Pregnant Cat Emergency Foster and Catnip

You've all heard about our other cats and their catnip addiction. We decided to check out the catnip effects on our pregnant cat and the results came in rather quickly.

Not interested

We checked to make sure that catnip use on a pregnant cat is not a problem, and sure enough, it's harmless. It is safe to provide catnip to your pregnant cat. Catnip is just an herb after all. Even when the kittens are born, it is safe to have catnip around because kittens do not react to catnip at all. The only warning I read about was about rBST, the synthetic growth hormone used in dairy farming, but it's very unlikely your cat's catnip may have been treated with it. 

If our case, Farrah, our foster pregnant cat sniffed the catnip and continued on with her day's activities: lounging, rolling, trying to lick herself unsuccessfully and rolling some more, attacking M and Linguini, eating, drinking, and sleeping. We tried to introduce her to a catnip toy as well with the same results. Just not interested, but we'll keep trying to stimulate her in other ways, in our efforts to keep her fit until she delivers the kittens.

Farrah is looking huge! I will be gathering material and will post it periodically for the cat aficionados. We also got a wireless camera so we can get live feed of the "birthing room" as soon as we workout the technology kinks. At this point, we're guessing that the kittens might arrive in the next week or so, but it's really hard to be exact since Farrah was running lose in the streets until recently. I must say, even if you're not fond of cats, it's hard to resist smiling at the sight of any newborn.

Catnip effects on pregnant cat report, over!

Twinkie

Catnip Effects | Catnip Toys

In the botanical world catnip (catswort, catmint) goes by the name Nepeta Cataria. Felines are affected by the smell of the plant and are particularly sensitive to the main active ingredient, the chemical nepetalactone.

Cat gone wild on catnip plant

The ingredient has intoxicating and psychedelic effects on cats

Studies have shown that one in three cats is missing the necessary gene to respond to catnip and remains unaffected. Same applies to kittens younger than 10 months old. They have little  if any reaction to the herb. The average catnip high lasts approximately  ten minutes, and the toxicity level is minimal, a reassuring fact for all cat owners who want to provide their felines with a lifetime of catnip pleasure. 

Growing catnip is fairly easy, even for amateurs. The plant is perennial and grows to about one to three feet tall. It requires partial shade and prefers average well drained soil over rich ones. A word of caution, even with minimal attention the catnip plant grows like a weed, so a pot is preferable to the ground, as it might spread, crowding out other plants. Grow catnip seeds by planting them directly into your soil, spaced about 20" apart. As the flowers begin to bloom, harvest your leaves. Cut off the top leaves, stems, and flowers. They can be used fresh, frozen, or dried. To dry them, spread the leaves in a cool ventilated area. Growing the plant yourself is the easiest way to guarantee it is organic catnip, free of pesticides. 

The nepetalactone concentration is  stronger in the plants leaves than at it's roots, seed, or even the stems

Catnip can cause an astonishing reaction. The cat will sniff it, rub it, roll in and on it, kick it, but this should only last a few minutes at a time. A couple of hours later, the cat is ready for round two and will most likely have the same response. 

There are several catnip toys available in the market today. One of the most common brands is Cosmic Catnip, the makers of Cosmic Catnip Banana Toy, the Cosmic Catnip Filled Cigar Toy, and a favorite of our cats, the Cosmic Catnip Bubbles. When conducting our own experiments, we ordered and tested out the Yeowww! 100% Organic Catnip Cigar. 

This is a display of a ten year old maine coon cat's reaction to the cigars

He rolled and purred loudly until his time was up and the catnip effects had abated

This kitty becomes aggressive when under the influence

One great use for catnip is shaking some on old scratch boards your feline has lost interest in. Chances are, the herb's smell will attract your cat thus sparing a couch or two. We call this process "rejuvenation" and it helps by keeping your cat (especially if she's an indoor one) entertained, interested, stimulated, and her claws mildly trimmed. 

If you have a kitty or ten and have yet to experiment with catnip and catnip toys, don't hesitate. Worst case scenario, your cat becomes mildly aggressive in which case you remove the unwanted side-effect by removing the herb. Catnip is fun only when it doesn't result in excessive aggression. 

