Catnip for My Cats
Catnip - the stuff cats love.
As many of you know, I currently share my farm with three wonderful cats - Empress Tang, Princess Peony, and Blackie. They're all very special to me and are such loving companions. As part of their care, I grow, harvest, and dry catnip for them every year. Catnip is a member of the mint family, it’s a perennial herb, and cats love the smell of the essential oil in the plants' stems and leaves. Catnip is very easy to maintain, and fortunately, it is not addictive and is completely harmless.
Enjoy these photos.
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- I grow catnip in a few different areas around the farm including one side of the winding pergola. It is an aggressive herb, so it spreads very quickly. I also have catnip growing beneath my lilacs and in my herb garden.
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- Catnip is a flowering herbaceous perennial in the mint family called Labiatae or Lamiaceae. The Labiatae family has 236 genera and more than 7000 species. It thrives in well-drained soil and in full sun to part shade and blooms from May to September.
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- When harvesting, cut the entire stem where the plant meets the soil. By cutting it completely down, rather than just removing a portion, it will regrow much quicker. Catnip can be harvested at any time during the growing season; however, when the plant is flowering the oils, which are really what cats crave, are at their peak.
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- The botanical name for catnip is Nepeta cataria. The name Nepeta is believed to have come from the town of Nepete in Italy, and Cataria is thought to have come from the Latin word for cat.
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- Catnip has jagged, heart-shaped leaves and thick stems that are both covered in fuzzy hairs. Catnip flowers bloom in large clusters at the tops of the plants.
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- Blackie loves rolling in the growing catnip. About 50-percent of cats find it alluring, while the other 50-percent don’t react to catnip at all. And domestic cats are not the only felines who are sensitive to catnip. Lions and tigers love it too. The active ingredient in catnip is an essential oil called nepetalactone. It’s thought that nepetalactone mimics feline “happy” pheromones and stimulates the receptors in the brain that respond to those pheromones. When eaten, catnip seems to have the opposite effect – cats may become very mellow.
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- Here is Empress Tang in the Winter House. When she is not resting in one of her favorite beds, she can sometimes be found wandering through the rooms on the first and second floors.
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- Princess Peony loves lounging in the basement, or spending time watching the canaries in their cage on the porch.
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- Once the catnip is harvested, it is brought to a roomy location, where it can be spread out to dry for several weeks.
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- Here is the catnip in one of the empty hoop houses after it has had time to dry evenly.
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- Once a year, we collect a bin full of catnip. Here, Carlos puts down an old sheet to collect the catnip and prepare it for the cats.
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- When catnip is thoroughly dried, its rough texture is harsh to handle. Carlos carefully places some catnip onto the sheet.
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- Here’s a closeup of the dried catnip. Catnip is indigenous to Europe, Africa, and Asia and is now naturalized throughout the United States.
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- Then Carlos places another old sheet on top of the catnip. If handling a smaller batch of catnip, one flat sheet folded in half is sufficient.
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- Carlos steps on the sheet to crumble the leaves and flowers off the stems. He does this a few times until everything is crushed into small pieces.
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- Carlos uncovers the fragrant catnip.
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- And then picks all the stems that have now separated from the leaves and flowers.
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- Catnip is not just for cats. It’s been grown in medicinal gardens for centuries for its sedative effect on humans. Made into a tea, catnip has calming properties similar to chamomile. Catnip may also be recommended by herbalists for relief of ailments including migraines and indigestion.
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- The catnip is transferred into an airtight container. Catnip should be stored this way to keep all moisture out, which will draw the potency out of the herb. Dried catnip will last for several months, at a minimum, before the smell in the oils begins to fade.
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- Here’s Blackie waiting patiently by the head house door – perhaps waiting for an afternoon catnip treat.
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