Catnip Bad For Cats

Other than that there is zero reason to worry if catnip is bad for cats.

Catnip bad for cats. Catnip belongs to the mint family and if you crush the fresh leaves you can smell the scent. Originally from europe and asia minty lemony potent catnip nepeta cataria has long been associated with cats. This is because catnip acts as a sedative when ingested so your cat may look tired and sleepy. But the cats that luckily do are in fact reacting to the active compound found in catnip s essential oils called nepetalactone a naturally occurring active compound you can read more about here.

Many cats simply don t have the receptors to be affected by catnip. Be mindful of overindulgence though cats are unlikely to overdose on catnip but they can get sick if they eat too much suggests the human society. Ingesting catnip has no effect on a cat it s the nepetalactone vapour that the catnip gives off that your cat reacts to. Cats will react to even very small amounts of catnip so you don t need to use very much.

Trust your kitty to know when they ve. About 30 of cats have no observable response to catnip. All the aforementioned catnip effects on cats only last a couple of minutes ranging between 10 and 20 minutes. If your cat has a history of feline asthma you should ask your veterinarian about giving catnip as dried catnip can sometimes cause breathing issues for these 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. Even its latin derived cataria means of a cat and research shows that cats. The only danger of your cat eating too much catnip is that they might get an upset stomach. Offspring the term for an animal s young.

Being affected by catnip is apparently an inherited trait. When cats get a whiff of catnip they behave similarly to female cats in heat erratic movements strange howls and all. Below we cover exactly what catnip is if it s good for cats and its various effects. If the catnip is eaten your cat will again show a different personality this time a lot more mellow.

It s also called catmint catsup catwort nip new and field balm and most of these names come from the plant s obvious attraction to cats. My cat doesn t seem to be responding to catnip.