Yes the smell of catnip will always be on the toys unless you chemical
bleach them. And I heard of catnip causing a cat to urinate catnip here is
how to think of a cat they are each unique just like humans they will all
react differently
I grow my own catnip it grows like a weed ought to see cats with fresh
catnip


Archive-name: cats-faq/misc
URL: http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/misc.html
Last-modified: 13 Aug 1999

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Miscellaneous Information

Note: Please see the [1]Table of Contents FAQ for a complete list of
topics.
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Author

Originally written 1991 & updated through 1997 by Cindy Tittle Moore.
Maintained by the Fanciers website as of July 1999.
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Catnip and Valerian.

Catnip is a plant that causes various reactions in cats. Very young
cats and kittens will not be affected by catnip. About 20% of cats are
never affected by catnip. It is not known why or how catnip has the
effect it does on the rest of the cat population. It is a
non-addictive "recreational drug" for cats with no known harm to the
cat. There was an article in Science [exact reference?] on the
neurological effects of catnip on cats. It seems to stimulate the same
pleasure centers in the feline brain that orgasm does. Most cats
"mellow out" and become sleepy and happy, others start acting very
kittenish. A small percentage will become possessive of their catnip
and may snap or hiss at you.

You can find wild catnip plants in most weedy areas, and harvest the
seed. Or you can buy seed from companies like Burpees or Parks or
Northrup King -- most garden centers have catnip seed this time of
year -- check the "herb" section. Or even seed racks in the grocery
and discount stores.

Catnip is easy to grow. You will need to keep the plant itself out of
the reach of the cats as catnip-lovers will quickly destroy it. The
best strategy is to get some growing, and then pinch and prune it
regularly and give the harvested leaves to your cat. Keep it in its
own pot, as it will spread rapidly. Cats will tend to dig up
transplanted catnip and eat it roots and all, but are much gentler on
plants started from seed. The leaves have to be bruised to release the
odor, and transplanting seems to be enough bruising...

Nepeta cataria is the common catnip; other Nepeta species have varying
amounts of "active ingredient". A good one is Nepeta mussini, a
miniature-leaved catnip that makes a good rockgarden plant. Nepeta is
a genus of the Lamiaceae (=Labiatae), the mint family. There are about
250 species of catnip, plus a bunch of hybrids between species. Only
about 10 are available in this country, though.

You can order seeds from Burpee (215-674-9633)
Nepeta cataria B61424 $1.25; N. mussinii B38828 $1.45

Valerian root is an herb with effects very similar to catnip and
generally makes cats a bit nuts. It is however not as readily
available as catnip and perhaps a bit more potent than catnip.

Catnip and Valerian both act as sedatives on humans.
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