Canadian catnip?

[Sonia59]

In Europe (well, at least in several countries) we can hardly find catnip, and when we find some, the package is ridiculously small for a very high price

In France it's not very common to give catnip to our kitties. Poor guys It is with PT that I realized how common it was in Canada and US!

Recently, my partner went to Canada for his work and I gave him the mission to find good catnip. He brought two brands, one was the "Cosmic" catnip, and I don't remember for the other one (I am not at home to check). I cannot give you a comparison with other brands, but these ones have been largely cat approved

Here is a link for the Cosmic catnip:
http://www.cosmicpet.com/detail.asp?col=3&id=1

Your vet could go to Canada, let's say for holidays, and bring one or too suitcases of catnip

[Randi]

Thanks for the offer, Slick, but don't think about catnip now - you need to relax and get better. Are you back on e-mail? I got one back I sent the 5th.

The toys with catnip I've got for Fister over the years almost bored him to death, with one exception - the catnip doll ES got for him when we met in Munich. In fact I'll go and have a look at that picture to see who manufactored it.

I'm so stupid.... I was growing mint in my allotment garden, but I killed it all, as it was spreading like weed. I should have saved some to dry, now I know that mint and catnip is quite similar.

Sonia59 and Crazy-cat-lover, thanks for the links!

[Barbara]

Randi, mint won't work!
And with catnip it is different. Some cats like it and some are not interested. I have read in one of the thousands of PT threads that Australian kitties are genetically not prone to catnip.

Filou and Tigris didn't like real life fresh catnip I brought to them from a botanical garden- they prefer valeriane.

BUT- big BUT!!! they went crazy about the crocheted ball from catmandu and from the mousie I bought one time in Vancouver- so I am wondering whether Canadian catnip might be a different species from what they sell here.

[Freedom]

I grow my own catnip in the back garden. It spreads FAST and uncontrollably. The cats love it fresh. When we take them out in the back while we are gardening, Chestnut just goes and sits in the middle of the catnip, nibbles a bit from the right, a bit from the left, and doesn't move until he lies down to sleep it off. The others nibble that along with grass. Often we look out the window and see the neighborhood cats taking a nibble. I think every cat in a one mile radius has my back yard on its route!

Last Autumn I picked a lot and dried it in the microwave. I pulled the leaves off the branches and stems, set them on a paper towel, put another paper towel on top, and put it in. It only takes about 1.5 minutes. I had a great crop last year, and I was drying for almost an hour. The house smelled wonderful! During the drying, first the cats all came to gather in the kitchen; then they started dashing about; then they all disappearred to sleep it off.

It was much more potent than the Cosmic Catnip I normally buy, but I think that is just because it was fresher. Over time, I needed to put out more to get the kitties to respond to it. Ruffles just rolls and rolls and rolls, rocking the cat perch she is in!

There is also something called catmint. Cats do NOT respond to that It is sold here in the Spring as a flower, for people who don't want all the neighborhood cats visitng.

I have other herbs growing including mint, the cats ignore everything else.

We have been traveling so much this year the garden didn't get any attention and didn't do well. We are away just now and won't be home until after Nov 1. I think that may be too late for drying any catnip this year.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I am growing it too and have been wonder how to dry it. Thank you Freedom....I am off to pick some nip....

p.s. I grow it in a pot (now a different one from this) as I do with all mint so it won't take over...

[moosmom]

My friend Kathy has it growing in her back yard EVERYWHERE!! To dry it, she hangs it upside down in the garage.

I can have her send me some if you like. It's not from Canada, just over the border in Michigan, though. Let me know.

[Freedom]

Several things.

I didn't mean to dis Cosmic; that is the brand I buy when I need to buy it. It is great, and I use the containers for the one I dry.

Second, I have regular mint - for ice tea and such - in a pot. I have been 3 years - yeah, YEARS -trying to get the rest of it out of the garden! With seven cats, I would need quite a few pots for the catnip. We also put some chicken wire around the base of some of it. With my cats and the neighborhood cats all partaking, they could potentially eat it right down the to roots and it would die off.

Edwina's Secretary: BEWARE. I had the paper towels catch fire on one batch last year in the microwave! I had been at it a long time, I was tired, I wasn't paying attention. Turn the microwave off, but don't open the door; that just gives the fire air to consume. With the door closed, it dies out fast. I tried, but the cats disapproved of that batch, and I had to throw it out. Charcoal taste, I guess.

I dry many of my herbs this way. Some take a little longer than others, depends how much moisture is in it. Basil, oregano, lemon balm, mint, parsley, and so forth.