catnip for a older cat

[The Major]

is giving a 20 year old rather doddery and raggidy cat a good idea or will it kill her?

I ask cause Ive just seen a catnip banana on amazon for about 3 quid an fancy getting it for my cat....she's never had catnip before in her life so im unsure on giving it to her at this age.

[bexVN]

That catnip is a really strong one, if she was a fit and healthy 20yr old I'd say go for it but as she has never had any and you describe her as doddery I'd be cautious.

Is she hyperthyroid or does she have a heart problem or high blood pressue. If she has non of these you'd be unlucky if she had a bad reaction,.

I'd probably start on a cheap catnip product first then give her the stronger one if she was ok.

Hope that makes sense!!

[Jasandjules]

As above, if she's never had it then it's wise to start with a very low dose and see how she gets on.

[The Major]

ah right ok thanks bex,

yeah she's generally healthy i.e. no pills or anything to take.

she just has arthrisis so she bunny hops up an down the stairs and cant jump very far, doesnt run much anymore, more like a slight jog.

[SmokinV8]

i have 7 cats and they all enjoy catnip cigars which are made by the same company as the banana.
one cat is 21 and on thyroid tablets, she has the catnip cigar for about 5 mins then i give it to one of the others, she gums it to death and cover it in gob.
if yours is in good health then give it a treat but if he gets carried away with it and starts going mental as some can then limit it to the time it has with it.
feline cannabis

[anonymous-user]

SmokinV8 said:

feline cannabis

I gave our kittens a catnip toy for the first time last week, feline crack more like

[Andy_GSA]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

My wife and I recently started selling some very nice catnip mice <shameless plug>see profile for website or search for 'handmade catnip mice' on Amazon.co.uk</shameless plug> and I have to agree that it's more like crack than cannabis for most cats, but one of our cats (a powerfully built but getting on a bit Maine Coon) just likes to sit and lick at the products in a very spaced-out way for around 5 minutes before nodding off !

To the OP - about 20% of cats have no reaction at all to catnip, and there are some milder varieties if you want to play it cautious. When we were researching suppliers we found that catnip sold for human consumption (in herbal tea) triggered a lot less of a reaction than the strong stuff. Most of the commercially available strong catnip is imported from the US and Canada and is 'leaf and flower' catnip and is quite a dark green. The herbal stuff we tried had a lot woodier consistency and is a lot paler in colour.

[Simpo Two]

I think it depends on the cat as well.

I grew some catmint in the garden once. On my first cat it had no effect at all. My second cat ate the thing down to the ground.

[Andy_GSA]

Simpo Two said:

I think it depends on the cat as well.

I grew some catmint in the garden once. On my first cat it had no effect at all. My second cat ate the thing down to the ground.

There's a genetic disposition to catnip sensitivity, as I mentioned earlier around 20% of cats are completely unaffected, also kittens younger than about 8 months have no sensitivity.

[anonymous-user]

Sorry I should clarify when i said crack I meant in a good way

They go nuts for it, it was just it has the opposite effect on my 2 than Cannabis would

Andy I may be in touch after your subtle plug

[Mr Sparkle]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Nice bit of crack, can't beat it.

[anonymous-user]

Mr Sparkle said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Nice bit of crack, can't beat it.

I tried so many ways to write that so that i didnt look pro crack that I just gave up

[otolith]

Ours disemboweled a toy mouse the other day, I found one of them pinning the catnip sachet to the floor with his nose while he snorted at it.

[JamieBeeston]

This site run by a PHer has an article about how catnip affects cats.

http://www.mypetsuperstore.co.uk/blog/2011/02/catn...

They also sell those banana catnip toys too!

[shep1001]

The Major said:

is giving a 20 year old rather doddery and raggidy cat a good idea or will it kill her?

I ask cause Ive just seen a catnip banana on amazon for about 3 quid an fancy getting it for my cat....she's never had catnip before in her life so im unsure on giving it to her at this age.

Cosmic catnip bananas rock (see my post on the cats page) got two for pogull and he went mental!