Hi - Simba has always loved catnip, but Murray has shown no interest in it when I have tried to give him catnip toys. Is catnip something that not all cats are into? Are there some, like Murray perhaps, whom it just doesn't do anything for? Thanks!
Originally Posted by purrrplej
Hi - Simba has always loved catnip, but Murray has shown no interest in it when I have tried to give him catnip toys. Is catnip something that not all cats are into? Are there some, like Murray perhaps, whom it just doesn't do anything for? Thanks!
Well, I don't think that either of my cats come from Asia, but neither of them have ever had any interest in catnip. That gene thing sounds right to me.Originally Posted by Natalie_ca
Apparently there is a gene that determines whether a cat reacts to catnip or not. If the cat doesn't have the catnip gene, they won't react. I also heard that cats born in Asia don't have this gene at all. Not sure if that is true or not, but I think I did read that here on this forum.
I've heard the same. And I guess the reasoning behind cats in Asia not being interested in catnip is that catnip does not grow native to Asia, so no need for that gene to be present.Originally Posted by Natalie_ca
Apparently there is a gene that determines whether a cat reacts to catnip or not. If the cat doesn't have the catnip gene, they won't react. I also heard that cats born in Asia don't have this gene at all. Not sure if that is true or not, but I think I did read that here on this forum.
Hmmm, Murray is a Siamese, so maybe that explains his lack of interest in catnip.Originally Posted by whiteforest
I've heard the same. And I guess the reasoning behind cats in Asia not being interested in catnip is that catnip does not grow native to Asia, so no need for that gene to be present.