Since cats are obsessed with catnip, many owners wonder whether putting catnip on a scratching post will help teach a cat to use it.
The short answer is yes. Catnip can be an excellent motivation for cats, promoting discipline in the house.
However, it isn’t that simple. The effect of catnip on cats depends on many factors, and some felines are unresponsive to the herb because of genetics.
Furthermore, catnip can cause adverse effects you should be aware of, albeit not severe. Supervision is always crucial when giving a cat catnip.
If you’re wondering how to teach a cat to claw a scratching post rather than your couch or carpet, learn to use catnip effectively.
Will Catnip Make the Cat Sleepy or Active?
Catnip can have a stimulating or soothing effect depending on how it’s administered and a cat’s personality peculiarities. Typically, catnip acts as a stimulant when inhaled.
When vapors of nepetalactone, the active ingredient in catnip, reach a cat’s nasal membrane, they enter the bloodstream and the brain. Because nepetalactone mimics feline mating pheromones, cats exhibit behavior similar to that of cats in heat.
Even male cats begin rolling on the floor, rubbing against surfaces, meowing, and seeking affection. Some cats become hyperactive and playful, running around the room and hunting after the owner’s feet.
When a cat ingests catnip, it acts as a sedative, making a cat mellow and sleepy. The effect doesn’t occur instantly like when catnip is inhaled and lasts longer, over an hour, instead of 10-30 minutes.
In other words, catnip is very versatile – it can both encourage playtime in lazy cats and make a restless cat sleepy. As you may have guessed, applying catnip to a scratching post will have a stimulating effect because the cat will sniff it.
A cat may start jumping and climbing on a scratching post smelling of catnip, actively claw it, or rub against it.
Will Catnip Encourage a Cat to Use the Post?
The reasons why a cat refuses to use its scratching post are numerous. Maybe the post is small or shaky, or the cat prefers carpeted surfaces to sisal rope.
Some cats are hesitant to try anything new and need to be encouraged to use their new scratching post. Either way, catnip is a universal answer on how to make a cat use a scratching post.
Catnip is a perfect motivation for cats. Many felines will do anything to get a bit of the herb, which helps with training and discipline. To build a habit of clawing a scratching post, you should first make your cat try it.
Scratching the post hoping your pet will follow your example is unlikely to be successful. Instead, apply some catnip on the post and bring your cat close to it.
Once your cat senses the catnip scent, it will come to investigate the post. After the herb’s effect kicks in, your cat may begin scratching the post, releasing its instincts.
However, predicting a particular cat’s reaction to catnip is practically impossible. Some cats may roll on the ground, paying zero attention to the scratching post, or run away to play with toys.
To prevent your cat from shifting its attention from the post, spend some time near it. Try playing with your cat around the post to make it scratch it.
Another way to encourage a cat to claw a scratching post using catnip is to reward the desired behavior. When you see your cat use a scratching post voluntarily, give it a catnip treat or toy, or let it sniff loose catnip.
This way, you’re building positive associations with the process of clawing a scratching post, and your cat will be more willing to do it again, knowing it would get a reward.
Note that catnip treats can make your cat sleepy and mellow because catnip is a sedative when ingested. Gradually decrease the reward frequency until your cat uses the scratching post without any rewards.
Don’t Use Catnip Too Often
Although catnip helps teach a cat to use a scratching post, it isn’t suitable for daily training. Catnip can only serve as an occasional reward.
In a way, catnip is similar to cigarettes or coffee. When someone consumes too much caffeine or nicotine, they become tolerant to its effects and need more and more of the substance to get the same reaction as before.
Some people consume so much coffee or smoke so many cigarettes that they stop feeling any effect. Although catnip is not as addictive as caffeine or nicotine, catnip tolerance build-up mechanism is alike.
Cats that have catnip too frequently can become unresponsive to its effects. When catnip kicks in, cats temporarily lose interest in the herb and regain it only some hours after the effect wears off.
However, it isn’t a good idea to give a cat catnip for the second time when it regains responsiveness. Veterinarians don’t recommend giving a cat catnip more frequently than twice a week. The rarer, the better.
Consequently, catnip can help encourage a cat to use a scratching post for the first time, but it won’t help build a habit if a cat doesn’t genuinely enjoy the post.
If a cat refuses to use a scratching post even after you apply catnip on it, get a different post and see whether that helps instead of applying catnip to the post every day.
How to Apply Catnip on a Scratching Post
There are several ways to apply catnip on a scratching post to attract a cat.
The first way is to sprinkle some loose catnip around the post’s base. The disadvantage of this option is that you will need to clean up the catnip from the floor.
Catnip toys placed near the scratching post can also help evoke a cat’s interest, but the chances that your cat will focus on playing and ignore the post are high.
Another way is to rub loose catnip on the scratching post, ensuring you cover it in the herb’s essential oils all the way up. This method takes a bit more time, but rubbing helps release nepetalactone vapors, making catnip more potent.
Fresh catnip is significantly more potent than dry, so you can rub catnip leaves or flowers against the scratching post if you have the plant growing in your garden.
Alternatively, you can use catnip spray. Such products are typically made with catnip essential oil and water and are very potent. Simply spritz the mist onto the post and watch the herb do its magic.
If the scratching post has a toy hanging from it, you can apply catnip to the toy to encourage your pet to play with it.
Does Catnip Work with All Cats?
Catnip can do wonders and help to teach a cat to use its scratching post. However, there’s no guarantee catnip will work on your cat.
Many feline owners are surprised to find out that not all cats go crazy about the herb. Some felines lack a gene responsible for recognizing nepetalactone and have no reaction to the herb.
Research shows that 25%-50% of cats are entirely unresponsive to catnip. Fortunately, there are many catnip alternatives with a similar effect that can encourage a cat unresponsive to catnip to use a scratching post.
Catnip never works on kittens. Because nepetalactone mimics feline mating pheromones, it only affects sexually mature cats. Kittens can sense pheromones responsible for recognizing cats from their social group, but they cannot yet detect mating pheromones.
For this reason, catnip is useless for owners trying to teach their kittens to scratch their claws using a post. To encourage a kitten to use a scratching post, owners can use Tatarian honeysuckle, which affects cats of all ages.
Catnip may not work on senior cats with problems with the sense of smell. However, old age or fixing don’t necessarily mean that a cat will be unresponsive to catnip.
A Word of Caution
Catnip is non-toxic for cats, but no substance is risk-free. Before putting catnip on your cat’s scratching post, learn about the adverse effects of catnip.
If your cat has never had catnip before, supervision is crucial. The herb’s stimulating effect makes some cats aggressive, causing them to growl and attack people or other animals.
A cat aggressive from catnip may choose a scratching post as its target. This isn’t the worst-case scenario because a scratching post will handle the abuse better than a person or another pet, but too intense scratching can damage a cat’s claws.
If your cat exhibits aggressive behavior, leave it alone and don’t touch it until the effect wears off. Some cats may be hyperactive from catnip and hurt themselves while running.
Although catnip isn’t a common allergen, some felines may be allergic to the herb and experience respiratory symptoms, including coughing, sneezing, and difficulty breathing.
These adverse effects are unlikely to occur in healthy adult cats. However, don’t use catnip to teach a pregnant cat to use a scratching post because the stimulating effect may induce premature labor.