Is catnip safe for my 3-month-old kitten? Will it cause drug effects?

Catnip is a plant in the mint family that for unknown reasons makes cats go nuts. There is an aromatic compound that is present that seems to affect their brains and cause a pleasurable response. It is completely safe. It all cats react to it.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Casper. Catnip is generally safe to use in cats. Excessive amounts can result in vomiting and/or diarrhea though. I typically recommend the plant form. The spray has a higher potential to irritate the eyes. I hope this information helps!

You can use it safety wise but it will not have any effect on your puppy. just like babies, puppies wake up a lot at night and it is absolutely normal, you should nit give him anything to make him sleep at his age.

Hello, congratulations on your new kitten. Not every cats, particularly young cats may be attracted or enriched by catnip. Some cats have no response to it. Additionally, your kitten my be too young to understand the concept of a Kong toy. This type of toy, works well for food motivated pets. So of Halley is eating as much as a kitten does, then she may not be too food motivated yet. As she gets older, its likely that she will begin to look for treats and understand the concept of the Kong toy. In the interim, there are plenty other toys you may consider for kittens, ideally something they are unable to rip or chew and therefore ingest. Avoid strings or soft toys. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is possible that he has seizures that are unrelated to the catnip. However, it is also possible that catnip could have an effect on a cat who is already prone to seizures (as an epileptic or has some time of congenital brain defect or injury). While we do not fully understand the effects that catnip has on cats, there has been some recent research that has pinpointed a compound present in catnip called nepetalactone. This component is similar to the opioid molecule (a drug class that includes morphine) and is thought to have a similar effect to that drug group. When a cat ingests this agent, we do see an alternation in behavior and mental status. For most cats this is mild, but in some we do see it progress to stereotypic, repetitive, and abnormal behaviors. Therefore, it is not a big stretch to suspect that this compound's contact with an epileptic brain could lead to the induction of seizures. So, while I don't think catnip would cause seizures on its own in the normal cat, if your cat is an epileptic (undiagnosed) or has suffered a brain injury then it is possible that catnip could cause him to have further seizures. I suggest you stop using catnip in all forms (don't even have it in the house) and then start keeping a written log AND videos of his behavior. If this is happening more than once every week or two he needs to go back to the vet so you can talk about other diagnostic testing or to start him on anti seizure medication. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Catnip is not toxic to dogs but it generally causes sedation. I don't recommend however to give it intentionally to Shadow since there are not studies about how much might be too much and he is a little dog. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Cat nip can make Professor be a little more wild and prone to outbursts BUT some cats will do this anyway. As an experiment, try taking away the cat nip and see if he calls down. Then you will have your answer if the two are linked. Thank you for using Pet Coach.