Twinkie

Dog Chews | Bully sticks

My family and I are always on the lookout for the perfect dog chews. We live in a mixed cat/dog household and us dogs vary in size from XXSM-L. We also have furiends who belong in the XXL category we're always thinking of. Because the opinions on rawhide dog chews vary so much, we don't feel safe about using those, yet. Therefore, for the time being, our solution has been: bully sticks aka pizzle. Bully sticks are pricey, but they last a really long time with us small dogs. With larger dog breeds they don't last nearly as long, but they're still a good choice. Mommy found that the longest bully sticks for dogs at Petco were the best deal. She'd buy one and then use a handsaw or a Dremel tool to split it in three, but yesterday she checked out Amazon and found an even better deal I want to share with you.

30 Pack - All Natural 6 Inch Best Bully Sticks

list price $81.00 on sale $34.99

Of course, I still love the marrow bones that we get from the butcher's, and leftover bones we get to suck on for a little while, under the strictest supervision, so we don't break off any sharp fragments, or fight.

Much better than bully sticks

but also more dangerous

Why is it that all good things in life are either forbidden or don't last long?

We have already ordered our bully sticks for now, but we'll keep on looking, learning, testing and we'll give you more information regularly. Some of you made some pawesome suggestions on dog chews that I will post about once I've tested them for myself in my diverse household. 

For you cat owners, our cats do occasionally play, roll, and chew with the bully sticks mommy gets for us, but I don't think that they are too interested. Perhaps we'll figure out a way to saturate them with catnip aroma turning them into the idea catnip toy!

Twinkie

Catnip Toy Review | Nip/Tox

Frankie here, Twinkie still ici!

Have you heard the saying, When the cat's away, the mice will play? What happens when the cat is Twinkie and the mice are the cats? As Twinkie's assistant, it is my sad doody to let you know about some terrible things going on in my home. Yup, yup, another cat-astrophe. They broke out the catnip filled cigars!!!

You see, dear furiends?

What makes this extra remarkable is the fact that all three cats are together. 

Let's see how this develops.

Jet is a well known catnip toy addict

You can clearly see the catnip effects here

And so is Bob

Catnip effects obvious

Look who else decided to use drugs...um, catnip

Our maine coon cat, Max!

Max suddenly realized Jet was too close to him.

He raised The Paw

Jet did not like this one bit. 

After this photo, there were two cats (Jet scrammed)

Twinkie should be very proud of me, I even made a video.

Video Catnip

For all my kat-furiends drooling over this, I know I shouldn't but I'll tell ya anyway. These are YEOWW! Catnip Cigars. Fittingly, I discovered them through my cat-furiends over at I Love Catnip, true story BOL Thank you, 3 city katz! Now, if you love your cat and don't mind the crazy misbehavior, get them a Yeoww! As you can see, Yeoww! Cigars got an A+ at my home. If anybody questions this, just tell them that Frankie & The Cats recommend them. 

I am terribly sad to tattle, but like I said earlier, I felt it was my doody. Now go have a nice day and don't worry about me. I can always run for cover on my Linguini's bed.

Frankie 

Cat Rescue Cats Gone Wild and Terrible Twos

No, I'm not talking about the age. I'm referring to our cats, the infamous twins, Bob (gray) and Jet (black?). Remember the cat rescue story? As you know, they are the cause of much cat-astrophe in our home, especially if there is a catnip toy involved. I have been telling you about how Jet casually and frequently whacks us all as we go by her. I just discovered two videos to prove it. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait for the good one: Jet v. Frankie since we haven't caught the culprit with our candid camera yet.

In video #1 (all you impatient ones go directly to the 18th second, jeez) you see a typical moment in my house. We're in the kitchen and Bob wants to steal some catnip out of the hanging basket. Jet just sits patiently in wait! While they were up there, couldn't they at least have done their dishes? I suggest you turn the volume up. You can actually hear the...

Whack!
A catnip effect

In video #2 Bob is again exploring the magic catnip basket. Yes, we do realize he has a problem. We're looking for a good catnip detox clinic if you know of one. In any case, you can witness again Jet's whacking technique (35th second for the lazy ones). This is a quiet blow as Jet is constantly trying to perfect her technique.

And Whack

This is what we have to put up with at mi casa. I realize that our situation is embarrassing and that my ego should be at least mildly bruised (along with my head), but I'm old enough to know that all good families have their issues, and mine's no exception. Catnip effects are both our entertainment and possibly our demise. 

Twink!