Catnip = mean, nasty and aggressive

[kathie brinks]

my cat Emmie did the same thing, I put her in the "Emmie room in the day my other cat Jack had run of the house in the day time and then switched at night time. it took her two weeks to be free from the cat nip and never again will she smell any. she attack me and jack but I didn't give up on her and she is fine now. for some cats it's like LSD so it makes sense she went wacko. your cat will be fine she needs to come down from the high and get her system free, don't give up on her

 

[misterwhiskers]

Sorry this happened! Do insist any future owners not give her catnip. However I have heard Valerian root can be used in cats who have adverse reactions to catnip.

 

[sparrowhawk]

@Jen Catnip acts as a stimulant. Many cats (and people) become aggressive when given too much stimulus, and the differences in the intensity for different cats with the same amount of catnip has been seen many times. I'm guess this cat is just VERY sensitive to it - so much so it's going to have to be kept off limits from the plant. I know that's already been said, but not many people have given an explanation as to "why". There have been stimulants used in humans medically that have since been discontinued because it was too difficult to predict how different people responded to the same amount of the same drug. Aggression, while not common, is not unheard of for cats exposed to catnip, even without going totally beserk. Looks like Patches both reacts aggressively to the chemical and got enough of it to go into a full-blown frenzy.

 

[jen]

Wow this is a 7 year old post lol. I love that it was brought back up though because I was thinking about that cat and couldn't for the life of me remember her name. So while the cat is long gone, thank you so much for replying!

 

[mani]

Wow this is a 7 year old post lol. I love that it was brought back up though because I was thinking about that cat and couldn't for the life of me remember her name. So while the cat is long gone, thank you so much for replying!

Nothing like an old post revival...

While we're on the subject, I think @MServant's pussycat, Mouse, has catnip issues.

 

[mservant]

 
Nothing like an old post revival...

While we're on the subject, I think @MServant's pussycat, Mouse, has catnip issues.

Yep, my boy likes his 'nip but if he gets too excited he turns in to a little daemon.  He's worse with Valerian though! 

  I don't have any Valerian toys here now because he got so aggressive when ever they were brought out.   Usually he is fine with cat nip but last week I gave him a freshly filled toy and he got far too exciteable - more like he was with Valerian.  Thankfully it is a short lived effect with Mouse and once the offending toy has been put away he quickly settles and will play normally again.  He gets all hyper and forgets he's playing with a human that doesn't have fur for protection.  The regular boundaries get forgotten and he will bite at my arm and jump up at my head.  He has never used his claws or anything and has no idea what a growl or hiss is, he just shifts from bunny kicking and chewing the toy to bouncing up at me and biting like he did as a young kitten.  He's fine if I ignore the attack, stay still and remind him it hurts with a couple of 'ouch'es but I do sometimes need to stand up and look at him sternly to remind him how much bigger I am than him and he's not going to get anywhere other than 'time out' if he bounces up at me again. 

     Mouse is generally well behaved and gentle but if I wasn't as confident with him or he was a more aggressive cat that used his claws as well as his teeth this type of behaviour would be pretty scary.

I think if you have a cat that reacts to cat nip OR valerian in this way it is better to keep things which contain the herb/s well away.  I only have one cat but the thought of how it could upset extablished relationships is pretty unnerving.  It is strange how the over stimulated response can come up even when a cat has been fine previously, like Mouse with me last week and others here in this thread. 

 

[keyes]

My sister's cat is the same way.  No catnip for him. 

 

[mattkat]

Tiger and Whiskers don't care about catnip. Tiger just snifs and licks it, then forgets about it. The first time I gave it to him, he was rolling around in it, but not at all agressive.

 

[robin t]

My cat had an extremely aggressive reaction to catnip today. He is14 years old and as always become frisky and playful when ingesting catnip. We do not give it to him very often. Today I tried to get him to use a scratch pole that he has. Never gone near. I took his paws and rubbed them up and down the pole. I also showed him the burlap bag toy attached to it. Shortly after I heard him making horrible noises, I got up to see him spitting and hissing very aggressively, his claws were extended out and he was rolling around with his tail clutched to his belly. I was so scared, I left the room for 20 minutes. When I came back in he was ok. I wish my husband saw this, pepper has always been very lovable to everyone. I will be getting rid of the post.

