Do Kittens Need Catnip
Watching your kitten entertain himself for hours with his catnip toy is truly entertaining.
Do kittens need catnip. Although catnip is totally harmless and safe around kittens both to smell and to eat it isn t necessarily effective. Isabelle tavares updated. Catnip is a plant related to mint and contains an essential oil called nepetalactone that is known to cause euphoric almost hallucinogenic feelings in cats. Kittens are fine to have catnip from time to time.
Kittens whether they possess the gene or not generally do not react to catnip until they are from six to nine months old. Sprinkle a bit of the. 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. Originally from asia and europe it was introduced in the united states and canada by settlers in 1600.
Reaction to catnip is genetic see last paragraph. What does catnip do to cats. What does catnip do to cats. You can also provide enrichment for an indoor kitty by creating catnip toys.
While most cats do about 15 percent reportedly do not. However years of study have debunked this myth and catnip is now considered safe for kittens. In the past it was thought that giving catnip to kittens when they were very young could result in behavioral imbalances. Does catnip really get your cat high.
Here s what catnip does to cats and why they go crazy for. This kitten goes crazy after been given catnip and decides everything is interesting. Don t worry catnip is natural completely safe and nonaddictive fun for cats. Currently it is shipped almost everywhere and can even be seen in some animal stores in spain.
The herb s influence is genetic so not all cats respond to it according to the humane society of the united states. Sprinkle a little of the herb on kitty s cushion to make it more attractive to your feline friend. Absolutely catnip is safe for kittens. The catnip is a plant known worldwide for having the ability to drug cats.
If a kitten is going to be a catnip lover you usually can tell that when he is 3 to 6 months old. Giving it to him too early isn t a concern although he may not respond to it if he s still really young. For most cats it gets no better than a few minutes with some fresh catnip or a favorite catnip infused toy.