Went into town today and I saw a huge jar of cat nip. I bought it and when I got home, the furry slob was on the window ledge in his usual place, stacking up the Zs, so I opened the jar, and wafted it under his nose, grinning and expecting an eruption of interest.

On the jar it said "Make your cat purr with delight as the aroma drives him into fits of playfulness".

He took one sniff, looked at me as if I had walked into the room wearing a whelk costume and went back to sleep...

So, what is it with cat nip? Do they sell it just to get money from us? DOES it turn your scabby moggy into a kitten?

Am I using it wrong? Do I need a cat with a brain?

Ours go mad for both fresh and dried stuff. They roll over and purr like mad and they end up fighting eachother as they are sooo spaced out. The daftest thing they do is that they go around eating the stuff up!

Might be worth sprinkling some of it around it and see what happens. It can be a love or hate relationship - or he might just be one of those cats it doesn't work on!

I took a sniff and before I could stop myself, I was rolling in it and making purring sounds.

Its sad that my moggy wont react to it, I think I may need to experiment on the fat turdling. I might stuff some into an old sock and tie the end and see if that has any effect on him.

Went into town today and I saw a huge jar of cat nip. I bought it and when I got home, the furry slob was on the window ledge in his usual place, stacking up the Zs, so I opened the jar, and wafted it under his nose, grinning and expecting an eruption of interest.

On the jar it said "Make your cat purr with delight as the aroma drives him into fits of playfulness".

He took one sniff, looked at me as if I had walked into the room wearing a whelk costume and went back to sleep...

So, what is it with cat nip? Do they sell it just to get money from us? DOES it turn your scabby moggy into a kitten?

Am I using it wrong? Do I need a cat with a brain?

...suspect you might have bought the cheapo stuff they're selling in the 'tat' shops at the moment? Apologies if you didnt, but I made that mistake recently and they all turned tail and showed me where to shove it when I proudly offered a brand new jar...The good stuff, on the other hand, they go lary for - I bought some off petplanet in a big jar and I dunno what it was about the stuff but they all dribbled and drooled and lounged around the place as if off their faces...

little one while eating it (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21062046@N00/492657995/in/photostream/)
biggun whilst eating it (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21062046@N00/492657963/in/photostream/)
little one stoned (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21062046@N00/492657987/in/photostream/)
biggun stoned (http://www.flickr.com/photos/21062046@N00/492657955/in/photostream/)

i think we can say that ours like it :)

If you really want to get a decent stock in why not pop down to your local garden centre / herb place and pick up a Cat Nip plant - ours is outside and get's mauled by the cats in the night. You can then pick it at your whim and hopefully tease him with it.

...suspect you might have bought the cheapo stuff they're selling in the 'tat' shops at the moment? Apologies if you didnt, but I made that mistake recently and they all turned tail and showed me where to shove it when I proudly offered a brand new jar...The good stuff, on the other hand, they go lary for - I bought some off petplanet in a big jar and I dunno what it was about the stuff but they all dribbled and drooled and lounged around the place as if off their faces...

Yeah it was only cheap stuff. You think thats the reason? Im going to try the more expensive stuff then, maybe thatll get him on his feet.

If you really want to get a decent stock in why not pop down to your local garden centre / herb place and pick up a Cat Nip plant - ours is outside and get's mauled by the cats in the night. You can then pick it at your whim and hopefully tease him with it.

That sounds like a brilliant idea. Im definately going to do that.

you'll have to cover it or something while its in the garden though Jabber... otherwise there'll be nothing left!!!

I think ours is going into the hanging basket for a bit to recover :)

Cats used to be rare here until a year or so ago. You cant move for them now, everyone seems to have a moggy so I can imagine a cat nip plant being torn to shreds. Ill plant it in a nice pot or something and keep it out of the way when socks isnt around to maul it.

I know of a number of cats who couldn't give a flying fig about catnip and a couple who hate the stuff with a vengeance. I guess it's down to individual response.

Almost all of the ones who don't respond to catnip do respond to valerian- but my knowledge doesn't form a scientific study so I have no idea why.

My little old man cat Tetley was turned into a whirling dervish of anger and slashing claws by one sniff of the stuff, so maybe it's the quality of the catnip, but maybe it's the cat Jabber.

I suspect it may be the cat. Im going to try catnip though, but I DO suspect its him. He can be playful, but only when theres chance of a snack going, hes the best mate anyone could have if youre preparing food, but as soon as hes stuffed his guts, hes back to treating any human, especially me, with utter contempt.

Mine never bothered about catnip at all, not even the plants. Then again he was just a miserable bugger...

That sounds like a brilliant idea. Im definately going to do that.

...that's assuming you can get it to grow before every neighbourhood moggie finds it.

