I have had cats my entire life and I had heard about catnip and it's effects, but I refused to use it until I gathered sufficient information.
When all I knew about this herb was that it has potentially psychedelic effects on cats, I hesitated to experiment with it.
After years of gathering information and actually using catnip and derivative toys for my cats, I feel confident I can give you a simple breakdown about the pros and cons of using catnip.
Things are pretty straight forward.
First off, you should know that catnip is an herb that belongs to the mint family, therefore it is absolutely safe.
Now, store-bought catnip may be laced with insecticides, so it is recommended that hose of us who can or want to, grow our own catnip plant from seed.
It is really easy, even for the most inexperienced gardeners.
Not all cats are affected the same way by the same catnip toy.
Some lack the gene that gets a cat to react to catnip and kittens under ten months usually do not have any reaction to the herb.
The cons: Some cats may become aggressive when they come to close proximity to catnip.
Beware.
If your cat is hard to control or semi-feral, keep others, including other cats away the first time you introduce them to this herb.
The pros: Catnip is safe to use even around pregnant cats and kittens.
It provides cats with lots of excitement and helps a house cat get her exercise.
Which type to use: There are many forms of catnip in the market.
If you find bags of catnip messy, just buy a catnip toy.
The ones made by Cosmic are the most popular, but you don't need to be limited to one company.
I usually shop for such toys based on price.
Some of my cats' favorite toys are the Cosmic catnip cigar and banana.
Mine also love the Cosmic bubbles.
I highly recommend the use of catnip on all cats, especially ones that don't get to go outdoors.
Your cat(s) can get lots of play and great stimulation for short amounts of play at a time.
When they tire of it, because they all do, simply put it away and reintroduce a few hours or days later.
It will have the same effect.
Now that I have taken the mystery out of Nepeta Cataria (the scientific name) I hope you feel safe enough to try it out.
When all I knew about this herb was that it has potentially psychedelic effects on cats, I hesitated to experiment with it.
After years of gathering information and actually using catnip and derivative toys for my cats, I feel confident I can give you a simple breakdown about the pros and cons of using catnip.
Things are pretty straight forward.
First off, you should know that catnip is an herb that belongs to the mint family, therefore it is absolutely safe.
Now, store-bought catnip may be laced with insecticides, so it is recommended that hose of us who can or want to, grow our own catnip plant from seed.
It is really easy, even for the most inexperienced gardeners.
Not all cats are affected the same way by the same catnip toy.
Some lack the gene that gets a cat to react to catnip and kittens under ten months usually do not have any reaction to the herb.
The cons: Some cats may become aggressive when they come to close proximity to catnip.
Beware.
If your cat is hard to control or semi-feral, keep others, including other cats away the first time you introduce them to this herb.
The pros: Catnip is safe to use even around pregnant cats and kittens.
It provides cats with lots of excitement and helps a house cat get her exercise.
Which type to use: There are many forms of catnip in the market.
If you find bags of catnip messy, just buy a catnip toy.
The ones made by Cosmic are the most popular, but you don't need to be limited to one company.
I usually shop for such toys based on price.
Some of my cats' favorite toys are the Cosmic catnip cigar and banana.
Mine also love the Cosmic bubbles.
I highly recommend the use of catnip on all cats, especially ones that don't get to go outdoors.
Your cat(s) can get lots of play and great stimulation for short amounts of play at a time.
When they tire of it, because they all do, simply put it away and reintroduce a few hours or days later.
It will have the same effect.
Now that I have taken the mystery out of Nepeta Cataria (the scientific name) I hope you feel safe enough to try it out.