Catnip Archives - Chirpy Cats

How to grow catnip from seed without a green thumb

Charlie the cat loves to prune to catnip hanging basket

28/02/2018
Chirpy Cats
27 Comments
Cat Enrichment
cat enrichment, cat garden, Catnip, growing catnip

Catnip is a hardy perennial herb of the mint family bearing aromatic leaves attractive to cats. Follow these step-by-step instructions on growing your own and keep your cats happy and enriched!

We have a few things in common, my cats and I. We like laptops, long catnaps on a Caturday morning, and our recreational herb of choice, catnip! Of course, I don’t like catnip for the same reasons the cats do; you won’t find me head shaking and wriggling in ecstasy on the kitchen floor (well, maybe if I’m trying to fish out an old cat toy stuck under the fridge, but that’s no fun). No, instead of catnip parties, I prefer catnip in my nighttime tea blend.

tabby cat eating fresh catnip from the catnip basket

Your cat climbs up to the top shelf with stealthy paws. Reaching out, he grabs the bag of green goodness and tosses it onto the floor for his feline friends. The catnip is out of the bag and the catnip party begins. If you’re a multi-cat household you’ve possibly walked in on a few wild catnip parties on your kitchen floor and then learned to store the catnip stash where feline grabby paws can’t reach!

When we think of cat environment enrichment, we think of engaging your cat in interactive playtime, food puzzles and offering an interesting changing environment for your cats. But we underestimate the power of scent. Just a little whiff of catnip can send a cat into a 15-minute euphoric frenzy. Just like treats can be used to train a cat, so too can catnip be used in positive reinforcement and behavior modification training. Some cats are treat motivated, but many others will give up their seat in a sun puddle for a bag of ‘nip any day! In fact, a whopping 70% of cats are susceptible to the catnip effect and cats inherit this trait from one of their parents.

How not to grow catnip, this kitty has it all wrong!

Hello, friends! It’s me Sly Pie. You might be wondering why I’m sitting here in the catnip basket. Well, my friend Ollie told me that if I sit in the basket long enough, I will incubate the catnip seeds so that it will germinate quickly! I’m not quite sure about that but it’s worth a try. I’ll do anything for catnip!

Easter time is exciting for us because we know that very soon we will have our colorful kitty jungle in the catio. The Big Lady Cat always talks about how catnip can enrich your cat’s life and let me tell you, I couldn’t agree more! In my cat thesaurus, cat environment enrichment is two beautiful words: Nepeta Cataria. Catnip lifts me up into a euphoric frenzy that’s hard to explain, it feels so good! I wish you could try it but I heard that catnip has a more sedative and calming effect on humans. Catnip tea anyone?

Cats walking among the catmint plants — Mr Jack, the leader of the pack.

Happy Caturday Furriends! It’s Mr Jack here, and today I feature in our Caturday Doodle blog hop, hosted by Athena Cat Goddess. Well, it features Baggy too, the brown tabby on the left, and Jimmy Fancy Feet on the right, but as you can see I’m the centre of attention. All my pals follow my lead, somewhat. You see, Baggy thinks he’s the leader, as he always powder puffs my other housemates when they’re in his path. He tried that once with me and never again! I’m also known as the social facilitator because I like to groom my friends and spread the communal scent. It’s all about keeping the peace and spreading the love. Sometimes.

Like most cats, we love catnip, but we also like sniffing the catmint plant and watching the bees and butterflies as they circle around the purple flowers. Our big lady cat likes to plant this around our tunnel too, because it looks pretty and we like to watch those fuzzy black and yellow flying things. They have a strange purr. But the catmint that we really go crazy for is the one with the white flowers. The big lady cat explains below.

Tag - Catnip

How to grow catnip from seed without a green thumb

9 Ways catnip can enrich your cat’s life

How not to grow catnip, this kitty has it all wrong!

What is the Difference Between Catnip and Catmint?