In response to questions from viewers and Twitter followers, Jackson answers the question: What Is Catnip?
Catnip has a powerful attraction for many cats.
They will pounce on it, roll around in it, chew and eat it. Some cats will sit in a big pile of the dried herb and simply drool, eyes glazed over, while others get completely hyper for a while, running laps throughout the house.
Because this perennial herb, Nepeta cataria, is considered harmless even when ingested, it is included in an enormous amount of cat toys these days. Cat towers, scratching posts and other habitats come pre-treated with catnip.
And it’s definitely “buyer beware” out there; some toys have catnip in them, but don’t say so on the package. To know, you can give the toy a sniff before your cats get a sniff!
Science hasn’t really caught up to the cat yet when it comes to the aphrodisiac effect elicited by exposure to catnip. We know that the active ingredient is nepetalactone, an essential oil, and this ingredient is chemically similar to many hallucinogens.
There haven’t been enough studies on cats eating catnip to conclude whether the response in cats is more sexual or predatory in nature.
Studies do indicate that the reaction lasts for 5-15 minutes, and cannot be evoked again for an hour or more after exposure. Not all cats respond to catnip; reactivity to catnip is genetic, and differing studies estimate that between 50-80% of cats respond.
Response also depends on the age of the cat. Reproductive age cats will, most definitely, show a response more so than kittens.
In fact, young kittens (under 12 weeks) tend to avoid catnip, and may even seem stressed by it.
This is what we know, scientifically speaking.
The following is presented anecdotally, from my experience, that of my clients, and from some of you, our readers:
Catnip can also be an explosive mix in the wrong situation.
There are those cats that tend to be the “bully” types in the household, the ones who might be at the center of any problem with the other animals in the house.
In my experience, giving catnip to such cats sends them over the top and can instigate a bout of violence. It’s as if their inhibitions, for that brief window of intoxication, have been completely dropped, and they feel like they can get away with anything.
And they are intoxicated!
Some cats, in the words of one experienced cat guardian, are “mean drunks.”
In cases where I’m mediating a re-introduction between cats and the relationship is very tenuous, I recommend removing all catnip and catnip toys from the house. Even if the toys (beds, posts, etc.) are old and there isn’t much of thcatnip-cate oil left, my feeling is that it’s just not worth the risk.
In a few cases, I’ve had clients treating these bullies with a powerful drug like Elavil, Prozac or Buspar to calm them down, and then giving them catnip; that just doesn’t make any sense!
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Due to his demanding schedule and the high volume of requests he receives, Jackson is not able to answer questions posted in the comments. However, we will continue providing valuable information to help you and your cats. And throughout it all, your comments are welcomed and encouraged.
We regret that Jackson does not answer questions posted in the comments. This is due to his demanding schedule and the high volume of requests he receives. But most importantly, since he has not met your cat, it would be contrary to his approach for him to give specific personalized advice for your specific situation. That being said, general questions and issues are addressed throughout this blog, in his book CAT DADDY and of course, the show My Cat From Hell.
thanks for that info Jackson.. I did try catnip for TOmie my 2 year old but she didnt like or react to it. I just got TOmie a sister (also 2 years old) and was going to offer it to her. Changed my mind.. not necessary..
I’m not the only person with a “Mean drunk” cat!? Hahaha
I have a orange tabby that gets downright nasty and vicious if he has catnip! It’s wild. He gets very defensive and growls and hisses – which besides when “on” catnip, he isn’t at all.
I have two cats and one gets more excited after having/playing with cat nip where the older cat seems to get more mellow ? I am guessing depending on the personality of the cat cat nip can have different affects on a cat?
Thank you
Kay
My husband grows tons of it ..our cat loves it (we bring it in for him). But so do the neighborhood cats ! We like them in the yard so this brings them in! We also noticed goldfinch love the flowers as do butterflies. It’s a great thing to add wildlife to the garden and our indoor cat enjoys watching it all from his window perch !
My 2-year-old Russian Blue, Willoughby, is one who does not respond to catnip. I’ve wondered why. Thanks for answering!
I love me some catnip! But I have been guilty of a BWI (biting while intoxicated).
My mother was born in 1897. She said that they used to brew a catnip tea and give it to fretty and sick babies to calm and make them sleepy. Interesting. Thanks, Jackson.
Oh, definitely right on the “mean drunk” thing. In fact, I’ve seen cats go through some of the classic stages of intoxication: friendly, then everything seems funny, then looking for a fight, then just looking woozy, then falling asleep. My cats are a bonded pair and mostly very affectionate with each other, but catnip excites cats and it’s good to be aware of the potential issues. Then, if all is well, let them have some and let their fur down once in a while.
Another plant that cats love is teucrium marum, known also as “kitty cracK.” I have to grow it in a hanging pot that’s inaccessible to our kitties and allows me to bring it indoors in the Fall as it’s tender. It smells bitter, like quinine, and has a lovely pink flower in Summer. Give it lots of sun. Some kitties go nuts for this plant.
I bought a toy with catnip in it for my 11 week old kitten, I was wondering why she didn’t like to play with it, this answeres that question
. Guess i’ll put it away for a few weeks and try again when shes older
One of my cats, a Siberian Forest Cat is one of those “adores people but just will NOT tolerate other cats” type of kitty…a real cat BULLY to the extent that we unfortunately need total separate living quarters for him and my other two cats. Humans, however are a totally different story. He just can’t get ENOUGH human-love!
He always enjoys his nip but I learned the hard way NEVER to clip his nails too soon after giving him catnip.
Now under normal circumstances I think he’d rather die before biting a human!
Well, it was several hours after he had his Cosmic Catnip and he had “come down” (lol!) and seemed perfectly fine again. I’d actually forgotten I’d given it to him, until I went to clip his nails and…
…YIKES!!! A real cat-attack! It was SO unlike him it actually took me a while to figure out what triggered this out-and-out craziness, but once I finally figured out it had to be the earlier catnip, I was amazed! Needless to say, I will never do THAT again!
So owners BEWARE! Yes absolutely, the results of catnip definitely CAN be very violent, explosive and somewhat out-of-character…even HOURS later!