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A lot of us wish to know if some things are actually bad for our cats, like catnip or milk, especially those of us that are concerned about the health and safety of our domesticated cats. Catnip is known to be a very potent stimulant for cats, but is catnip bad for cats? Is it normal for cats to like the scent of catnip? What about milk? Below are some clarifications.

Catnip (Nepeta)

A member of the mint family, catnip is a perennial herb that is available in 250 different species, and upon sniffing the herb, cats are left on a “high”. Other mammals are said to exhibit the same behavior, like koalas (marsupial mammals) that “get high” from the leaves of eucalyptus trees. The Catnip genus (Nepeta) is generally found in Asia and Europe, but has been naturalized in Canada and the United States. Some of the varieties of catnip are Lemon catnip, Greek catnip, common Catnip (nepeta cataria) and Camphor catnip. There is an array of names available for catnip, among which are Cat’s Wort, Catrup, Cataria, Catwort, Catswort, Nebada, Garnen Nep or just Nep, Field Balm, Chi Hsueh Tsao, Catmint, Cat’s Heal All, Catnep, Herba Catti, etcetera.

In catnip, there is an active ingredient that is mostly responsible for the ‘reaction’ that cats have to the herb. This is nepetalactone, which is a hallucinogenic essential oil that exists in the stems and leaves of catnip. It has been compared to drugs such as LSD and cannabis, or marijuana. Catnip also has constituents like Dipentene, Citral, Tannins, Geraniol, Butyric Acid, etc.

How Catnip Affects Cats

While not all cats like catnip, about half of all cats find the herb simply addictive – they smell it, lick the herb, rub their nose against it, and some even eat it. To these cats, catnip is irresistible. It is mostly the scent of the herb – as the active ingredient enters the nasal passage – that leaves cats “high”, and many experts say that cats consume catnip in order to discharge some more of the active ingredient into the air. Catnip affects cats for 5 to 10 minutes. In cats, stimulation occurs when catnip enters the olfactory system (through the nose), but ingesting the herb can leave a cat sedated.

Is Catnip Really Bad for Cats?

While catnip can have a behavioral and/or sexual effect on cats (the effect varies, depending on the cat), the substance is said to be generally harmless. The effects are short, and cats are not likely to overdose on the herb. Cats have a natural instinct that prevents them from overdosing.

Successful litter box training need to fulfil the following aspect location, location, location. Cat that doesn’t like the litter box’s placement, might not use it.

- It is important to put a litter pan in a private place simply because this gives security while using the litter box
- Never place a litter box in a noisy location. The distraction will make the cat anxious
- Do not put litter box near foods, cats don’t like to eat and eliminate in the same area
- Do not make a cat to clim stairs to reach litter box, kitten or old cat might have problem with this.
- Put litter box in basement might not be a good idea, though it offer privacy but the mold and bacteria that easily grow in the dark is not good for cats health
- Litter box furniture will make it more attractive
- Bathroom or laundry room
- Keep it clean by regulary scoop everyday.

Feline are generally extremely picky about their kitty litter box, and therefore the proper placing is very important. If you are busy person or often to travel a lot, an automatic litter box will make your life easier and will become a good baby sitter for your cats.

Cat furniture has evolved into convenient pieces of equipment that benefit not only domesticated cats, but cat owners as well. Many decades ago, cat furniture and other equipment for cats were basic. A food bowl was a food bowl, and a litter tray was a litter tray. Toys for cats were simple, and did not allow cats to enjoy a lot of activities. In this day and age, cat furniture is different. They are modernized, improved and offer more convenience.

How are modern cat furniture and equipment different?

Just as pieces of furniture and equipment make our lives convenient and more enjoyable, cat furniture and equipment serve the same purpose.

Feeding

For cat food, as mentioned, it used to be that food bowls were just food bowls. Now we have items as the Ani Mate Inc Automatic Dry Food Pet Feeder, which can accommodate as much as 6.5 lbs worth of dry cat food, and is available from plenty of online stores for around $40. Similar equipment is the Cat Mate C3000 Automatic Dry Food Pet Feeder. The purpose of these feeders is to dispense pet food based on the RDA or recommended daily allowance. This type of equipment for cats ensures that cats’ health risks are minimized, by ensuring that they do not eat much more than the amount that is advisable for them on a daily basis. Cat feeders are also programmable for up to about 3 different meals of specific sizes. These meals are served at different times during the day, based on the time that you program the equipment to dispense the dry cat food. On the other hand, cat feeders can also be manually used so that they dispense precise meals on demand. This is when they are on Frequent Feed mode, ideal for pets that have precise needs with regards to their diet, like diabetic cats. The parts of cat feeders can be washed in the dishwasher.

Sanitation

Modern cat litter box furniture pieces show an evolved version of litter trays. These are mostly litter box hiders. However, automatic types like the CatGenie 120 are so advanced that they not only flush away waste, but also clean and rinse themselves. Of course, varying levels of convenience are available to different cat litter box furniture, and other variants are simple, working only to hide cat waste from sight, while also managing smells through cat litter types and litter box furniture structures that “air out” or dry cat waste and cat urine.

Activity

For activity purposes, there are cat exercise wheels, cat condos, cat trees, cat stands, scratching posts, cat mansions and the like, available as either freestanding or floor-to-ceiling. These were not available until a few years ago. They provide cats equipment for getting some activity, so cats stretch out their muscles and remain active, even without having to go out of the house.