Why doesn't the catnip I bought for my cat make him act wild for it. He acts no different.?

Question

Why doesn't the catnip I bought for my cat make him act wild for it. He acts no different. I bought the catnip from Wal-Mart.

Answer 1

Hi there...catnip (Nepeta cataria--also part of the mint family of plants) contains a substance called cis-transnepetalactone which when inhaled or eaten is thought to be hallucinogenic through the stimulation of centres in the brain--it gives some cats a europhoric high. Not all cats are responsive to catnip and here's why:

1. Reaction to catnip is genetic (see last paragraph). Cats must possess a gene for it. While most cats do, about 15 percent reportedly do not. Kittens, whether they possess the gene or not, generally do not react to catnip until they are from six to nine months old. Try reintroducing the catnip then and you will probably find that your cat will greatly enjoy it. If your cat is an adult, you may have one of the few adult cats that do not possess the gene.

2. Inferior quality catnip. Many other catnip brands are "cut" with straw, stems and other filler. This may fool the cat owner, but it doesn't fool kitty! Try some Certified Organic Catnip or fresh Catnip.

It's not known why the reaction to catnip seems to occur only among the feline species. What is known is that the ability to react to catnip is a genetic one. Cats that react to catnip possess a gene that programs them to react to catnip. The gene does not develop until after six months of age or so, and not ALL cats possess the gene. About 15 percent of the cat population does not possess the gene, so this may explain why your cat does not react. If they do possess the gene, cats of all sizes - from housecats, cheetahs, mountain lions, pumas, etc. - will love catnip.

Answer 2

Did you buy the 99 cents box or go for the gold and get the organic catnip? The cheap stuff is mainly stems, don't even bother buying it.
Our cats were always picky (imagine that! a picky cat) about their catnip and the only one they loved was organic catnip I'd buy at the pet store. Try that.
If you really want to show him how much you love him, grow him some catnip in the yard. You'll have every cat in the neighborhood over for a good time but at least he'll be popular. All kidding aside, It's easy to grow.
If you do try the pet store kitty krack, rub it between your hands (to release the aroma for them) and then pet the cat. You'll be his God for a while instead of his slave.

Good luck with him. And it is good for their digestive system so go ahead and give it to them. It works on cats similar to how chocolate works on humans.

Answer 3

Domestic cats respond to the nepetalactone in catnip. However, not all cats react to catnip. The behavior is inherited as an autosomal dominant gene; 10-30% of domestic cats in a population may be unresponsive to nepetalactone.

Also, some cats do not respond to pre-packaged catnip, as it isn't fresh, and not as strong. Try growing your own catnip!

Answer 4

Catnip made one of my cats sneeze. She didn't like it. My friend has a cat that ignores catnip but goes crazy over certain kinds of mint.

Answer 5

Some cats don't care a whit about catnip. The catnip also may not have been fresh & lost its scent. But fresh or not I've had cats that just don't care for it.

Answer 6

we've obtained 2 cats although superb a million of them loves catnip...Bandit. He rolls in it, lays in it, eats it, rubs his face in it....you perceive it he does it! Bobby on the different hand does no longer purely like the dried catnip although he does merely like the catnip biscuits. Bandit gets "stoned" on the dried stuff although Bobby does no longer get stoned on the biscuits. After an hour of eating it Bandit is going to sleep for some hours & it seems to hold him calm...your guess is besides as ours! x

Answer 7

catnip is like a cat drug.maybe the catnip is no good.
never distrust an animal's senses.

Answer 8

Because catnip is a drug and your cat is obviously too smart to do dope. You should be ashamed......catnip pusher.

Answer 9

Some kitties aren't affected by it. I have a cat who actually *hates* the stuff for some reason. Also, it has no effect on most kittens until they reach puberty.

Answer 10

I've had cats that go wild over it, to cats who really didn't like the stuff, to one, that when he ate it put him to sleep. Cats are like people....they are all different.