Is catmint and catnip dangerous for cats?

Question

Does it make them high and does it make them hallucinate? Is it safe?

Answer 1

Catnip is like a drug for cats which gets them very excited. I give catnip to my cat (Turkish Van and beautiful temperment) and she absolutely loves it! Catnip is not harmful to cats but giving them too much can make them go balistic!!! I'm not so sure about Cat-Mint. So as far as your concerns go, catnip is not dangerous its fine just not too much ok? Probaly once every one and a half months or something. And they don't go "high" it just makes them very excited.

Answer 2

The catmint adds blue color to any garden. Works well in hot dry conditiions. Blue Wonder catmint prefers full sun. Another name for the catmint is Nepeta x faassenii.

The many blue flowers each plant produces grows to a height of 12 to 15 inches. Each plant should be spaced 18 inches apart. Recommend you put the plant in well drained soil. It is a perfect plant to place in those dry areas you always forget to water.

The catmint blooms in June and July. Its recommended as ground cover for planting below shrubs. Or it also works as a sunny blue border plant. It is an aromatic plant.

You can remove spent flowers to produce a second bloom. Trim unwanted growth to keep it looking well groomed. The flowers of the catmint tend to be a lavendar color. The leaves are gray-green. IT IS NOT FOR CATS

Until they are around three months old, cats are indifferent to catnip. And many cats--as many as half, says McDaniel--never develop catnip sensitivity. The sensitivity is inherited: A kitten with only one catnip-sensitive parent has a one-in-two chance of inheriting the catnip sensitivity, and a kitten whose parents both exhibit sensitivity has a three-in-four chance. McDaniel says there is no correlation between catnip sensitivity and sex, color, or breed.

Catnip is a member of the mint family of plants. Its cousins include basil, oregano, and spearmint. All these plants produce essential oils that contain flavorful and aromatic terpenoids such as limonene, menthol, and spearmint.

The leaves, stems, and seedpods of catnip are covered with microscopic bulbs called trichomes, which store the essential oil until they reach maturity and burst. External forces, such as a hungry bug biting into a leaf or a passing animal brushing up against the plant and bruising the leaves, can also release the oil.

That the essential oil is contained inside the fragile bulbs may explain why cats are seen rubbing up against, and even chewing, the leaves. Cats gain nothing by ingesting the leaves because the biological activity of nepetalactone is most likely centered in the olfactory tissues. But chewing the leaves will rupture the tiny packets of oil and release nepetalactone into the air.

Although catnip is best known for its intoxicating influence on cats, humans also make use of its biological properties. Long before Europeans were introduced to Asian teas, the infusion of catnip leaves was a popular beverage, according to "The Book of Tea and Coffee." Like chamomile tea, the catnip brew has a mild calming effect on humans.

Answer 3

Catmint is a decorative plant that IS a mint but it doesn't have the concentration of oil in it to excite the cats. They ignore it.

Catnip is perfectly safe for cats so long as nobody sprayed chemicals like weed killer or something on it. They get high, but don't halucinate. They can eat it and roll on it. If they eat too much they'll throw it up (too much chlorophyll), but it's not addictive.

Answer 4

A flatmate I used to live with went to look for catnip but found only catmint.
I heard somewhere that it's not like drugs for cats, it's something which simulates a sexual scent or something.

Answer 5

catnip and catmint does make them feel a little high...they do NOT hallucinate. Catnip and catmint are actually good for your feline...it helps with the digestive system and can reduce hairballs.

Answer 6

catnip and carmint will make them hyper and once they see the container with the catnip in itthere going to follow it and try to oipen it for more

for me i use to give my cat catnip and he loved it he didn't act to crazy the worse thing he did that was unusual was shake his head up and down.

I dont think it is dangerous its just a treat for cats that will make them a little hyper

Answer 7

It depends on what you mean by dangerous. It affects their nervous system in a way that many cats don't like. Would you like it if you felt compelled to race around, shudder and twitch? Would you give methampetamines to a child of yours because you found its behavior amusing? Yes, they are drawn to it, but no, don't give it to them. Sellers of catnip like to claim it is safe, but since there are no standards, they can say anything they like.

Answer 8

Cat nip is safe. I'm not sure about catmint... But Catnip does make them what seem like they are drunk..... But cats like it...

Answer 9

Catnip is drugs for cats. It probably makes them high, but as far as I'm concerned, it isn't that dangerous. We give it to our cat all the time.

Answer 10

I don't think it's dangerous... we gave some catnip to our cat once and she ran up and down the stairs with out stopping...