We tried several times and even put some in a hanging baskket thinking that would be the safest place- came home to find one of ours swinging in the hanging basket 8 foot off the ground with a dazed, confused and utterly stoned expression on his face...

I suspect it may be the cat. Im going to try catnip though, but I DO suspect its him. He can be playful, but only when theres chance of a snack going, hes the best mate anyone could have if youre preparing food, but as soon as hes stuffed his guts, hes back to treating any human, especially me, with utter contempt.

but he knows you adore him really

We tried several times and even put some in a hanging baskket thinking that would be the safest place- came home to find one of ours swinging in the hanging basket 8 foot off the ground with a dazed, confused and utterly stoned expression on his face...


damn... i can imagine a certain one of ours dangling from a basket....

...that's assuming you can get it to grow before every neighbourhood moggie finds it.

We tried several times and even put some in a hanging baskket thinking that would be the safest place- came home to find one of ours swinging in the hanging basket 8 foot off the ground with a dazed, confused and utterly stoned expression on his face...

It'll be worth it just for the photo if ours do that :D

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21062046@N00/386664268/in/set-72157594210304228/ kinda like that????

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21062046@N00/386664268/in/set-72157594210304228/ kinda like that????

caught in the act.

Our old neighbour once thought they'd see how Hobbes was on the stuff while they were cat-sitting him, so gave him a bit out of their windowsill pot. In the morning they noticed that he'd crawled through their cat flap, removed the plant pot from the window, dragged it back through the flap and had the munchies all night on their back step :hihi: :hihi:

Our old neighbour once thought they'd see how Hobbes was on the stuff while they were cat-sitting him, so gave him a bit out of their windowsill pot. In the morning they noticed that he'd crawled through their cat flap, removed the plant pot from the window, dragged it back through the flap and had the munchies all night on their back step :hihi: :hihi:

:hihi: :hihi: :hihi:
i bet they didn't do that again! ;)

I just checked. The stuff I have here looks like seeds... I wonder if they ARE seeds...? Would it be worth me planting them?

ooo you could try Jabber!!!

let us know what happens :)

I will! Ill find a nice patch in the garden tomorrow, plant some and plant some in a pot too.

might be worth keeping it in a pot til its big enough ;)

the neighbourhood kitties might dig up the whole garden overnight!!!!

False alarm. The other half, who actually has eyes that work just informed me that they arent seeds, theyre just clopped up pieces.

Im tempted to rub them all into the cat and send him outside just to see if hes mugged :D

My cat goes bonkers for catnip and ends up looking worryingly stoned, which makes me wonder if it really is good for them :loopy:

I once put a bag in my knicker drawer (not sure why, I was just in a rush tidying up and wanted it out of the cats way). When I came home I found a stoned looking cat rolling around in my knickers which were scattered all over the floor :surprised

My cat goes bonkers for catnip and ends up looking worryingly stoned, which makes me wonder if it really is good for them :loopy:

I once put a bag in my knicker drawer (not sure why, I was just in a rush tidying up and wanted it out of the cats way). When I came home I found a stoned looking cat rolling around in my knickers which were scattered all over the floor :surprised

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erm... any pics...?

I tried my cat (not the kittens) on Kowabunga cat nip once and she turned her nose up at it....

looked at me with great distaste as well at being offered such a rubbish treat (in between sleeping and cleaning of course).

I piled the can nip on the lawn. So far, several cats have wandered up to it, taken a sniff, then buggered off again.

Cheap stuff.... Im going to get more expensive stuff next time Im in town.

My cat was fairly disinterested in the catnip mice I bought him, perhaps it's the cheap stuff. So where can I buy the quality catnip from?!

Its hereditary, allegedly, the response to catnip and valerian. Of our cats, Bella goes daft for either - the valerian was very useful as a kind of sedative/calmant whilst she was caged up - and Isa cares not for catnip but will make some half-hearted effort with valerian. :)

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erm... any pics...?


Sadly not!

We have 8 cats and i can say ALL ours go berserk for catnip and it definately depends on where you get it from.

Ours prefer the Kookamunga stuff (in green box) from pets at home.

Although i would advise NOT giving it to multiple cats in same space and then leaving them seperate to calm down afterwards.

Ours get on well except when this stuffs about but it brings them all into activity and purring, rubbing frenzies :loopy:

Bless couldnt imagine having not seen this activity first hand :hihi:

Mine go nuts on it too. I get varied responses, from Mozart sniffing it up like snuff then ploughing furrows in the carpet with his nose before collapsing in a heap. Then there is Hanni, who dribbles all over it. Robin rolls in it and Poppy sits and eats it. I didn't know Valerian attracts them though. Probably explains why all my valerian plants are flat as pancakes! :suspect: