Is catnip okay for kittens?

Went to Tesco's today and saw some lovely kitten toys- different furry animals on an elasticated string
Epona said that I should avoid buying catnip while young Radar is small (he is only 11 weeks old) but is this correct?
I only ask as the only ones they had in the store had catnip in them and I would want to harm him in any way.
This is my first cat in years and have never had a kitten before

Most kittens don't respond to catnip right away as something in their mothers milk is similar to catnip and they are desnsitized early on. Also, not all cats respond to catnip. As far as if its safe? I don't think a toy will hurt. I've heard of one case in the Health forum where a kitten did have a catnip overdose as diagnosed by the vet. It was one of those corrugated cardboard climber things and he was exposed to long to too high an amount. Up until this point I would never have though catnip to have a negative effect on a kitten, only that they would nto react.

I think in moderation (like a toy) its no big deal. I would be careful with larger amounts.

Thanks for the info SolarityBengals- on that information I'm sorry I didn't get one of the toys (the pig was particularly cool) as our kitten hasn't ever ripped one open and doesn't play with them 24/7

As I recall I had catnip toys for my kittens at around that age too. I just don't think they cared a whole lot. A great toy you can make is just a crumpled piece of paper, these often are bigger hits than most toys you can buy. Also those little soft plushy balls are pretty popular with kitties. Neither have catnip but often are great fun. A laser toy is great too. Corrugated cardboard is wonderful, I would just hold off on the catnip that comes with it until he is older.

Radar has plenty to play with, is very energetic, and most objects that he encounters give him something new to interact and play with. My main concern is that some cats can go a bit hyper on catnip, while our kitty is hyper enough already, just from the energy of being a kitten, and the interest he gets from exploring, climbing, and interacting with everything around him. He is currently playing with a piece of paper and getting overexcited! I think adding catnip to the range of toys at this point would result in more excitability (and truthfully, the last thing needed at this point is a more hyper kitten!), if he even reacts to it!

Its fine, but don't be surprised if your kitten has no reaction to it right now. Some kittens do have catnip reaction (3-4 months old); others take months. And some never have the "catnip gene"

I usually don't give catnip to mine till they are 6 months or older. They just are not really interested in it as kittens.

Chay didn't care about catnip at all until he was maybe 9 month old or so.

They may not respond to the catnip, but the toys are still fun!

Originally Posted by Naturestee

They may not respond to the catnip, but the toys are still fun!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice- its a relief that if I buy one of these toys Radar won't get sick