Catnip For Kittens How Old

Cats must inherit the tendency to react to catnip not all felines do.

Catnip for kittens how old. The herb s influence is genetic so not all cats respond to it according to the humane society of the united states. Kittens of under three months old will have no reaction to it and can even be repelled by it. About one cat in two inherits a sensitivity to the herb. How catnip improves your cat s quality of life.

Senior cats also lose sensitivity to it and will generally avoid it. Even then about 1 3rd of cats won t react at all and another 1 3rd are moderately affected. Test your cat s attraction to catnip before going out of your way to buy catnip infused products. Only about 1 3rd of cats react strongly to catnip.

Cats must possess a gene for it. These hard wired preferences aren t immediately apparent though since kittens under the age of 3 months don t react to catnip at all. Some cats become like a lazy drunk while others get a wired up crazy. Most cats must be at least six months old before they ll react.

Catnip s allure is in its volatile oil. Catnip plants nepeta cataria and other nepeta species are members of the mint. At the same time age is also a determinant on how a cat reacts to catnip. Although catnip is totally harmless and safe around kittens both to smell and to eat it isn t necessarily effective.

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. Catnip infused products attract cats interest and can take playtime to the next level. Not all felines respond to catnip. In addition catnip does not affect kittens until they are about six months old and begin to reach sexual maturity.

While most cats do about 15 percent reportedly do not. Among those cats who do like catnip you ll find two basic kinds of reactions. If a kitten is going to be a catnip lover you usually can tell that when he is 3 to 6 months old. Newborn kittens aren t usually responsive to catnip at all until they are about 3 months of age.

The reaction to a catnip can vary from kitten to kitten. Kittens whether they possess the gene or not generally do not react to catnip until they are from six to nine months old. Try reintroducing the catnip then and you will probably find that your cat will greatly enjoy it. Furthermore kittens less than 8 weeks old and senior cats tend not to respond as much or at all to catnip.