 

[mani]

My cat had an extremely aggressive reaction to catnip today. He is14 years old and as always become frisky and playful when ingesting catnip. We do not give it to him very often. Today I tried to get him to use a scratch pole that he has. Never gone near. I took his paws and rubbed them up and down the pole. I also showed him the burlap bag toy attached to it. Shortly after I heard him making horrible noises, I got up to see him spitting and hissing very aggressively, his claws were extended out and he was rolling around with his tail clutched to his belly. I was so scared, I left the room for 20 minutes. When I came back in he was ok. I wish my husband saw this, pepper has always been very lovable to everyone. I will be getting rid of the post.

Welcome to TCS, @Robin T

Was the catnip in the burlap bag toy?  That's a very strong reaction.

 

[em1k]

Old thread or not, this is what we needed right now!

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</w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif][if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-priority:99;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;mso-para-margin-top:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;mso-para-margin-left:0in;line-height:107%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}</style><![endif]Our son brought home from his worksite a feral female cat about 1 year, 3.5 lbs.  We have had her tested, vaccinated, dewormed and fixed, as our son wanted to keep her.  I don't remember when we first introduced catnip, but it may have been early on, as our previous cats all loved and did fine with it.  Attacks may have coincided without our being aware, as we did use it to introduce appropriate scratching areas. 

Initially, her behavior was attack when I was standing with my back to her, and seemed to center on food issues--picking up a dirty dish or not putting a full one down fast enough, sudden noises, rustling paper, the territory of our son's room, anger with us when our son went to work, and whatever else we couldn't figure.  It was sudden and unprovoked (as we saw it). 

We started her on Rescue Remedy for Pets and thought she had turned around.  She started playing--something she didn't seem to know how to do.  She would sit on my desk and be adorning with purrs and appropriate pawing for attention and contact.  She is a good traveler with no comments in the car.  We expected to have to take her with us in a motorhome, so that was a definite positive.   Bathroom habit have been good from the get-go.  No attacks in about 3 weeks, and things were looking up. 

Then, a couple nights ago she went wild for no apparent reason.  In retrospect, a catnip scratching tray was in the vicinity.  She hit me twice from behind, and when I walked away, she came at me again with threats to jump.  All hell broke loose as we struggled to be top cat.  I was cautious the rest of the evening and the next day, and she hung around, but with no invitations to be close she stayed away.  The following day our son went to work and it looked like rain, so my husband went into the bedroom to close his window.  I knew it just before it happened--the cat ran in and attacked his legs.  A while later, I gave her food in the kitchen and pickup up her water dish to clean it.  After replacing it I walked into our son's room to change that water dish, checking over my shoulder to make sure she wasn't behind me.  I took it into the bathroom and cleaned it.  She was now watching me from the door.  I returned the dish to its place just inside the door and walked back from the doorway.  She attacked me and didn't stop, so I pushed he into the bedroom with my foot and closed the door.  About 10 minutes later my husband brought up the covered catbox, opened the door to put it in, and the cat charged.  She mistakenly jumped into the open catbox, jumped out and attacked my husband's hand.  Pushing her back with a rug, he shut the door pm what he described as a "very angry, ragging cat." 

The catnip connection seems to be solid.  I was attacked in the basement family room area where the catnip scratching tray resides, I and my husband were attacked in the kitchen and hallway to the bedroom--there is  catnip on the base of a scratching post just off the kitchen and leading to the hallway.  There is no catnip in the bedroom. so that may be something different.

This posting thread is the first possible answer to our dilemma that makes sense.  We have cleared up all catnip and will give her yet another chance to be our cat.  She is un-adoptable (as determined by the SPCA), so our options are limited.  She now weighs about 7-8 lbs and has been with us about 7 weeks.  Claws are as yet uncut because I am afraid to do so.  Any good suggestions for temporary knock-out drops?

