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How To Give Catnip To Your Cat

  • Post category:Behavior / How-To
  • Post last modified:April 13, 2020
  • Reading time:6 mins read
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Have you ever given your cat some catnip? Maybe they absolutely loved it or maybe they didn’t seem to have any reaction at all. Perhaps you’ve wondered if giving your feline companion some catnip is safe. Do they really get high? Is it a form of marijuana for your cats?

Some cats love catnip so much they seem to go bonkers at the sight or smell of it. However, for some cats, it does absolutely nothing at all for them.

What Actually Is Catnip?

For starters, catnip is an herb that happens to be a member of the mint family. It is one of about 250 species of mint that exists. The part of the catnip plant that makes cats react is the oil found in it, called Nepeta cataria

How Do Cats React To Catnip?

Cats may react to catnip in different ways. For instance, I have a cat that will rub her entire body all around in the catnip, similar to when she goes into heat

All I have to do is open the bag and she goes absolutely crazy psycho with it. However, when it comes to toys that are filled with catnip, she has no reaction whatsoever. 

how to give catnip to your cat

Maybe she simply cannot smell the catnip or maybe because there is nothing to roll around in, she loses interest in it. I still haven’t figured it out. 

I also have a cat that goes semi-crazy for catnip, but he won’t roll around in it. He will usually eat it like it’s some kind of snack. 

And then I have another cat who has no reaction to the powdered catnip form. But when it comes to the types of toys that have this herb in them, he goes completely bonkers. 

He will carry the toy in his mouth around the house for several minutes. If any other cats try to take the toy or get in his way, he will growl at them. 

Why Doesn’t My Cat React To Catnip?

If your cat is still a kitten, it most likely will not have any reaction to catnip. Kittens are simply too young still to grow a fondness for this legendary herb. 

Another reason some cats have no reaction to catnip is because the love for catnip is just not in their DNA. 

Ways To Give Your Feline Some Catnip

There are essentially a variety of ways that you can give catnip to your feline companion. 

You can buy catnip in the form of powder. This type of catnip usually comes in bags that are around the size of cat treats. 

You can also buy your cat toys that have this unique herb inside of them. This is a very common and easy way to give your cat catnip. There are also a large variety of toys available on the market. 

You can find everything from crinkly balls to mouse toys and crinkly tunnels that are induced with catnip. Most packages will tell you if there is catnip present in the toy. 

Another way to give your cat the joy of catnip euphoria is by growing the herb yourself in the comfort of your home. This will provide the freshest catnip available and, in my opinion, is the ideal way to give your cat some awesome catnip.

It’s fairly easy to grow and you can just let your cat eat right off the plant as it is.

Also, if you have a cat that doesn’t seem to react to store bought catnip, this may be just the type of catnip your cat might actually react to. Give it a try! If your cat doesn’t react to fresh catnip either, you can always dry it, grind it, and make it into catnip tea for yourself to indulge in.