Putting Catnip In Cat Food

Cats rely mostly on smell and texture taste is also a factor but it s very low on the list they don t have very many taste buds article 1 article 2 like us so smell is very important.

Putting catnip in cat food. It s a herb that cats naturally eat in plant form but is more recently used as a dried herb and put in toys or scratching posts to encourage cats to play with them. It s no secret that cats love catnip but can cats eat catnip and are there any guidelines and do s and don ts to keep in mind when feeding catnip to cats. For most cats it gets no better than a few minutes with some fresh catnip or a favorite catnip infused toy. Put the container in a high cupboard away from your cats.

Yes it is believed that catnip is safe to put in your cat s food. Catnip is a plant related to mint and contains an essential oil called nepetalactone that is known to cause euphoric almost hallucinogenic feelings in cats. All cats may not react the same to this herb but some cats do so if your cat has occasional litter box accidents and you have given it catnip maybe that s a thread to get to the root of the problem. Dried catnip can be safely chewed or ingested by cats and may be inserted into toys or simply sprinkled around your cat s play area in a small amount e g.

Approximately one tbsp or 0 5 oz. And it s perfectly safe there s nothing in it that can harm your cat. Smelling the catnip is equally strong. If by some chance your cat was to eat a large amount of catnip it could cause a mild tummy upset but that s not likely to happen.

Remember that catnip is not an everyday snack. While giving catnip to your cat is ok you don t have to feed it to him for results. Catnip is a perennial herb of the mint family. All adds up to the point that your cat may end up spraying where you don t want him to.

However every cat is different some may eat it right away while others may not appreciate it as much. The idea is to appeal to either his sense of smell taste or both. If your cat is reacting like this to catnip i recommend you to avoid using stuffed toys with catnip as well. Catnip is like marijuana for cats.

If you buy loose catnip be sure to store it in a sealed container.