The 'Nip'

Do your cats like catnip? If so, what kind have you found to be the favorite? I only give my kitty 'nip occasionally, but I do marinate some of her toys in it to keep things interesting for her.

How much is too much? And how often? For us it is a once or twice weekly thing. I was considering getting some catnip spray to put on her scratching post and refresh some of her fabric toys, but I didn't know if it was worth the money.

My baby likes it and gets very playful. How about yours?

My kitties get it as a special treat.
Duke once he smells it starts to drool, he just loves it.
Sibohan grabs hers and hides it from Duke

I don't give them catnip everyday because I don't want them to get so used to it that the playful effect wears off, so I give it to them once or twice a week.

Something funny happened with the catnip not long ago.

My cats only tolerate one another so when I give them treats I have to give them each a portion separate and away from each other otherwise Chynna will nose in and steal Abby's. I decided to give them some catnip and put some down on the corner of the rug for Abby and then on the other side of the rug I put some inside the track of one of those plastic circles that has a ball inside that they can bat around inside the circle (Chynna really likes that one).

As I was putting the catnip back into the fridge Abby was following me around meowing so I decided to sprinkle a bit more for her on one of her real fur mice. Well, Chynna waddled up (she's a fat cat) and took over the mouse from Abby (Chynna never plays with the fur mice ), so I sprinkled a bit more on a felt catnip mouse for Abby. Less than 10 minutes later I see Abby sitting on the rug looking at me with a less than pleased expression on her face probably thinking "MOM!!!" . I noticed that Chynna had pushed the plastic circle toy to the spot on the rug where I had sprinkled the catnip for Abby, and gathered up the 2 mice and was laying on the rug so Abby couldn't get to her share of the catnip

They both really like catnip. Chynna rolls around in it but doesn't eat much if any of it. Abby loves to eat some and roll around in it too, but she likes me to be with her when she has catnip because she wants back and tummy rubs.

It's interesting to hear that you keep catnip in the fridge. Does that keep it fresh?

Gizmo adores catnip. I usually get her Cosmic Kitty brand since that's her favorite. I tried some organic brands and she simply wasn't as enthusiastic for some reason.

Gizmo rolls ecstatically in the catnip, causing people to stop what they are doing and look at her.

She likes her 'nip' every two days or so. I leave it on the floor since she eats it as a sort of garnish. This may change when she gets her cat grass topary this weekend. (I'm told it is ready and will report on it when I get it.)

I think it stays more fresh in the fridge or freezer than not. I have a bag of the same type of catnip near my computer on a shelf, and when I put some of that down for them they don't go nearly as crazy as when I use the bag kept inside the fridge.

I initially started to store it in the fridge or freezer because it was the only place I could keep it away from one of my former kitties. Plus I know that keeping things like coffee or dry bread crumbs in the freezer keeps them fresher.

I grow it in a pot and let them help themselves

Wonton gets some nip every two or three days..if I give it everyday, I notice it doesn't affect him much. He has quite a strong reaction, rubbing in it, over and over, eating it, rolling in it. Sometimes I give it to him on top of his cat tree, and he hangs on and rubs his face in it Every once in a while, for reasons I haven't figured out, he'll have a super strong reaction to it, rubbing and rolling like crazy... obviously very "hopped up". I never know when it's going to happen though, so I haven't managed to get it on video. When I do I'll post it up, it's hilarious..

Harriet's an angry nipper. She looks all ticked off after I give it to her and today she swated me directly after nipping.

No more nip for her! Does fit her personality that she would be even more sassy.

Paige

Prego and Polly don't really respond to it, other than eating it.

They really like Honeysuckle and Valerian.

I found that not all catnip is created equal. Years ago I had a cat that loved the Hartz brand of catnip that I was buying. The 2 kitties that Have now hate the Hartz brand. I've tried a few different brands and some had no reaction, others had mild, and others my cats just sniffed and walked away from. I found some at PetValu that my cats just adore so when I go there I buy 6 bags at a time so that I always have some on hand.

If your cats don't seem to like catnip, try a different brand. It may be that they just don't like that particular brand.