Can Baby Kittens Have Catnip
Read more here to learn more about this great little plant and why cats love it so much.
Can baby kittens have catnip. The reaction to a catnip can vary from kitten to kitten. Newborn kittens aren t usually responsive to catnip at all until they are about 3 months of age. Even then about 1 3rd of cats won t react at all and another 1 3rd are moderately affected. He may wind up falling in love with his catnip toys when he gets a little older but don t be discouraged if he never seems to care.
If he s still young give it some time. But you won t know if your kitten is one of them until sometime between ages 3 and 6 months. But of course you won t want to give a kitten too much catnip as over ingesting can lead to vomit and diarrhea and kittens have much smaller bodies and thus lower tolerances in general than full grown cats. Very young kittens and older cats seem less likely to have a.
Cats must inherit the tendency to react to catnip not all felines do. What exactly is catnip. The catnip benefits for cats include enjoyment a boost in health and catnip has a calming effect and can reduce stress if your cat eats the catnip herb. Some cats become like a lazy drunk while others get a wired up crazy.
It is generally considered safe to use catnip for kittens but it is important to note that some cats may not prove very interested in the herb especially kittens that are younger than two to three months old and some elderly cats. Large cats like tigers can be sensitive to it as well. Catnip s allure is in its volatile oil. It s perfectly safe to give a kitten small amounts of catnip however.
These hard wired preferences aren t immediately apparent though since kittens under the age of 3 months don t react to catnip at all. The herb s influence is genetic so not all cats respond to it according to the humane society of the united states. About one cat in two inherits a sensitivity to the herb. Kittens although catnip is totally harmless and safe around kittens both to smell and to eat it isn t necessarily effective.
Absolutely catnip is safe for kittens. If a kitten is going to be a catnip lover you usually can tell that when he is 3 to 6 months old. Only about 1 3rd of cats react strongly to catnip.