How to Give Your Cat Catnip

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How much catnip is too much? How do you store it? Your questions, answered

Co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Last Updated: November 3, 2024 Approved

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Buying and Storing Catnip

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Giving Your Cat Catnip Toys

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Monitoring Your Cat's Behaviour

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Catnip is a mint-like herb that contains the chemical nepetalactone, which elicits a "high" in cats. Buy good quality catnip in plant, dried, flake, pellet, or spray form, or grow your own. Buy refillable toys to put fresh catnip in, or make simple toys for your cat to enjoy. Monitor your cat's behaviour and be mindful of how much catnip you give it. If necessary, use catnip to assist in training.

Things You Should Know

Offer catnip to your cat by stuffing it into refillable toys or small socks for a fun and engaging activity.
Sprinkle a pinch of catnip into a paper bag, or roll it into a brown paper ball to help contain the mess.
Keep a close eye on your cat while it plays with catnip, and only offer it once a week for 5-15 minutes.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Buying and Storing Catnip

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When shopping for catnip, opt for brands that are organically grown. In addition to being pesticide and chemical-free, organic catnip is generally fresher and more effective than lesser quality catnip. Organically grown catnip is sold in fresh, dried, flake, pellet, oil, and spray forms.^{[2]
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Buy loose catnip. Catnip is more or less potent in different forms, depending on the level of nepetalactone present. When you buy loose catnip, look for kinds that have fewer stems than leaves and blossoms. The latter contain more of the chemical and have a stronger effect.^{[3]
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- Dried catnip can be safely chewed or ingested by cats, and may be inserted into toys, or simply sprinkled around your cat's play area in a small amount (e.g. approximately one tbsp, or 0.5 oz).
- If you buy loose catnip, be sure to store it in a sealed container. Put the container in a high cupboard away from your cats.
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For a lighter concentration of catnip, purchase a spray, which will have lower levels of nepetalactone (a cat attracting chemical compound). Catnip spray can be used to steer your cat towards certain toys or furniture in an effort to keep it away from others (e.g. spraying your cat's bed to keep it away from the couch). Look for a spray that contains all-natural ingredients, and no chemicals or preservatives.
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Grow fresh catnip. Buy a catnip plant to have a constant, fresh supply of the herb, or grow catnip indoors. If you have a garden, grow catnip plants outdoors. Make sure plants get plenty of sunlight and moisture. Cut off leaves as needed to give to your cat to chew, paw at, rub against, or eat.
- Fresh catnip can be dried and stored for later use.
To preserve the effectiveness of catnip, store it in the freezer. Freezing will prevent the herb's essential oil from drying up, which would reduce the effectiveness of the herb. Place catnip in a freezer bag or plastic container and seal it firmly before freezing it. Remove catnip from the freezer and thaw when needed.^{[4]
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Method 2

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Giving Your Cat Catnip Toys

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Instead of buying toys that are already filled or scented with catnip, purchase refillable toys at a pet store or online. Pre-filled toys may contain low-quality catnip that will lose its effectiveness quickly. You can fill refillable toys with good quality, organic catnip and continually replace it to make sure that the herb is always potent enough to have an effect on your cat.^{[5]
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Make a simple sock toy. Make a simple catnip toy using a clean, stray sock. Add a pinch or two of catnip to the sock and seal it tightly with a knot. Replace catnip every week or so to ensure that it is potent.^{[6]
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- Alternatively, sew the top shut with a needle and thread.
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Roll up a simple paper ball. Cats often amuse themselves by playing with everyday household items, so stick to the basics when giving catnip toys to your cat. Put a pinch of catnip (in fresh, dried, pellet, or flake form) into a small paper bag. Crush it into a tight ball for your cat to play with.^{[7]
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- Crush the bag into a tight enough ball that it can't be opened up by your cat.

Method 3

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Monitoring Your Cat's Behaviour

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Observe your cat's reaction. Your cat's reaction to catnip should happen very quickly after it smells it (one or two sniffs of catnip is sometimes enough to evoke a "high" in your pet). Note that sensitivity to catnip is hereditary, and approximately 1 in 2 cats won't react to the herb at all. ^{[8]
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Research source} If your cat does react, you will observe it:
- Sniffing
- Purring
- Licking and chewing the catnip
- Rubbing its chin and cheek
- Rubbing its body against things (e.g. the carpet)
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Ration catnip for your cat. If you offer a cat catnip too often, the effects can wear off completely. Opt to offer catnip to your pet only once a week to maintain the "high" it experiences from the herb, which generally lasts for about 5-15 minutes. It may take up to two hours for your cat's behavior to completely return to normal, during which your cat will not be susceptible to the effects of catnip.^{[9]
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- In some cases, rationing will not matter. About 30% of all cats do not react to catnip, and kittens do not usually react to catnip until after they are 12 weeks old.^{[10]
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If your cat has the bad habit of scratching furniture and other important household items, use catnip to train it out of this behavior. Purchase a catnip spray (from your local pet store, or online) and spray a scratching post for your cat. When your cat feels the overwhelming need to scratch, it will opt for the alluring surface of the scratching post instead of the couch or kitchen table.