 

[jpharn]

Wow! I am wondering if ANYONE has ever heard of a cat having an aggressive reaction to the smell of mint ?! My kitten Oliver is about 6 months old and has been the sweetest thing ever, so cuddly and playful. Except for getting a little over rambunctious during feeding time such as climbing my leg in excitement or playfully pouncing when I walk by (usually but not always without claws), he has been a very well behaved little darling.

Well, I noticed that he really seemed attracted to the smell of mint, for example if I was chewing gum -like purring and trying to sniff into my mouth, like he would climb in if he could!- and occasionally he would go after the package and try sniff and bite the package, even occasionally reaching into a drawer to try to get it out. Very strange, but I just attributed it to him maybe associating the smell of mint with another pleasant memory before I adopted him (He was born at the shelter and had a foster mother caring for him until he was old enough to be adopted, then my friends adopted him but had to give him up due to their dog not being compatible). Anyway, last night after I had rinsed with a mint mouthwash, the cat did his usual purring and excited happy thing...and then it turned into what seemed to be playful biting, getting quickly aggressive, and then the next thing I knew he seemed possessed by something else entirely!! His eyes became as big as saucers and his ears were pulled back and he started attacking my arm, biting with full force. He backed off and was wagging his tail and looking at my hands like they were enemy targets, and like he was going to attack if I made one false move. I didnt dare budge. He seemed disturbed by the way he was feeling and then just laid himself down like he was trying to calm himself down, and then he fell asleep, and then was a little aloof after that...The whole thing was very strange..

Today he seemed his usual self, but maybe just a tiny bit aloof at times...I was still wondering what the heck happened the night before and was wondering if it was possibly the mint smell that had triggered all that behavior? ...I chewed a piece of gum(like a fool but had to get to the bottom of it - to know what was happening to this sweet kitty), and he seemed very happy at first, then very sleepy and relaxed and laid down on my lap..I thought the relationship of his aggressiveness the night before to the mint smell was just my imagination...He was dozing...and the next thing I knew, Kazam!! He jumped up and attacked my arm!! I sternly told him no and laid him down and put my hands out of his view, and he jumped up again, like he was angry and baring his teeth and lunged over the side of the chair at my arm again. I could not control him, and had to grab him by the scruff of his neck and lock him in the boiler room where his litter box is...After a while I let him out , but he is still not quite right, and acting aloof again, also a bit distracted and agitated...

Prior to this I had given him catnip but it seemed he would alternate between the normal cat reaction of going into a frenzy and being totally bored with it...but nothing like this at all!!

I read that catnip is part of the mint family, but needless to say I am totally shocked at this reaction which is stronger than anything I have ever seen with any cat with catnip. 

I am hoping and praying that he will return to normal if I create a mint free/catnip free environment for him, but meantime was wondering if anyone has EVER heard of this???

I have had him for almost 1 month, and would be heartbroken at the thought of getting rid of him. 

Any advice or links on this topic would be appreciated- I am starting to wonder if he was weaned too early or if this is just some sort of brain allergy to mint/catnip, too strong for a kitten. 

Thanks for a reply, 

JP

 

[peagreenboat82]

@jpharn, yes, I've absolutely experienced a cat with a negative reaction to mint. I have one cat that unfortunately has aggression issues with no clear, predictable external triggers. But, I have another who is as sweet and calm as you can imagine but who assumes an entirely different personality around mint. I can't keep mint out in the open because it definitely makes him aggressive.

He luckily recovers fairly quickly once the mint is removed. If it's just the mint/catnip for your kitty, I'm sure others will have better recommendations for desensitation than I do. But from my other experiences, I'd suggest giving your kitty some space, waiting until your cat is ready to approach you more calmly before you approach your kitty again, and trying to stay as calm as you can yourself. Your cat can sense any anxiety or nervousness might have around it.

I hope your cat recovers from the reaction quickly!

 

[peagreenboat82]

Also, if you have any bites, do be careful of infection. Cat bites are basically puncture wounds and aren't easy to clean.

