for about 7 days from harvest. The windowsill pot had a good run.
And it all started with one cat called KAT
About ten years ago, Ammar Bardesi's cat KAT had a UTI. A vet recommended adding fresh cat grass to her routine, so Ammar started growing it at home. KAT got better, and she kept coming back to the grass, so he kept growing it. We'd never say the grass made her better. It simply became the part of her day she loved.
Soon friends and family were asking for some. Ammar went looking for fresh, ready-to-enjoy cat grass in the UAE and found it surprisingly hard. DIY kits took over a week, and results were hit or miss. Pet store options were inconsistent. So he started Sprouties: organic grass, grown hydroponically here in the UAE and delivered fresh, so no cat has to wait a week for something green to nibble. Read KAT's full story.
A fresh future, one box at a time
What started with one cat at home now reaches cats across all seven emirates. With 10,000+ cats served, we grow three grasses, wheat, oat and barley, all organic, pesticide-free and non-GMO, and all of which help with hairballs. Our grass is vet approved, and vets recommend it to their patients. And we're just getting started, with one goal in mind: something fresh and green within reach of every cat in the UAE, for happier and healthier cats.
