Can Catnip Be Bad For Kittens

Catnip gets its name from the way cats react to it.

Can catnip be bad 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. While not entirely bad or unsafe for cats catnip sprays are usually not as potent. Although catnip is totally harmless and safe around kittens both to smell and to eat it isn t necessarily effective. It s perfectly safe to give a kitten small amounts of catnip however.

One thing that is important to note about using catnip for kittens is that some may attempt to eat it in addition to just sniffing it or playing with it inside of a pet toy. The good news is catnip is non toxic to cats of any age including kittens. 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. Lots of cat toys are stuffed with catnip.

The herb s influence is genetic so not all cats respond to it according to the humane society of the united states. In fact don t be surprised if your cat doesn t show any interest in them at all. Below we cover exactly what catnip is if it s good for cats and its various effects. Catnip belongs to the mint family and if you crush the fresh leaves you can smell the scent.

While most cats enjoy the herb dried or fresh they re usually less interested in catnip sprays which generally don t contain enough nepetalactone to appeal to most felines. Absolutely catnip is safe for kittens. Catnip is generally safe for kittens. Unlike fresh and dried catnip plant leaves stems and seeds most catnip sprays contain so small an amount of nepetalactone to be appealing to cats.

When the cat smells catnip the scent molecules travel to a receptor above the palate in the roof of the mouth known as the vomeronasal organ aka jacob s organ. Can cats eat catnip. These hard wired preferences aren t immediately apparent though since kittens under the age of 3 months don t react to catnip at all. It s found to be neither toxic nor addictive so you can freely use it as a reward or training aid.

What is the safe dose. Many people remember a south park episode where cartman s kitty throws a wild party and the catnip is treated like cocaine by all the hard partying cats no kitty that s a bad kitty. You can rub it on scratching posts stuff it into socks for a simple toy and sprinkle it into new beds among others. Some cats become like a lazy drunk while others get a wired up crazy.

Catnip has been proven to be safe for cats although excessive amounts may result to a short spell of diarrhea. Ingesting catnip has no effect on a cat it s the nepetalactone vapour that the catnip gives off that your cat reacts to.