Catnip

[ferret]

What is it about catnip? Why do some cats go crazy over it and some cats it has no affect on? Just curious about this I guess.

[rainingcats&dogs]

you know ive always been curious about that too,all my cats love it,its like there stoned or something,very funny to watch,i wish it would have that effect on some dogs i groom

[seleste]

yum yum good stuff

Catnip (nepeta cataria) is an herb from the mint family. I've found conflicting estimates, but approximately 50-80% of cats react to the aroma and the chemical in the catnip called nepetalactone. It's purely genetic. Kittens less than 3 months old typically don't react to it as well as very senior cats. It's all about scent. It's important to store catnip in an air-tight container. For extra long-lasting freshness, it can be kept in the freezer.

The effects only last for a few minutes, but within an hour or two a cat can have another fun reaction to it. Overexposure to catnip can cause some cats to become immune to it, so it's best to offer it only once or twice a week. I keep several furry mice toys in a container with catnip and always offer one after grooming. Most cats love it and immediately forget their worries. It's totally harmless though ingesting too much can cause diarrhea or vomiting.

There's nothing funnier than watching a cat rolling around in catnip. One Himalayan I groom, Sassy (boy is she ever!) is very aggressive, but give her some catnip and she forgets all about trying to attack me. That is until I try to groom her. Oh well. I still offer it to her in the vain hope of someday getting off her "litter list" and onto her "okay list". I doubt it will ever happen.

Most cats just roll around on it, rubbing it on their face and body. Some will eat it. Some will smell it and if it's real powderey (is that a word?) it can make the cat sneeze a little if they take a big whiff. A small number of cats can get so riled up they become aggressive when exposed to catnip. This is why I only offer it at the end of the first groom to see how the cat will react. If they like it and are not aggressive, then I'll sometimes sprinkle some on the grooming table while I work with them.

BTW, some people even drink catnip tea. It's said to have a calming effect. I haven't tried it myself, but I'm sure I will someday.

Stacey

[seleste]

From the research I've done, catnip only affects cats. Pretty cool!!!

[Crystal]

I had a cat that became a wild one! We grew catnip and he would love it if you would take a long stalk of it and twirl it around in the grass. He would pounce on it then chew it up and then throw it around, like he had caught a mouse.

Then our other cat had an attitude, like get that thing away from me! I don't get it, it must be some are just more sensitive to the scent???

[doggiestlist]

I have accually had clients give their cat catnip before a grooming(at my suggestion).in alot of cases that the cat was very difficult to transport and groom the catnip seamed to have calmed them down enough to be managable for a complete groom.

[Taffy83]

From the research I've done, catnip only affects cats. Pretty cool!!!

Not just housecats either. I saw something on animal planet awhile ago where a zoo gave a loiness some catnip and she went nuts, just like our little kitties at home.

For humans if ingested it can have a calming effect, but a couple years back when I got Taffy a new toy I took a good whiff and it made me giggle. DOes it to me every time. Maybe im part cat, lol.

[ejmj30]

My guys have all different reactions. I used to have a cat that would pee everytime he got catnip. It was like he couldn't control himself once he smelled it. One day he broke into the cabinet and got the whole bag out...we came home to catnip all over the kitchen floor...floating in cat pee all over! What a mess, and what a smell!!!

[greymom]

One of our cats gets horribly vicious when he gets catnip. He actually chewed the plastic top off a container of cat nip once to get at it. We decided he just can't have it anymore (he will attack his brother and sister when he gets it so it's just not fair for the other two to get beat up by him).

[doggiestlist]

From the research I've done, catnip only affects cats. Pretty cool!!!

accually catnip is toxic to some other animals such as dogs

[sheilabgroomer]

My guys have all different reactions. I used to have a cat that would pee everytime he got catnip. It was like he couldn't control himself once he smelled it. One day he broke into the cabinet and got the whole bag out...we came home to catnip all over the kitchen floor...floating in cat pee all over! What a mess, and what a smell!!!

Have you enrolled him in a 12 step program? lol

[seleste]

I've never heard about catnip being toxic to dogs. That's very interesting. When I mentioned it only "affects" cats, I meant in the euphoric sense. I should have been more clear. Thanks for the clarification. Do you know at what level it's toxic to dogs? Would chewing on a catnip toy be harmful? I only ask because my dachshund will sometimes grab one of the cat's toys and I never thought about it being harmful to him. I just know my cats don't appreciate his drool on their stuff.

[doggiestlist]

I've never heard about catnip being toxic to dogs. That's very interesting. When I mentioned it only "affects" cats, I meant in the euphoric sense. I should have been more clear. Thanks for the clarification. Do you know at what level it's toxic to dogs? Would chewing on a catnip toy be harmful? I only ask because my dachshund will sometimes grab one of the cat's toys and I never thought about it being harmful to him. I just know my cats don't appreciate his drool on their stuff.

Im realy not sure to what extent it is concidered toxic to dogs
I would say it would depend on each dog indevidually just as other items known to be toxic to them are.I had not heard about many items that are toxic to dog or cats until I worked for a very good all animal vet clinic.
items such as chocolate ,onions,coffee to name a few ,these are things my dogs love and do eat(yes they steel it ) lol. I also didnt know that bleach was toxic to cats if used to clean kennels crates even floors.its amaizing the things you learn.
yrs before I became a groomer I had a small dog that would eat a full bag of M&M's once a week that was his treat along with his mcdonalds hamburger smothered in onions.this was not a large dog he was a mix but looked just like a jack russel.he was very spoiled.but he never became ill from these items..another example of dog should be dead by now or something.
I have a shep/chow now this dog is so addicted to coffee to the point she will get into the garbage can daily just to get my coffee grounds.i do my best to keep her out of it but if she can manage it she will devour a cood 1/4 cup of coffee grounds in one sitting and walk away like nothing. maybe shes ADHD lol.