Will Kittens Have Catnip

It s perfectly safe to give a kitten small amounts of catnip however.

Will kittens have catnip. Often people question whether it is safe to use catnip for kittens for a couple of reasons. About one cat in two inherits a sensitivity to the herb. It isn t until their seventh month that cats seem to show a real appreciation to it. But you won t know if your kitten is.

The catnip reaction is thought to be exhibited due to an inherited characteristic related to an autosomal dominant gene and the effect isn t just exhibited in domestic cats it s also. This is all dependent on the cat because only two thirds of adult cats are affected by catnip according to a study. Absolutely catnip is safe for kittens. The reaction to a catnip can vary from kitten to kitten.

The ability to appreciate the herb is genetic with slightly more cats in the fan club than not. He may wind up falling in love with his catnip toys when he gets a little older but don t be discouraged if he never seems to care. If he s still young give it some time. Although catnip is totally harmless and safe around kittens both to smell and to eat it isn t necessarily effective.

Your cat is among the lucky ones by the way since some cats don t react to catnip at all. These hard wired preferences aren t immediately apparent though since kittens under the age of 3 months don t react to catnip at all. This is generally safe as catnip isn t toxic. If a kitten is going to be a catnip lover you usually can tell that when he is 3 to 6 months old.

It s genetics that determines whether your feline friend falls for this cousin to basil and oregano. But of course you won t want to give a kitten too much catnip as over ingesting can lead to vomit and diarrhea and kittens have much smaller bodies and thus lower tolerances in general than full grown cats. Not all felines respond to catnip. Catnip s effects have a ticking clock about five to 30 minutes rotman says.

Newborn kittens aren t usually responsive to catnip at all until they are about 3 months of age. Kittens under the age of eight weeks are fairly indifferent to this plant. It is generally considered safe to use catnip for kittens but it is important to note that some cats may not prove very interested in the herb especially kittens that are younger than two to three months old and some elderly cats. The study noted that kittens under 8 weeks exhibited no reaction to catnip and according to todd when kittens are given it the catnip often produces a distinct avoidance response in young kittens which is gradually replaced by indifference in non responders and by heightened curiosity in responders.

But of course you won t want to give a kitten too much catnip as over ingesting can lead to vomit and diarrhea and kittens have much smaller bodies and thus lower tolerances in general than full grown cats. Absolutely catnip is safe for kittens. First they may question whether a kitten s system will prove more.