Does Catnip Make Cats Sleepy?

Because of its sedative effect, many cat owners use catnip when they bring their pets to the vet, on a car trip, or when introducing a new animal into the family.

If you aren’t sure how your kitty will react to catnip, conduct a trial to see whether your pet has any adverse effects and what the necessary dosage is.

Note that some cats may have absolutely no reaction to catnip. Fortunately, it isn’t the only natural sedative for cats.

Is Catnip A Sedative or Stimulant?

To understand the effects of catnip, we should first define how it works. The active chemical in catnip is called nepetalactone. It’s an essential oil mimicking feline mating pheromones – that’s why cats behave as if they were in heat after sniffing catnip.

Many cats begin rolling on the ground, meowing excessively, rubbing against furniture, and running around the room after having some catnip. In other words, catnip works as a stimulant when inhaled, triggering feline mating instincts.

Occasionally, cats may become aggressive towards people and other animals from catnip. This adverse effect occurs because of overstimulation.

However, the catnip effect differs depending on whether it was ingested or inhaled. When ingested, nepetalactone has the opposite effect, acting as a sedative and making cats mellow, sleepy, and, sometimes, disoriented.

Ingested catnip has soothing, calming properties, making cats purr, drool, and doze off. That’s no wonder because catnip belongs to the mint family, and everyone knows a cup of mint tea is an effective insomnia aid.

To make your cat sleepy, mix some loose catnip into its food or give it catnip treats. Catnip tinctures given orally are also a valid option. Avoid giving your cat catnip toys and sprays because they will have the opposite effect.

Cats can eat fresh catnip, but it’s significantly more potent than its dry variant, and the dose should be lower. Catnip leaves and stems are rich in nepetalactone, but most of the chemical is in flowers.

The Cat’s Peculiarities

Catnip’s effect on felines depends on whether it was ingested or inhaled but may also vary from cat to cat. Each cat is unique, so its reaction to the same doses of catnip may deviate from the norm.

In the same way, people react differently to alcohol – while the substance is the same, one person may become sleepy, another energetic, and the third aggressive. The reaction largely depends on a person’s personality traits.

Cats are no different in this regard. Predicting how a particular cat will react to catnip is difficult, so start by making a test with a low catnip dose and watch your cat’s behavior.

If your cat hisses, growls, or attempts to scratch or bite you after having catnip, it may be intolerant to the herb. Your cat also shouldn’t have any gastroenteric symptoms.

How Quickly Does Catnip Work?

When cats sniff catnip, it kicks in almost instantly, although some cats may take five to 15 minutes to feel the effect. However, catnip takes significantly longer to kick in when cats ingest it.

Regardless of the method catnip is taken, the active ingredient, nepetalactone, should reach the bloodstream and get into the brain to produce its effect.

When a cat sniffs catnip, its essential oil vapor is instantly absorbed into the nasal membrane and surrounding blood vessels. Then, it’s carried to the heart, from where it circulates throughout the body and reaches the brain.

When a cat ingests catnip, the substance must surpass additional barriers before it reaches the brain. Before it’s absorbed into the bloodstream through the stomach lining and intestines, catnip is dissolved by stomach acid.

Once in the bloodstream, the active catnip chemical travels to the liver, which metabolizes it before it finally reaches the brain. In other words, by inhaling catnip, cats bypass the time-release mechanism.

Similarly, medications like painkillers take some time to work; they don’t help instantly. Because of a different mechanism, inhaled and ingested catnip have different wear-off times.

When cats inhale catnip, the effects only last for 10-30 minutes, depending on the dose. However, the effects may last for an hour or two when a cat ingests catnip.

Does Catnip Work on All Cats?

Contrary to a widespread myth that all cats go crazy about catnip, the herb only affects 50%-75% of felines. At least every fourth cat does not react to catnip because they lack a gene responsible for recognizing nepetalactone.

We don’t know why some cats have the gene and some lack it, but research suggests that the ability to react to catnip is inherited. If a mother cat responds to catnip, its kittens are likely to react too, and vice versa.

If your cat doesn’t care about catnip, but you’re looking for a light natural sedative, consider catnip alternatives such as silvervine, Tatarian honeysuckle, chamomile, and cat thyme.

Because catnip mimics feline mating pheromones, it only affects cats that have reached sexual maturity. Kittens can analyze some types of pheromones, primarily those responsible for recognizing cats from their social group.

However, kittens cannot analyze mating pheromones until they are sexually mature, which happens from six months to one year of age, depending on a cat’s peculiarities.

Senior cats, too, are less susceptible to the effects of catnip but not unresponsive to it entirely. Old cats retain some of their mating interest, but it isn’t as strong as at a young age. Furthermore, some senior cats have problems with the sense of smell.

Catnip works on neutered and spayed cats the same way it works on intact felines. Although they are fixed, they retain mating instincts and can still recognize pheromones. However, spayed and neutered cats tend to be sleepier than intact cats from catnip.

Pregnant and nursing felines shouldn’t have catnip. In pregnant cats, catnip, whether ingested or inhaled, can cause premature labor or affect the placenta, and in nursing felines, it may affect behavior and lactation.

Catnip Dosage to Relax a Cat

Figuring out how much catnip to give a cat is tricky because there are no universal guidelines. If you’ve tried to find instructions on the catnip package, you already know that manufacturers don’t provide any, and that’s because the dosage is individual.

Catnip dosage for a cat also depends on catnip type. If you’re giving your cat dry catnip for the first time, mix about half a teaspoon in its food and watch your cat’s reaction. If the effect is satisfactory, don’t increase the dose.

If your cat has no reaction to the dose, try to increase it to a teaspoon, but if even a teaspoon has no effect, you can assume that your pet is unresponsive to the herb altogether.

Don’t begin with an overly large dose. If you do, your cat may experience unpleasant adverse reactions and become tolerant to smaller amounts.

In a way, catnip is like coffee – after you’ve got used to drinking five cups a day, one cup won’t help you stay awake. Too frequent use of catnip also causes tolerance, so only use the herb when necessary.

Cats that have already eaten catnip previously and developed some tolerance or large-breed felines can eat up to a tablespoon of dry herb.

Fresh catnip dosage for cats is lower than dry catnip because of its higher potency. If you have fresh catnip growing in your garden, give your cat a leaf or two. The maximum dose is 10-20 grams, depending on a cat’s weight.

Catnip flowers are even more potent than the leaves and stems, so let your cat nibble them but don’t allow it to eat much. It’s easy to have too many catnip flowers overflowing with nepetalactone.

Know the Side Effects

Before giving your pet catnip, learn about the adverse effects of catnip on cats. Sniffing catnip doesn’t affect the digestive tract unless a cat is allergic, but ingesting the herb relatively frequently leads to stomach upset.

Vomiting and diarrhea may occur from high doses of fresh or dry catnip. Cats cannot overdose on catnip because it isn’t toxic to felines, but sometimes, gastroenteric upset is so severe that cats need to be administered intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration.

If a cat has gastroenteric symptoms along with skin itchiness, runny eyes, and respiratory symptoms, it may be allergic to the herb. Although catnip isn’t a common allergen, the chances never equal zero.

Some cats may become lethargic and depressed from high doses of catnip, particularly potent fresh catnip. However, the behavioral effects only last for one to two hours at most.

Aggression is more common in cats that inhale catnip because it acts as a stimulant, but some cats may behave aggressively towards people and other pets after ingesting catnip.

In that case, the only solution is to leave the cat alone in the room and not touch it until it gets back to the norm.

Sources