Should Kittens Have Catnip

Your cat is among the lucky ones by the way since some cats don t react to catnip at all.

Should kittens have catnip. While most cats do about 15 percent reportedly do not. Newborn kittens aren t usually responsive to catnip at all until they are about 3 months of age. It is found in the leaves and. 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.

Eating a small amount of catnip is unlikely to cause a cat any harm. Can kittens have catnip yes. Well catnip provides obvious pleasure for many cats. 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.

If you have a multi cat household it s. Kittens whether they possess the gene or not generally do not react to catnip until they are from six to nine months old. Although catnip may seem like a drug rotman confirms that it s not addictive for cats. The ability to appreciate the herb is genetic with slightly more cats in the fan club than not.

It s perfectly safe to give a kitten small amounts of catnip however. Should they have it is another question. 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. Not all felines respond to catnip.

Ingesting catnip has no effect on a cat it s the nepetalactone vapour that the catnip gives off that your cat reacts to. The chemical compound in the plant that attracts and affects cats is called nepetalactone. These hard wired preferences aren t immediately apparent though since kittens under the age of 3 months don t react to catnip at all. Kittens although catnip is totally harmless and safe around kittens both to smell and to eat it isn t necessarily effective.

Facts about catnaps. He does mention that catnip sometimes makes cats aggressive though. If a kitten is going to be a catnip lover you usually can tell that when he is 3 to 6 months old. 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.

Catnip is generally safe for kittens. Try reintroducing the catnip then and you will probably find that your cat will greatly enjoy it. If he s still young give it some time. Absolutely catnip is safe for kittens.

It can grow to be up to three feet. The only major problem with giving catnip itself to a kitten is that it will do nothing for the kitten. The herb s influence is genetic so not all cats respond to it according to the humane society of the united states.