Catnip or catmint are common names for a perennial herb of the mint family, Lamiaceae/Labiatae. Catnip was originally cultivated in Nepete, Italy, where it received its scientific name, Nepeta cataria.
Catnip grows up to about three feet high and wide. The flowers are tubular shaped, small, white and speckled with tiny purple spots. Catnip is actually very easy to grow and will thrive in almost any soil. Water requirements are moderate and it does best in full-sun.
Not all cats like catnip, it appears to be an inherited gene and either your cat likes it or couldn't care less about it. Very young kittens and older cats do not tend to be effected by catnip.
Given to the right cat, catnip can cause an amazing reaction! The cat may roll in it, chew it, paw at it and some even eat it. The cat's olfactory receptors, being sensitive to the nepetalactone in catnip, trigger this reaction, so if you are lucky your cat will love catnip.
The "high" or "trip" will last for only a few minutes, then the cat will lose interest and walk away. Remove the catnip for a couple of hours and then give them a little more and they will have the exact same response.
I suggest using catnip as a treat and not giving them a toy with catnip in it. The toys usually have some dried old stuff in them and the cat quickly loses interest, because the toy is always there. It would be better to give them toys without catnip and just keep a bag of catnip in the refrigerator, to keep it fresh, and give them a pinch of dried catnip on special occasions.
Cats are natural-born hunters and if you have ever watched a cat with a live mouse, you know that they love to play with their food! This is why I suggest not giving them a toy filled with catnip and just leaving it in the room. The cat will play with a mouse it as long as it is alive and then either eat, it if he is hungry, or simply leave it and walk away. Just like with the live mouse, the catnip-filled mouse may be exciting at first, but after a while the cat loses interest. Most cat toys have very little catnip in them and it is usually old and has lost most of its potency. Think about it, most cat toys come from China!
Cats want excitement, something different, giving them a pinch of good catnip is more of a treat!
Catnip is not harmful to your cat and they won't overdose on it. It is just a fun way of giving your cat a treat. If you have more than one cat, give each cat its own pinch of catnip to avoid competition.
Catnip is said to be a very distant relative to marijuana, but humans can not get "high" on catnip. However, catnip does make a great tea, which has a sedative effect and is soothing to the stomach. Pregnant women should not take catnip.
Catnip is an easy herb to grow and the higher altitude it is grown in, the more potent the nepetalactone or essential oil content, and the more affect it will have on the cat.