 

[jennieb]

So this sweet little kitty Patches who WAS up for adoption apparently turns into a psychotic cat from hell while under the influence of catnip.


A few days ago was the first incident. I showed her a canvas catnip filled pouch. She LOVED it, she sucked it until it was just a sloppy wet mess, she drooled all over it, rubbed it. When I tried to take it away she loudly growled and whined at me. A few minutes later when I got up to leave the room, she latched on to my leg and left 8 nice deep perfectly spaced bleeding puncture wounds on my leg. She took 2 bites and then let go and ran off.


Today she was under the influence of the canvas catnip bag once again and she aggressively attacked my cat Pwne, who is the alpha cat in the house. Throughout the day, while not under the influence, she layed peacefully and hung out and napped right there with all the cats including Pwne. But this incident, she would not give up. She chased her, jumped on her, there was LOUD screaming, I am suprised she didn't bite Pwne. Pwne peed herself and when I pulled Patches off her (and caged her) and went to find Pwne. Pwne, my fearless normally bully cat, was cowering on the top of the counter with her ears laying flat on her head...


Anyone ever experience the psychotic after effects of catnip overdose?

I believe it all depends on the cats usual behavior before being influenced by catnip. My alpha male cat seems to get pushy and aggressive with my other, more passive, male cat after ingesting cat nip...then they both pass out.

 

[jpharn]

@jpharn, yes, I've absolutely experienced a cat with a negative reaction to mint. I have one cat that unfortunately has aggression issues with no clear, predictable external triggers. But, I have another who is as sweet and calm as you can imagine but who assumes an entirely different personality around mint. I can't keep mint out in the open because it definitely makes him aggressive.

He luckily recovers fairly quickly once the mint is removed. If it's just the mint/catnip for your kitty, I'm sure others will have better recommendations for desensitation than I do. But from my other experiences, I'd suggest giving your kitty some space, waiting until your cat is ready to approach you more calmly before you approach your kitty again, and trying to stay as calm as you can yourself. Your cat can sense any anxiety or nervousness might have around it.

I hope your cat recovers from the reaction quickly!

Thank you very much for your reply! It is comforting to hear some acknowledgement of this, and mint(and catnip) is definitely BANNED until further notice!!...I am still somewhat in shock that mint could possibly have such an effect, and I have to say he has not completely recovered in that he seems more aloof with me today- I agree with you about waiting until he is ready, because the few times I have reached out to pet him, he is attacking my hands again. I will not push it with him, and I hope he does recover- He actually seems to have a slightly different personality altogether. Its like he had a bad LSD trip or something and is still coming down from the fearful and aggressive feelings. 

One thing I looked up because I didn't even know how catnip worked..It seems it works through the olfactory cells in the nose which go to the brain near the amygdala where all emotions are triggered(happiness, fear, agression), and I read in some places that it works as a mild hallucinogenic. Well, regarding Oliver, I remembered in the few records I got on him that he had a foster mother that was bringing him in for visits at the shelter before adoption and giving him KMR - I didnt know what those letters meant but after googling it (kitten meal replacement) I guess he was not nursed by his mother. I know how important mothers milk is to brain development..The other thing is that he got some nasal vaccines (his R nostril and eye seems to be a bit runny sometimes, so maybe he is not completely 100% in the nose/brain area- I decided to start supplementing his food with Omega 3s for better brain health and I am praying for the best. Thank you again @peagreenboat82  !

 

[mservant]

As mint is a member of the same plant family as Catnip and contains similar oil compounds some cats are known to react to it.  Similarly to catnip this is variable from cat to cat, and I have also read that there seems to be an inherited / genetic element to which cats respond and which don't.   Mouse is usually fine with catnip but I avoid having Valerian anywhere near him because he almost instantly becomes a biting, bouncing monster who will happily bite my arms and jump at my head....  @jpharn  Thankfully I have not had the same experience with mint but can safely say that if I did I would not have anything with any sort of mint fragrance / oil in my home or on my person.  Fennel toothpaste would be my future!   

