Cats and Catnip

[Ol' Duffer]

Planted a short row of catnip in the new grape arbor this year, figuring our cat would enjoy it. After reading the planting suggestions on the package, I thought I would try for an extra good stand and bought three packages instead of one.

Germinated well, and when the sprouts looked big enough to fend for themselves, I showed Fluffy where it was. She was suitably greatful, however...

It is now apparent that I underestimated her ability and persistance in grazing the little plants nearly flush with the ground. Moreover, she has now determined that directly on top of the poor things is a great place for a morning nap. And afternoon. And evening.

I guess I don't mind, as I planted the stuff mostly for her to enjoy, but it is unclear whether any of it will survive long enough to naturalize. I think I'm going to have to make a stronger run at it next year. Maybe three rows with ten seed packs, about an order of magnitude more than one might think reasonable.

[Paulo]

Something similar happened to me but in a pot. I decide to wait until the plants were robust to offer them to him . Maybe you can plant it in 3 or 4 different places.....

[Curly Sue]

My cats are indoor cats but your experience is precisely why I avoided catnip in my garden. I'd have every stray cat in the neighborhood in my backyard! I'm surprized you don't have "guests."

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

[Buzzy]

I've made a nice cage with left over fencing and wood to grow mine in. It's aprox. 3' tall, 3' wide and 2' deep. My cats are also indoor cats but I let it get a nice size then cut it down, dry it and grind it. I usually get three 'crops' a year and yes, the ferals do pay a visit once in a while and nibble on the shoots that make it out of the fencing around the frame. I even found one laying on top of the cage one morning looking totally stoned, pawing into the cage to get at the plant! What a riot!

Cheers! Buzzy :)

[KD]

*laugh* As a cat lover and owner of two 14 year old felines, I'm just imagining that cat lying on top of the cage..

While living in a first floor apartment a few years ago, I once made the mistake of planting catnip in a window box on my deck (had stairs down to the yard), with several other herbs. The day after I planted it, my entire window box was dug up, and the catnip plant was missing!

I'd like to plant some on the deck for my two indoor critters, but feel that other felines would get into it before they would.

KD

[Skirmishd]

I rooted some cuttings from a friend in water (sorry, the friend wasn't in water) and tried to grow them in a west window. The two grey rascals were all over that. I tried different ways of deterring them like closing the shades, but they still nipped the plants to nothing. I had bought them the catnip from the store but they prefer the fresh stuff that my friend used to have. Sadly, her plant died. I don't think there is a way for me to grow a catnip plant to maturity. These cats love their drug of choice.-

[Mike Prager]

We found out when we lived in San Rafael, CA, that skunks like catnip, too. Think about where you plant it!

Mike Prager Beaufort, NC (on the coast in zone 8a) (Remove spam traps from email address to reply.)

[ellis]

That's why I plant catnip in hanging baskets ;)

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[Layne]

Once a friend of mine gave me a fern as a feng shui item to put in a corner so that it'll attract money. My two kittens chewed it to the bone and the sad plant died. Yes, I'm still poor...and as long as I have these two rascals, Oscar and Lonnie, will always be. :-\

I'm too afraid to raise catnip..afraid for the plant. Maybe cat grass...

Layne

[Pam Gibbs]

I always plant catnip in several places all around the garden where I don't mind if the cats lounge around--they're always out there watching me anyway. I always try to set out at least one fairly large plant and give them access to that one first. I put screened tomato cages on the others until the plants are big enough to withstand the rolling around and nibbling. These are usually big enough to be uncovered just before I put out the eggplant. I snip catnip stems and leaves and scatter it on the ground around my eggplant seedlings and plant more catnip between the eggplant. seedlings.

The result of all of this? The cats are wasted, I am entertained ( cats under the effects of catnip are hilarious), the flea beetles stay away from my eggplants, and I have anough catnip to dry for the winter so my cats don't have to quit cold turkey. And I have cuttings to overwinter!

So far no skunks.

[Lee]

The catnip by the door kept getting smaller and smaller. Watered it, loosened the soil around it.. nothing helped. One morning i stepped out and all that was left of it was a wallowed out place in the soil and a nubbin! Then i remembered the stray cat who dashed away from the house several times as I opened the door...duh! I got the remnants of a large round bird cage from the shed and staked it over the nubbin and in time it came back to life and flourished.

Sold home..bought another.. transplanted and cultivated more catip..for my house cats and me.. (had one house cat, heired another).. walk the cats in garden when weather permits.. thought to treat them with the 'nip... even squashed some leaves and stems in hands and stuck it under their noses and they look at me like, "So what? get that out of my face!" and just amble off. I can get them to sharpen their claws by going to the tree and "sharpening" mine but catnip? no luck. got wierd cats! lee h

[Warren]

I'm told that boy cats like catnip more than girl cats. My little girl hardly gives catnip-laced toys a second look.

She's not very social - at least not with other cats, so the last thing I want to do is experiment with growing catnip in the yard. It'll just attract the neighborhood boys, who'll she'll want to fight and chase away. And if she figured out that I planted it, she'd be mad at me, too. I don't need that!