By Charnwood
Dublin, Ireland
Do cats like Nepeta?
- 31 May, 2015
Answers
Oh! that's a pity, I bought one at our garden show Bloom yesterday it is still in its pot outside the kitchen and I've just spotted a cat eating or licking it and I don't really want to encourage them. Thanks Andrewr
31 May, 2015
There's a compound in it that cats find irresistable. You'll have to put it in an electrified cage if you want to keep cats off it.
31 May, 2015
Here in the US, it's known as catnip which is an herb in the mint family.
Here's what I found on https://www.avma.org/news/pressroom/pages/Catnip.aspx
Cats that are affected tend to get about 10 minutes of a pleasurable reaction before the effects start to wear off. Dr. Sternefeld says it may take another couple of hours for them to “reset” after that experience and before they can have a similar catnip-related experience from another dose.
Besides making cats relaxed and happy, Dr. Sternefeld says that catnip can lead to additional health benefits, such as stimulating cats to exercise and play. In addition, a little catnip in a carrier can help ease the stress of traveling or help settle nerves for a visit to the veterinarian.
Dr. Sternefeld says that unlike some drugs, there seem to be no addictive qualities to catnip. Cats that have daily exposure to catnip tend to lose their sensitivity to it and become less interested. While there appears to be no toxic dose, she recommends moderation.
“A little bit, a little at a time, maybe every couple of weeks, just as a special treat, is probably the best place to go with it,” she says.
31 May, 2015
Most cats like it, but I once had a cat who totally ignored it.
1 Jun, 2015
Cats also like the climber actinidia and will kill a young plant by rubbing against the stem and damaging it.
1 Jun, 2015
I tried putting it in a hanging basket and suspending it from an eave, but Barney figured out how to get on the roof and jump into the basket. Pick a single leaf, and they will smell it across the yard and come running.
1 Jun, 2015
Boy do they like it - I had two cats, tried seven times to grow Nepeta, all they did was roll around in it till the poor things gave up...
1 Jun, 2015
Hilarious to watch them, we call it catmint in UK, mine destroy it too, thinking of moving outside of their range and just doling out a little at a time lol!!!
1 Jun, 2015
It's why they put catnip/mint in cats toys.
1 Jun, 2015
There are different varieties though. I planted one kind the cat ignored, but went crazy for the other sort. Show your cat a bit of the one you have bought and see if it reacts. If it does the thing to do is to get a wire hanging basket frame and upend it over the plant. The catmint will grow up through the frame in time and hide it, and the cat won't be able to roll on it. Works like a charm.
1 Jun, 2015
Yes
31 May, 2015