Is catnip ok

marius10

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I just wonder is it could be harmful
 

denice

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Catnip isn't harmful.  Some cats react to it and others don't.  Kittens rarely if ever react to it, they have to get a little older.  Kitties that do react to it really enjoy it and they are funny to watch.  One of mine will curl up around something that has it inside and do the bunny kicking thing..
 

stephenq

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I just wonder is it could be harmful
Just to reinforce what @Denice said, no catnip isn't harmful, but some cats react quite ummmm....interestingly to it and we believe they are on a temporary high.  But no negative medical effects or long term mental effects.
 

donutte

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Funny, I got a hoodie for Christmas that says "Legalize Catnip" 


I didn't know kittens were not affected by catnip! No wonder my boys looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to give them some.
 

kittycort

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Its safe. I plant it outside (no chemicals) and guve mine fresh leaves and sprigs..its a great, healthy snack that they love.
 

jolie0216

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One of mine will curl up around something that has it inside and do the bunny kicking thing..
Yes, all 4 of my cats do that exact same thing!  I have a few of those Jackson Galaxy "kickers" that have catnip inside them - they go crazy hugging it and fake disemboweling it!

All of them will eat fresh catnip, plus one of my guys even eats the dried catnip flakes (the others just like to smell it & roll around in it).

It's a great thing to treat them with - we have lots of toys that are stuffed with catnip, plus I rub dried catnip over their scratching posts once every few days.  They love it, and it's super entertaining to watch them rolling around in pure bliss 
   I've never heard of a cat having a bad health reaction to it, they can't OD on it, plus it's good for oldsters to get them a little more active, if only for a few minutes!
 
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ruthm

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Catnip isn't harmful.  Some cats react to it and others don't.  Kittens rarely if ever react to it, they have to get a little older.  Kitties that do react to it really enjoy it and they are funny to watch.  One of mine will curl up around something that has it inside and do the bunny kicking thing..
this is so interesting!  My kittens are Buster(8months) and KC(8 3/4 months). Buster absolutely loves catnip Bananas, Carrot and Tickle Pickles; but K.C. is indifferent to them.
 

posiepurrs

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Catnip isn't harmful.  Some cats react to it and others don't.  Kittens rarely if ever react to it, they have to get a little older.  Kitties that do react to it really enjoy it and they are funny to watch.  One of mine will curl up around something that has it inside and do the bunny kicking thing..
I used to think all kittens didn't react to catnip until older, but this last litter we had proved me wrong.The girl in the litter reacted when she was 5 weeks old to a catnip toy. I grow my own organic catnip, but my cats love the Meowy brand catnip toys. One tip for those of you who grow it - if you pick the flower buds and dry them the cats (at least mine) like that better than the leaves. Just be careful if you don't want it reseeding to get all the buds/seeds off the plant or it can spread.
 

LTS3

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Neither of my cats are affected by catnip
They'll lick catnip toys and lick up loose dried catnip leaves but they don't do the typical rolling around, drooling, etc that other cats do.
 

greycat2

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All but 1 of my 9 cats reacts/reacted to catnip to various degrees (Have 5 cats still since 4 have passed). Some just sit there and eat the catnip while others would get 'zoned out'.

The only one that didn't respond was my RBB boy Sphinx. Not once did he take an interest in it - not fresh, fried or toys. He'd just look and think "What do you mean I have to act stupid and roll around like a kitten? This is so below my dignity."
 

mister obama

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My boy "harry" is 17 now and getting kind of slow,  but he sure likes a pinch of nip occasionally- like my evening martini,  Oh, I'm old too!
 
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