Catnip For Kittens How Old

About one cat in two inherits a sensitivity to the herb.

Catnip for kittens how old. Furthermore kittens less than 8 weeks old and senior cats tend not to respond as much or at all to catnip. Kittens of under three months old will have no reaction to it and can even be repelled by it. Catnip infused products attract cats interest and can take playtime to the next level. 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.

Even then about 1 3rd of cats won t react at all and another 1 3rd are moderately affected. But you won t know if your kitten is one of them until sometime between ages 3 and 6 months. Kittens whether they possess the gene or not generally do not react to catnip until they are from six to nine months old. Test your cat s attraction to catnip before going out of your way to buy catnip infused products.

Some cats become like a lazy drunk while others get a wired up crazy. The herb s influence is genetic so not all cats respond to it according to the humane society of the united states. Only about 1 3rd of cats react strongly to catnip. Most cats must be at least six months old before they ll react.

Senior cats also lose sensitivity to it and will generally avoid it. Try reintroducing the catnip then and you will probably find that your cat will greatly enjoy it. At the same time age is also a determinant on how a cat reacts to catnip. Cats must inherit the tendency to react to catnip not all felines do.

Catnip s allure is in its volatile oil. 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 reaction to a catnip can vary from kitten to kitten. These hard wired preferences aren t immediately apparent though since kittens under the age of 3 months don t react to catnip at all.

Not all felines respond to catnip. If a kitten is going to be a catnip lover you usually can tell that when he is 3 to 6 months old. Catnip plants nepeta cataria and other nepeta species are members of the mint. If he s still young give it some time.

In addition catnip does not affect kittens until they are about six months old and begin to reach sexual maturity. Among those cats who do like catnip you ll find two basic kinds of reactions. Cats must possess a gene for it. Newborn kittens aren t usually responsive to catnip at all until they are about 3 months of age.