Cat Nip doesn't affect my little buddy

I tried giving Vinny Cat Nip and it doesn't phase him. I tried the dry one, but had no effect and I though it was just oregano. I then bout the extract spray and still nothing. He likes to lick it up, but he doesn't go crazy, and he is not more calm than he was before. What's up with that?

Another problem, if you want to call it that, is that he doesn't use/acknowledge his scratching post. That was the reason I bought the extract spray btw. How do I get him to use it. I tried scratching it myself, spraying it with the catnip extract. Tried using it to play with him. Nothing works. What is also up with that?

My Sasha has never responded to catnip 12 years, but his mama went nuts over it, go figure. The best brand that my kitties over the years have responded to was Kookaburra. Sasha doesn't use a post either, he prefers the wicker hamper in the bedroom! I do know that different kitties respond differently to catnip, some it stimulates, others --no. And Sasha is a pretty smart little guy so it's nothing lacking in cognition or mental ability. He does like freshly grown mint, however........

Like Sasha said, cats are affected differently by catnip, some go wild over it, some don't. I have heard of some cats who have the same reaction to honeysuckle that others do to 'nip, but I don't know about it personally.
Scratching post? You mean that's not what my sewing chair is there for? LOL

Yeah my little buddy likes to claw the bed, the hamper basket, the carpet, my leg. I dont mind it much, it's only that he claws the part of the bed that's right next to my head, so he wakes me up way earlier than I'm supposed to get up.

Originally Posted by vyrUS

I tried giving Vinny Cat Nip and it doesn't phase him. I tried the dry one, but had no effect and I though it was just oregano. I then bout the extract spray and still nothing. He likes to lick it up, but he doesn't go crazy, and he is not more calm than he was before. What's up with that?

Another problem, if you want to call it that, is that he doesn't use/acknowledge his scratching post. That was the reason I bought the extract spray btw. How do I get him to use it. I tried scratching it myself, spraying it with the catnip extract. Tried using it to play with him. Nothing works. What is also up with that?

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How old is Vinny? If he's still a kitten or under 6 months old, this may be one reason he's not responding...not only do cats have to have inherited the right genes to be a catnip responder, they need to have reached sexual maturity.

If Vinny is an adult, try honeysuckle or valerian...cats respond to honeysuckle so well that it is called the "uncatnip", same kind of response as if the cat were responding to catnip.

There is a brand new honeysuckle spray coming onto the market which might be a solution for you.

In the meantime...every time you see Vinny using the scratching post, praise him, and give him a treat. When he's not, and is using another area, tell him no, take him to the post, gently move his paws as if he's scratching up and down the post, and praise him...I swear this works (but it is sure time consuming and requires consistency and patience).

Honeysuckle is good! Many cat like honeysuckle.

Try play a lot. Put toy and treat on post. When Vinny clim the post, he get it! I did with my Spot.

i've been told that only 1 in 3 cats is affected by catnip (both my girls are part of the 2 out of 3 that AREN'T affected, lol, though they do like to eat the dry catnip)

Cats have their own preferences for textures on scratching posts. My two would have nothing to do with the carpet covered one, so I gave it to the thrift store. One does like a sisal-covered board, which I use on the floor. But they both go crazy over the cardboard scratching pad that I bought at Wal-Mart. However, I put catnip in it, and one of my cats is a catnip junkie, the other seems to respond very mildly to it. But even the one who responds very mildly uses it several times a day. It has totally eliminated their former use of the end of the sofa bed as a scratching pad.

Note that not only do some cats prefer carpet, some sisal, and some cardboard, but some prefer a vertical surface and some a horizontal. A lot of the commercial scratching posts are not tall enough for many cats, who like to stretch out to use one.

Hey thanks, the problem with Vinny is that he doesn't use the scratch post at all. I tired gently placing his paws on it and praising him but nada. But I will try the treat thing. Good Idea. I will try the Honeysuckle thing aswell.

Oh no. Spot not like me put his paws. He like treat on top.

Is it possible that the dried catnip was old and the spray extract doesn't work? I just bought some catnip (Nepeta cataria) seeds to plant near the fence on the side of the house. I have a garden area there in dire need of maintenance! lol, I just weeded out a bunch of thistles and what's left are grasses, wild thorny blackberry plants, strawberries, a young and thriving beech tree (I hate to remove some things that grow naturally), penstemon that are flowering now, wild daisies, violets, some baby dogwoods, and hydrangeas.

"Treats for Cats" is listed on the seed packet. Catnip is an herb that can also be used for tea. I'm going to move the penstemon next to the fence and intermingle the area with catnip seeds. Cats, according to the seed packet, love to smell catnip leaves and rub against them. You have to dry the catnip plants for cat toys. I'll let everyone know if the catnip is worth growing.

You might want to try a wooden scratching post. Unfortunately, the only ones I've seen in the pet store are very pricey and are a combination wood/sisal/cat cup post. Our Punky loves scratching bare wood posts in the basement and my new wooden unfinished doors upstairs!!