cat nip

I have a question. My friend told me last night that they never give their cats - cat nip because it is made from drugs. Is it harmful in that small amounts??? I thought that all cats played with cat nip at some point. Hope this is not a real stupid question! :rolleyes:

Cat nip is not "made from" drugs, it's just a plant, actually related to mint, I think. It is a like a drug for them, but is harmless. Most cats I know LOVE it, though I've met some that are indifferent!

I have learned the trick to getting Mimi to play, and it is a catnip filled mouse. And Butter showed his love for it immediately. I'm with Karen. This a wonderful thing for our cats. I want to try growing some too.

Logan

I grow catnip in my flowerbed out back. Each of my cats reacts differently to it. Trevor rolls in it on the floor and gets all mellowed out and sort of dreamy-eyed. Andy attacks it and gets all hyper and turns into a dynamo! :eek: I used to watch a vet by the name of Dr. Bernie on TV (...wonder where he went, now that I come to think about it) and he said that catnip usually doesn't affect cats before the age of two, but both of mine didn't take that long. Logan, it's easy to grow and it spreads and its a perennial....comes back each year!

I have nothing favorable to say about Cat Nip. My senior cat Lily reacted in a paranoid manner, and did not enjoy herself. She kept going back and forth to her litter box; I felt so badly for her! :(

Pam, I remember watching Dr. Bernie and also wonder what happened to his show . . . :confused:

[ July 08, 2001: Message edited by: AvaJoy ]

I was planning on planting some cat nip in my beds outside too. It's part of the herbal Mint family. Did you know that an infusion of catnip is good for headaches?? Pretty cool, huh? :) It can benefit me AND my cats!LOL :p
I think the reactions of my cats to cat nip is so funny. Marius gets all tweeked out and rolls around and darts this way and that. Scooter just kinda mellows out. My parents cat rubs his face on it until it's practically ground into the carpet!! :rolleyes:

The more I read about Marius the more I think he and Andy were separated at birth! :D

I have a confession to make about my use of catnip. One day I was attempting to hem some slacks. Each time I would pull the threat through Andy would bat at the thread making it nearly impossible to sew. I finally gave up, went outside and cut a piece of catnip. When I brought it in he no longer cared about my thread! He was too busy spazzing out all over the floor rolling in and attacking the catnip. Finally he dozed off in happy exhaustion! :D

Pam that is too funny!!!
Chuck, that cat is beautiful, what pretty eyes he has!!! :)
There is another board I am on and they were talking about buying cat nip bubbles at Target. They said it was great fun.
Kylie doesn't really get overly excited. I had a leaf and gave it to her she just rubbed her face in it, then I bought some pellets and put her fuzzy toys in it and she runs all over the kitchen.
I found the cheapest cat toy one can buy!!! Just watch to make sure they don't eat it,
COTTON BALLS!!!!!!!!!!
I dropped one in the bathroom the other day and that was it, she played with that thing for 2 days!!! I even catnipped it for her!!!
She thought it was great!!

I bought some catnip bubbles for Charlie yesterday and he showed no interest. He just watched them, but he didn't jump around batting at them like I had expected. He really likes his catnip toys, though. He just rubs his face all over the toy and rolls around on the floor with it. It's really cute. Maybe I should try some loose catnip.

Pam, LOL LOL :D Good solution!! I'm thinking I need to be planting some of that stuff soon!

I had some planted in my garden a year ago but I went on vacation and when I came back nothing but a bent and chewed up stalk was left. They stripped it!

I have grown it but Edwina was not the least interested in it "raw." I keep a plastic container of it dried and she likes to rub on the container and when she sits up and begs I give her a tiny bit to eat. She loves it.

I have read that smelling it is a stimulant for cats and eating it is a tranquilizer. That would pretty well describe her actions!