It could well be that your cat is highly sensitive to peppermint or spearmint, or just mint in general, and the response like the one described above.  There is another possibility which is your cat being confused by the strong mint scent and then not recognizing you - which could also explain the relaxed and fine with petting and suddenly attacking.

I am not sure if this response is one you can desensitize a cat to and if it were me with Mouse I would err on the caution side and keep mint out of our home and let anyone coming to visit know of the situation as well.

 

[jpharn]

 
As mint is a member of the same plant family as Catnip and contains similar oil compounds some cats are known to react to it.  Similarly to catnip this is variable from cat to cat, and I have also read that there seems to be an inherited / genetic element to which cats respond and which don't.   Mouse is usually fine with catnip but I avoid having Valerian anywhere near him because he almost instantly becomes a biting, bouncing monster who will happily bite my arms and jump at my head....  @jpharn  Thankfully I have not had the same experience with mint but can safely say that if I did I would not have anything with any sort of mint fragrance / oil in my home or on my person.  Fennel toothpaste would be my future!   

It could well be that your cat is highly sensitive to peppermint or spearmint, or just mint in general, and the response like the one described above.  There is another possibility which is your cat being confused by the strong mint scent and then not recognizing you - which could also explain the relaxed and fine with petting and suddenly attacking.

I am not sure if this response is one you can desensitize a cat to and if it were me with Mouse I would err on the caution side and keep mint out of our home and let anyone coming to visit know of the situation as well.

@MServant  Thank you very much for the info and advice! I am very thankful to report that Ollie is back to his normal cuddly purry self, with no signs of devil cat anywhere..Lol. Thank goodness! This is a huge relief- 2 x was enough for me not to allow any more mint around him, and given the effect it has on him I don't think I will dare try to desensitize him.

It took him a full 24 hours(!) to return to normal- He just did not look right for quite some time after each incident and the second time took longer than the first to come down from so I am not going for #3. Fennel toothpaste it is- Actually I will be mindful of anything with a strong scent around him ..As I recall one day when I was cleaning, the smell of bleach seemed to make him very happy too(like he wanted to rub all over the area just cleaned)- Between the mint and the bleach, I just thought he had a thing for all things fresh and clean(!), not realizing anything else might be happening...

By the way, Ollie is a cat who politely and patiently waits every morning till I wake up to purr and cuddle, and takes walks with me outside every morning and evening, meowing if I am out of his sight for more than a minute. (He looks just like @MServant  's profile pic). The change in his personality with this stuff was truly frightening and I cant imagine how many people must have returned their cats like @Jen (understandably!) for such a reaction to catnip/mint/valerian or whatever- after the owner became fearful and untrusting of their pet.  If Ollie was full grown I would definitely be dealing with bite wounds to go with the scratches, and if I had other pets or children possibly returning him--However, anyone coming here  looking for help as I did might like to know too that while it is possible in some sensitive cats/kittens to have such an unusual reaction from these oil compounds, that at least in this case  he has come back down to being a very normal, playful good buddy- He even seems to understand something bad happened, and has done some really cute behaviors like he was apologizing or something.

I never actually thought about how catnip (or mint) worked before this incident- Anything that stimulates the emotional center of the brain should be used with caution. Lesson learned. It can only be decribed as a bad reaction for him, something like a bad LSD trip. Anyway, I just need to keep the stuff away from him. 

This forum is doing a great service to people- Here it is 8 years later from the first post(!) and I (and Ollie)have benefitted from this thread greatly thanks to @Jen and all replies!

 

[mservant]

That is one long time to take returning to normal.   Goodness me!   If I were you I wouldn't try the desensitisation either.   

If Ollie looks just like Mouse in my avatar I hope you are going to share some photos of him - preferably when not high on mint of course!   The thread I have a link for down at the bottom of my posts would be a great place to start.  

  

 

[stewball]

My blighty loves toys with catnip. He holds them in his paws and licks it and rubs his faceface all over the toy and then he just abandons it with no ill affect. Whisky quite likes cat nip but not as much asblighty.

I've never had any trouble with any of my previous cats either. I suppose I've just been lucky.