Without a doubt, cat and catnip is a match made in heaven.
Catnip has a tendency to transform your cat into happy, kneading, drooling
kittens content to roll around their toys stuffed with catnip or on the crushed
sprinkled herbs on the rug. It can turn cats that are active into relaxed,
snoozing felines in a few minutes while others become banshees that are
careening. If you are a cat owner, you might wonder how safe catnip is for your
feline.
Catnip the Perennial Herb
Reportedly, catnip happens to be in the same family as
spearmint and peppermint. It blooms with small lavender sprigs or flowers that
are light blue. The stalks are dried and harvested and the dried parts are
crushed after getting removed from the stalks to create the catnip with the
strong scent enjoyed so much by your cat.
Brain Chemicals
Science has not come up with the conclusion on why catnip is
something that cats love so much. However, the nepetalactone ingredient that
gives a strong scent to the herb may trigger sensitive chemicals in the brain
that relate to a cat’s happiness and mood. The relationship between cats and
catnip is not limited to the world of domesticated felines either. Tigers and
other wild cats also love catnip.
Home Garden
Although you can grow this plant in your home garden, it may
quickly take over your plot and be invasive. In addition, remember that catnip
which is fresh does not seem to have the same effect on cats the way the dry
version does. Until you dry the leaves after harvesting, to them this is just another
garden plant.
Your Cat’s Toys
You can use catnip to add scents to the toys of your cat/
Place a small plush or stuffed mouse in a plastic bag with catnip that has just
been cut. Zipper-seal the bag and for several days leave it in room
temperature. After a while, open the bag and let your feline enjoy her toy that
smells great.
Dry Your Own
You can either dry the catnip you grow in your home or get
the store-bought variety. The only thing you truly have to do is to sprinkle
dry catnip about one teaspoon worth on your floor to be enjoyed by your feline.
For a more interesting toy, sew your catnip in between 2 squares of terry or
cotton cloth with the sides left open. Turn this over and stuff it with the
herb before you sew the ends you have tied together, making a pillow out of
catnip.
Mark Perissinotto has been a practicing veterinarian for over 20 years, 14 years of which he was the owner and principal of a busy multi-vet mixed animal hospital. One of the two co-founders of Vet Shop Australia, graduated from the University of Queensland with Bachelor of Veterinary Science and one of the best retailer of pet supplies Australia.