Should Kittens Have Catnip

Kittens whether they possess the gene or not generally do not react to catnip until they are from six to nine months old.

Should kittens have catnip. Should they have it is another question. Catnip nepeta cataria is a perennial herb that is a member of the mint family. The herb s influence is genetic so not all cats respond to it according to the humane society of the united states. Not all felines respond to catnip.

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. Catnip is generally safe for kittens. Facts about catnaps. But of course you won t want to give a kitten too much catnip as over ingesting can lead to vomit and diarrhea and kittens have much smaller bodies and thus lower tolerances in general than full grown cats.

The chemical compound in the plant that attracts and affects cats is called nepetalactone. Absolutely catnip is safe for kittens. Catnip toys would be fun for kittens or cats. Can kittens have catnip yes.

Can kittens have catnip. Although catnip may seem like a drug rotman confirms that it s not addictive for cats. 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. If a kitten is going to be a catnip lover you usually can tell that when he is 3 to 6 months old.

Newborn kittens aren t usually responsive to catnip at all until they are about 3 months of age. It s perfectly safe to give a kitten small amounts of catnip however. The ability to appreciate the herb is genetic with slightly more cats in the fan club than not. Kittens although catnip is totally harmless and safe around kittens both to smell and to eat it isn t necessarily effective.

It is found in the leaves and. Try reintroducing the catnip then and you will probably find that your cat will greatly enjoy it. If he s still young give it some time. While most cats do about 15 percent reportedly do not.

Eating a small amount of catnip is unlikely to cause a cat any harm. Well catnip provides obvious pleasure for many cats. Ingesting catnip has no effect on a cat it s the nepetalactone vapour that the catnip gives off that your cat reacts to. He does mention that catnip sometimes makes cats aggressive though.

If you have a multi cat household it s. The only major problem with giving catnip itself to a kitten is that it will do nothing for the kitten. Your cat is among the lucky ones by the way since some cats don t react to catnip at all.