Just wondered if catnip has the same effect on Bengals as it does on a standard domestic cat? I.e. makes them go :wacko:

Having said that, we used to have a cat that wasn't interested in catnip in the slightest!

Bengals can have the same reaction to catnip as a normal kitty. Some cats aren't affected by it, some researchers think it's genetic whether or not a cat likes catnip.
I have an older queen who just loves it. She goes nuts!

Both of my cats have not liked catnip, or shown any intrest to it. But I think it depends on the cat as well. Just because mine do not dosent mean yours wont!

We will keep you updated, as to whether ours like it or not, once we get them.

My bengal boys love it and play like crazy. I only use a very good quality of catnip made up of nothing but the flowers. Its called Cosmic Kitty or something like that. On the other hand, Missy could care less and has never liked it. Neither have any of the other cats we have shared our lives with in the past 34 years. Either I wasn't buying good enough catnip or all of our domestic cats were immune to its effects. Kaly and Koby have been our only cats to like it. I use it once in awhile because sometimes they haven't wanted to share it with each other and it makes them a little more aggressive than they already are.

Nan

Siobhan,

Most kittens are too young to have it affect them. It is recommended that you wait to expose them to catnip until they are about 6 months old or older. Kittens have nervous systems that are immature and it takes awhile for things like that to mature. I think we waited until the boys were 7 mos. old to open the catnip for them and then limited their exposure to a few minutes.

Nan

Thanks for the advice Nan, we weren't aware of that - a lot of toys incorporate catnip too, would it be a good idea not to give these to them till they are >6 months too?

Gavin.

Gavin,

I would probably wait on those cat toys, too. Our boys didn't show any reaction to the catnip laced toys we already had and the catnip strength doesn't last very long no matter how good the catnip is. Since Missy didn't play with them anyway, we just put those toys aside for awhile. The catnip in them was too old anyway. We have found that the best catnip toy is one of those that can be refilled with fresh catnip. The refill toys have a space inside for fresh catnip and velcro that holds it inside. They only react to the catnip when it is less than an hour out of the container. It comes in a resealable, air-tight container. Once it is exposed to the air, it gets weaker in smell and our boys will not play with it unless it is strong. I don't know about other cats, but this has been true for both my sister's and our cats..at least the ones that like catnip. :blink:

Nan

Catnip is non-toxic and it is perfectly safe to give to kittens. Altho, they may not react until around three months of age.

Nepeta cataria is a perennial herb belonging to the mint family Labiatae. The active ingredient is nepetalactone. Cats respond thru the olfactory system (vomeronasal organ), while 30% of cats are not born with the gene that causes a reaction (autosomal gene). Some cats ingest the catnip and others will sniff and roll it in. Reaction can vary between hyper activity, sedation, and sexual ....some cats will drool and act "goofy". Again, catnip is NON-toxic and completely safe even at very young ages. Even if they over-indulge to the point of vomiting this reaction is rare and harmless. So, feel free to give your kittens catnip and enjoy! They will probably be at the perfect age to discover it by the time you bring them home!

Regards,
dru