SAN DIEGO -- Cats like a little salad now and then. Wild cats eat greens to help digestion and alleviate hair balls. House cats that are not given greens will often turn to house plants. They can ruin the plants, and potentially poison themselves. Many pet stores sell "cat grass" in small containers. It is expensive and usually past it's prime by the time the cat's owners get it home.

The solution is to grow your own cat grass. It's simple and very inexpensive. You'll need bulk grain, which is sold at many local stores, like Jimbos, Henry's, People's Market, or Whole Foods Markets. Mix 25% Barley, 25% flax seed and 50% wheat berries. Begin by preparing about a half cup of seeds as a starter crop. Soak all the seeds in water for 24 hours. Fill a four inch clay pot with potting soil and spread the wet seeds across the top. A half cup of seeds should handle one pot nicely. Keep the soil and seeds moist until the seeds sprout and start to grow. Back off on watering a bit after the grass begins to grow so the roots will search out the water. Once the grass is an inch tall, place the pot somewhere where your cat can get at it. It may take a day or two, but eventually your cat will find the grass and love you for it, but probably never show you the love. It's a cat thing.