Is it safe for a cat to eat catnip, and does eating it instead of sniffing it make any difference to the kitty?
I wondered about that while watching Buddy enthusiastically lap up some silver vine and ‘nip yesterday afternoon before he drifted off to nirvana.
If you’re worried about whether it’s safe, don’t be. While most cats tend to sniff or roll around in the stuff, there’s nothing in catnip that can harm them according to veterinarians.
The worst that can happen is a mild stomach ache from eating too much of the good stuff.
As for whether ingesting vs sniffing makes any difference, it turns out it does.
When catnip hits the olfactory receptors, it works as a stimulant, prompting energetic, playful behavior.
But when it’s ingested, catnip has the opposite effect, working as a sedative. Felines who eat the ‘nip become more relaxed, often drooling or drifting off for a nap.
That makes perfect sense given my own observations. As a feline who eats catnip, Bud will still play, but he’s lazy about it. Instead of ambushing and tackling his wand toys he’ll just pad up to them, drop to the floor and lazily paw at the plush toys at the end of the string, occasionally biting or rabbit-kicking them.
When all else fails, the laser gets him moving.
Regardless of whether your cat sniffs or eats the good stuff, the effects are relatively short-lived and wear off after about 15 minutes.
Catnip is safe for your furry friends and it’s a great way to help make an indoor cat’s life more exciting.
Pain In The Bud 
Have you ever tried valerian? It’s available as tincture and capsules, some people take it as a sleep aid. The smell drives (some of) my cats nutty.
Btw, Nat Geo has an article about a new non surgical neuter/spay method for cats. Juxtaposed with a pix of hundreds of dead birds, lizards, mammals etc killed by cats …
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Yeah it sounds like a genophage for cats. What could possibly go wrong?
I wrote a post about it and will run it soon.
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Looking forward to the article!
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I saw an article about this. Did not read it as they have nothing better to do. Not only is it safe but they sell catnip tea for humans. Never tried it. I might if it turns me into a cat for a bit. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🍸
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Bella is a non-catnip cat, and Bertie is definitely a catnip cat, its fun to watch here as he goes crazy and she has this expression of ” WTF?” – he also follows up dinner with a play with his catnip toys so its an “after dinner treat”
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Big Buddy, have you read the NYT article on the Flatbush Cats? It’s a TNR group that helps street cats. They’re currently building a vet center in Flatbush where low cost spay/neuters will be offered.
The NYT article is rather critical about TNR in particular and street cats in general. Still, it’s an interesting read.
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Who came up with the worry that eaing catnip might be dangerous to cats?
Sounds to me like they have too much time or too much money.
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I saw questions about it and people were finding PITB by asking about it in search, probably because I’ve mentioned Bud eating catnip previously, so I figured it was worth a post.
I think the most interesting aspect is the fact that catnip binds to a cat’s chemical receptors like many drugs do with humans, but it apparently doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier, and the effects are different when ingesting vs sniffing.
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Is this actually a thing and people think this? I’ve heard that some cats don’t get the high from it, but I’ve never heard anything about it being something that might be bad for them. Our cats heartily roll in it. We put the nip in boxes to try and keep the mess down, but it’s a losing battle. I grew a catnip plant one year and our kitty Mr. Sneaky liked to eat that. Maybe it was like dessert after eating his grass?
On another note, I worked at a greenhouse one summer. The resident kitty would sleep on the catnip plants that were for sale! He liked to nosh on it as well. Always wished I had a picture of it, but it was before we had cellphones with good cameras.
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Yeah kittens don’t feel any effect from it and not all cats do, but it seems like a healthy majority are impacted by it.
That greenhouse cat must have been in heaven with his own endless supply of the ‘nip.
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I didn’t know it doesn’t affect kittens. I wonder why that is? I learned something new today!
I wonder if eating the live plant has the same effect for cats? Probably not since drying usually intensifies flavors, scents, etc. My cat Meow Meow goes apeshit for catnip. He starts side running in the box like he’s break dancing. It’s hilarious!
Yeah, I think that cat was in kitty heaven. It was kind of nice because you pretty much knew where he was during the day and didn’t have to worry about him. Now the greenhouse dog Coco, she was another story. She was a sweetie, but she’d steal your lunch if you turned your back. And she LOVED to roll in poo! I tell ya, that was a great place to work! 😃
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I grew catnip and all of the neighborhood cats came to eat it – down to digging up the roots – so I built a screened box to put over it and even that didn’t work.
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My cat, Mr. Priss, just loves his catnip!!!! He was a feral rescue and probably never had it before. He loves to roll around in it, but I have never seen him eat it.
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