All About Catnip

By HollywoodPet.net | Wed, 6 Dec 2006

Catnip is from the mint family of plants. With over 250 varieties of Catnip this distant cousin of Marijuana has been used to stimulate cats for ages. Originally from Europe and Asia, Catnip grows all year.

Not all cats respond to catnip. Nearly 30% have no reaction to the known "high" it gives cats. Many times kittens do not respond to catnip until they have matured beyond 3 months. Catnip does not give your cat a hangover. The reaction of a cat to catnip will vary on whether a cat smells or eats it. Eating catnip will relax a cat, while smelling it acts as a stimulant. Humans have no similar reaction to catnip. A cat cannot become addicted to catnip or overdose from it. Most cats will stop playing with it when they have had enough.

When cats smell the leaves or stems of catnip, they will rub it, roll over it, paw it, chew it, and bite it. Some cats will also growl and meow. The reaction only lasts for a few minutes before the cat loses interest. It takes up to two hours for the cat to reset before it can return to the catnip and have the same reaction as before. Young kittens and older cats are less likely to have a reaction to catnip.  Many cat toys can contain catnip and the majority of cats love to play with them. Cat owners do not need to worry about allowing their cats access to have catnip because for the most part, no negative side effects are known.

If you want to see some silly behaviour and spice up your cats play time, a catnip toy is a fun distraction for your cat.