Is It Safe For Cats To Eat Catnip Leaves
And while many might dismiss this with a shake of the head and a grumble of disbelief they actually can.
Is it safe for cats to eat catnip leaves. Eating catnip is fairly safe though it will have a sedative rather than stimulating effect. We often get asked can cats overdose on catnip. Catnip is a mild feline hallucinogen but it is completely nontoxic to cats. You can also purchase them in garden centers.
Always consult a veterinarian before making any drastic changes to your cat s diet. Cats chew on catnip leaves and stem until the plant bruises so they get more of the nepetalactone. Yes catnip is safe for cats to eat. The eating of catnip by a cat is thought to be an effort to bruise the catnip leaves therefore release more of the nepetalactone.
If the catnip is ingested it causes fatigue and works as a sedative. Don t despair it s not dangerous. Technically catnip is a part of the mint family. When cats eat catnip it does not necessarily mean that they like the taste.
It also resembles some properties of male cat urine which may be why some cats react to the herb as though in heat with yowling rolling and slobbering. Catnip is very safe but that doesn t mean that it can t do harm. To sum it up catnip can be safely used as a recreational stimulant for your cat if used in moderation. You can use catnip plant on your cat without any worry.
Catnips can survive on pots and you could place them in the window or your cat s enclosure. Fresh catnip is supposedly more attractive to cats when it is bruised as in transplanting rather than growing from seeds. They are not toxic. As catnip is not poisonous to cats.
But despite being a natural herb that s one of a number of plants that s safe for a cat to eat there aren t really any vitamin or protein benefits. Catnip plants are also safe for your cat. Ingestion is not a problem. In fact catnip can even be safely ingested by humans especially when the dried leaves are made into a tea.
That s the bad news the good news is that a overdose in this sense is unlikely to be fatal.