catnip question..

[aguu]

Is catnip in bad for cats in anyway? Catya just goes crazy ovr it and my mom is worried that she will either destroy her braincells or become "dependent' on it.
I think it's kind of silly - what do you guys think?

[4 feline house]

Okay, she does not that catnip is not marijuana, doesn't she? Tee hee hee! It's harmless. Tell her not to worry, or better yet, type "catnip" into your favorite search engine and let her see for herself.

[wayne0214]

There is an earlier post about cats not being interested in catnip. Yesterday I tried an experiment using catnip and it worked! I made a tea out of it (about 1 oz)and dumped it into their (1/2 gal) drinking water container. Now, I did not leave it in there, but put fresh water in their bowl immediately afterwards. But the cats who did drink out of it were more playful and even aggressive for a few minutes.

...........wayne

[zippy-kat]

Did you try any of the tea Wayne? :D

[wayne0214]

zippy cat, no , but it looked and smelled like the mint growing on the north side of my house. In fact, I made a mug of mint tea afterwards, and I think I'll do it agian after I get through with this post! (Do you suppose it will help medicinally?, I'll have to try it!).

[zippy-kat]

Pop Quiz...anyone ever tasted catnip themselves? lol

[purrley]

Not me - but I bet if people could get a little gitty off it - they'd make that illegal too!!! :)

[wayne0214]

OK, I tried it this morning, made a tea of catnip and mixed it with regular bagged, steeped tea. The aroma is definitely different, but relaxing. Also, that is has somewhat of an emotionally up-lifting effect. Otherwise it tastes like regular minted tea.

........wayne

[ November 17, 2001: Message edited by: wayne0214 ]
:)

[ November 17, 2001: Message edited by: wayne0214 ]

[zippy-kat]

Originally posted by wayne0214:
<STRONG>OK, I tried it this morning</STRONG>

And afterwards did you climb the drapes, knock over the goldfishbowl, shred the couch, attack feet, and roll around & purr? ;)

[Pam]

Zippy..... http://plauder-smilies.com/lach.gif

[wayne0214]

No, but if I had that kind of energy from the stuff, I'd sell it as tonic, (but mind you, I wouldn't tell them what was in it!) :D

[zippy-kat]

:D :D :D

[BigCharles]

Originally posted by Spencer-The-Lion:
<STRONG>
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah, ah
</STRONG>

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Get it? L.S.D.

Leah S. said that catnip is not marijuana. And that is true. My vet told me that they are from the same family of plant and that people without training have difficulty telling the plants apart.

He also said that some of the same bad side effects ensue to users. He was most worried about birth defects and chromosomal damage causing problems in future generations. Once the chance of a cat having future generations has past he said you could let them have as much as they want.

I take the lid off of the big tub and let them stick their face right down in. They come out with a "snoot full"! ;)

[thelmalu99]

Originally posted by wayne0214:
<STRONG>No, but if I had that kind of energy from the stuff, I'd sell it as tonic, (but mind you, I wouldn't tell them what was in it!) :D</STRONG>


Hmmm...maybe I should try some on cleaning day!

[AmberLee]

LOL! This thread reminds me so much of one of Paul Gallico's short stories ... I think it was either called "The Secret Ingredient" or "Secret of the thirteenth kitten". One of his recurring characters was an inn-keeper/ restauranter somewhere in the French country-side (mid-20th century). He was trying deperately to earn another star in their restaurant rating guide. One horrible day he was convinced he'd not only blown his chance, but had also accidently traumatized his pregnant fur-treasure/baby. His life in ruins, he threw himself into making a cat meal-symphony to tempt her into forgiving him, at least. YOU know the secret ingredient he used, but most in the story don't and it adds so much humor.

I'll dig out the book with this story tonight and confirm the title.

[Yes, I do read stuff by other authors, but never seem to mention it here. Sorry, guys!]

[ November 19, 2001: Message edited by: AmberLee ]

[4 feline house]

Big Charles, I don't think so! One is in the mint family, and is nepeta catae, and one is in the hemp family, and is cannabis sativa. They also don't nearly resemble each other:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/thumb/CannaSa9.jpg

http://www.boldweb.com/greenweb/HR123.gif

Sorry, but I think your vet needs to educate himself! :(

[zippy-kat]

Maybe he meant when it was ground up? I dunno...

LOL can't you see all the cat people walkin' around the streets? "Got nip? How much for an ounce?" lol

BigCharles--I bet you're drivin' Miz Freckles crazy with the name changes lol. What's the story behind this one, Seven Of Nine?

[wolflady]

Spencer, I saw this and thought of you! :D

http://www.catsarefrommars.com/borgcat.jpg

RE: Catnip
Did you know that it is actually a good source of Vitamin C, and you can infuse it as a tea to relieve cold and flu symptoms?? It tends to make one drowsy, but doesn't raise the body temperature :D
Talk about an all purpose herb! Makes cats crazy/happy, and helps us sickly folks! LOL LOL

[zippy-kat]

I knew what the Seven o' Nine was...but I didn't get the Big Charles one...oh well...

'K guys...Zippy's off on her Thanksgiving journey...a 4-5 hr drive to the parents' house...ugh! I HATE this drive...

[thelmalu99]

Happy Thanksgiving, Tonya!
Have a safe trip!

Love,
Thelma, Yertle,
Elvis and Danny

[Pam]

Originally posted by zippy-kat:
<STRONG>
BigCharles--I bet you're drivin' Miz Freckles crazy with the name changes lol. What's the story behind this one, Seven Of Nine?</STRONG>

Zippy Big Charles and Spencer the Lion are two different people. (You can relax Freckles...) :)

[BigCharles]

Originally posted by Leah S:
<STRONG>They also don't nearly resemble each other:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/thumb/CannaSa9.jpg

http://www.boldweb.com/greenweb/HR123.gif

Sorry, but I think your vet needs to educate himself! :(</STRONG>

Wow! They don't. Hmm. This guy left town to tech at a university. Guess what he is teaching. Veterinary Medicine. :rolleyes:

I recognize the top one for sure. Pulled some of that out of the back yard in '85 when we moved in. :eek: Glad that is all gone.

I was worried about rasing catnip in the yard. I found a place that has the seeds but they only have them in January. I could have a crop this summer. Lots of cats in the yard then.

[Pam]

Big Charles I have catnip growing in my back yard. My sister-in-law gave me a plant years ago and it is a perenniel (comes back each year) so once you get it started you will be able to harvest catnip right up until frost and then, presto, it's back in the spring.

I have told this before but it is sort of funny so I'll mention it again. One day I was trying to hem some slacks. If you've ever tried to use a needle and thread with a cat around you know it's an impossible task. Well, I got an idea. I went outside and pulled off a few leaves and brought them in. My cats couldn't have cared less about my thread after that! :D

[zippy-kat]

Ok, two different ppl! Didn't even pay attention to the # of posts...

Thanks Thelma--Sophie and I made it ok--long drive though!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and their furbabies!