Should Kittens Have Catnip

The herb s influence is genetic so not all cats respond to it according to the humane society of the united states.

Should kittens have catnip. He may wind up falling in love with his catnip toys when he gets a little older but don t be discouraged if he never seems to care. He does mention that catnip sometimes makes cats aggressive though. Kittens although catnip is totally harmless and safe around kittens both to smell and to eat it isn t necessarily effective. 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.

Your cat is among the lucky ones by the way since some cats don t react to catnip at all. Catnip is generally safe for kittens. While most cats do about 15 percent reportedly do not. If he s still young give it some time.

Catnip nepeta cataria is a perennial herb that is a member of the mint family. It can grow to be up to three feet. One thing that is important to note about using catnip for kittens is that some may attempt to eat it in addition to just sniffing it or playing with it inside of a pet toy. It is found in the leaves and.

Newborn kittens aren t usually responsive to catnip at all until they are about 3 months of age. The chemical compound in the plant that attracts and affects cats is called nepetalactone. Although catnip may seem like a drug rotman confirms that it s not addictive for cats. Facts about catnaps.

If you have a multi cat household it s. Not all felines respond to catnip. Ingesting catnip has no effect on a cat it s the nepetalactone vapour that the catnip gives off that your cat reacts to. If a kitten is going to be a catnip lover you usually can tell that when he is 3 to 6 months old.

The only major problem with giving catnip itself to a kitten is that it will do nothing for the kitten. Absolutely catnip is safe for kittens. It s perfectly safe to give a kitten small amounts of catnip however. Well catnip provides obvious pleasure for many cats.

Can kittens have catnip. Try reintroducing the catnip then and you will probably find that your cat will greatly enjoy it. Eating a small amount of catnip is unlikely to cause a cat any harm. Should they have it is another question.

Kittens whether they possess the gene or not generally do not react to catnip until they are from six to nine months old. Catnip toys would be fun for kittens or cats. These hard wired preferences aren t immediately apparent though since kittens under the age of 3 months don t react to catnip at all.