What Bugs or Animals Eat Grass?

Livestock

• Cows, sheep and goats will greedily devour a lawn. A cow's multiple stomachs are designed to digest grass. Goats and sheep will also eat grass, but they are more useful at eating weeds, shrubs and woody vines. Some farmers use livestock for their ground-clearing abilities. Some companies even rent these living landscaping tools to clear large patches of land.

Insects

• Lawns have a variety of insect enemies that munch on the grass, creating dead spots and dry patches. Among these pests are cutworms, white grubs, chinch bugs and sod webworms. White grubs live just below the surface of the soil and feed on grass roots. These larvae later grow to be various types of beetles, including the garden pest known as the Japanese beetle. Young chinch bugs or "nymphs" suck sap from grass, creating yellow and brown spots on the blades. Sod webworms are the larvae of tiny gray or white moths. These larvae eat grass blades at soil level, leaving lawn growth uneven. Cutworms are moth caterpillars that also feed on blades of grass at the soil level. Grass damage caused by cutworms is almost indistinguishable from the damage caused by sod webworms.

House Pets

• Both cats and dogs have been known to nibble on grass for reasons that remain a mystery. They may be hungry, teething or just enjoying the texture of your lawn. They may also be trying to calm an upset stomach by deliberately inducing vomiting. According to PetMD, most of this unusual snacking is harmless. A new trend in cat ownership is to provide your kitty with "cat grass" grown specifically for cats' consumption and enjoyment.

Warning

• A house pet eating grass is not an unusual or alarming sight -- most of the time. However, it may indicate a health problem such as stomach upset. If your pet's grass-eating habit is accompanied by other symptoms of declining health, take the pet to a veterinarian for a full checkup.