We have 2 cats, both remain indoors. We have catnip growing outside, alot of it. So I bring some in for them. They love it! You know how it is…it’s dope to them.
My wife get’s upset if I A) give them catnip more than twice a week and/or B) give them a whole lot at one time. She insist that the cats could overdose on it, freak out, get sick, whatever. Her overall view is, too much catnip is bad. I think she’s nuts, but I don’t want to hurt my cats. What’s the straight dope gang?
It’s not cool to hijack a thread on the first post, but I just have to mention a little trick that a certain rock-star buddy of mine clued me into.
You’re visiting a girl at her home for the first time. You know she has a cat. What do you do? Rub catnip on your socks. Cat loves your stinky-ass feet, girl loves cat, sense of trust under completely false pretenses is forged. Shortly thereafter, she’s appreciating the fact that you drink a pint of pineapple juice a day.
Now, to atone for my crime, I give you Simba, the Cat Person:
Catnip is a non-addictive “recreational drug” for cats of which there are 250 varieties. Cats usually go on a ten-minute “high”, they rub and roll on the plant and then act “drunk/wild” for an hour or so. There are some that believe that catnip stimulates the same pleasure centers in the feline brain as sexual activity. A small percentage will become possessive of their catnip and may snap or hiss at you. All species of cats, although not every individual, will react to catnip. Catnip is regarded as safe, although vomiting and diarrhea can result if excessive amounts are ingested. But other than that there are no widespread side effects. Catnip does not affect a cat until they are at least two months old.
Now where were you with those great ideas when I was single & dating?
Oh, and thanks for the catnip info! Now I feel safe keeping my cats the way all creatures should be always…Stoned!
Hey, while we’re at it, how come my cat doesn’t react to catnip except every once in a while? I bought some “premium organic catnip” once, and my cat went crazy, it was primo bud, apparently. But I ran out, and I can’t find that brand anymore, and so far, not a single other brand of catnip I’ve tried has had the least effect on my cat. I even grew a bunch myself, it had no effect, either fresh or dried. Maybe she’s getting old and can’t smell it anymore? I’d like to get kitty stoned once in a while, she deserves it and I know she USED to enjoy it, but I just can’t find anything that gets her going.
Oh, BTW, I warn people about that concetrated catnip spray that comes in aerosol spray cans. You have to spray it when the cat is out of the room, or they think the aerosol sound is a cat hissing! I forgot about this when I sprayed some for my cat, now she won’t come near me when she hears the spray can! I gave up on that stuff…
Chas.E - It could be that your cat responds to the primo stuff because it tends to be % catnip, while lower end products are frequently a blend of catnip and other herbs.
My cats are nip-snobs, too.
A few years ago I bought a flat(12 husky plants) and
plunked them into the ground beside my back door. Next
thing I know-Porko, my calico kitty, is rolling around
on top of the shredded stumps. She ate way more than a
couple of ounces. Although she was completely out of it
for about 4 hours, it didn’t seem to do her any lasting
harm.
My dog ate about 500 g of catnip once, and it didn’t hurt her at all. I think a cat would have a slightly lower tolerance, being smaller, but I don’t think catnip would have any lasting harm.
Catnip doesn’t make my dog go crazy either, but he drools uncontrollably when he gets into it.
If I’m not mistaken, there’s a gene for susceptibility to catnip, and not all cats have it. So if your cat doesn’t respond to it, maybe she doesn’t have the gene.
Whenever we get takeout Indian food, our cat responds to it the same way she responds to catnip. She sniffs it, scent-marks our plates, and spends the next 15 minutes rolling around on the floor. We can’t figure out what’s in the food that makes her do that.
Be careful about that dating tip! Once, when we were trying to get our cats to use the scratching post, rather than the couch, Mom got the idea to spray the post with 'nip spray. Shortly after that, Shadow, our old tom, (rest his soul) came into the room, headed straight for the scratching post, and proceeded to “mark” it. No, not the shoulder-rubbing marking, the full pee-on-it marking. If it’s relevant, he was a neutered male.
On the other hand, starting off the date with an embarassing experience like that may also have a beneficial effect: “Oh, I’m so sorry, he’s never done anything like that before, here, let me help you get cleaned up, how can I make it up to you?”