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Member
 
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I just bought some catnip plants...how do I dry the leaves so the cats can have it? Is it okay for them to eat it...it says on the package that you can use it in teas and other things so would it be okay for them to eat it? thanks for any help...
Kristina and Oliver
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Hi Kristina and Oliver, if you keep the Catnip plants inside your kitties will be drawn to the plants and might chew on them a little which won't hurt the cats at all. But the best effect comes from the dried leaves, and the easiest way to do that is to harvest the plants in the morning, when the essential oils are most concentrated, and spread the leaves that you've pinched or snipped and stripped from the stems out onto a piece of screen, which will act as a drying rack, that is positioned a little bit off the ground for good ventilation; you want them to dry quickly, so they don't mold. You can also use a very low oven, but not more than 150 degrees or you'll lose the essential oils. Either way, while they are drying, stir the leaves around every now and then to get all of them exposed to the air and speed up the process. Another method is to tie a bunch of stems with leaves, again harvested in the morning, and hang it upside down in a well ventilated area; I've had mixed results that way, if there isn't enough ventilation, again, the leaves can mold. When they are completely dry, which, depending upon how much you have, can take several days, you can store it in an air-tight container. The oven method is the quickest, but the heat can reduce the potency, that's why you need to keep the temperature as low as possible. To use it with your kitties, crumble it good, and really rub it into things like their toys, their cat furniture, their scratching posts and you can even rub it on them, they'll do that themselves, too, if they take to it. It's the rubbing of it that releases the essential oils and that is what the kitties are reacting to. Catnip is a great perennial for growing outdoors, as is Valerian, which has the same or even stronger effect, and then you can just use the dried leaves inside; that might save having a pot or two tipped over in the house as they rub up against it. Both of these herbs are good examples of how different our kitties Central Nervous System is from ours: both Catnip and Valerian sedate us, but send our kitties to the moon!
Gimme five!
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Thank you for that advice...I will try them....I have the pot with the plants in it hanging from the ceiling...they haven't left my room since it's been hanging. So thanks again.
Kristina and Oliver
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Thank you for that info. I have catnip plants outside and just recently bought 2 for indoors. Didn't take long for my 3 to "sniff" them out. Now I can dry the catnip instead of buying it.
Mary Anne
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Supreme Being
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Gizmo prefers the fresh catnip to the dry; she has not touched the dry stuff since I got her a small catnip plant (which she ate.) I am getting a local farmer to grow up a special pot of his best catnip mix for her. I don't plan to dry any of it.
Cats were gods in Ancient Egypt. So what's changed since then?
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My cats love love LOVE catnip; in whatever & whenever & where-ever they can have it. I heard a noise coming from the bathtub in our second bathroom & when I looked in there. There Timmy & Jake the Snake were wrestling in their new catnip paradise. If I could figure out my darned dig. camera to reconfigure the images to have on here I'd love for all you guys to see them.
I had to put my bird bath over the new catnip that's growing in order to keep the goodfellas away from it in order to get good growth.
If the police ever came to my house they'd think I was harboring drugs lol.
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Supreme Being
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I got Gizmo her catnip plant. It's in the front window in a cast iron pot I found in the basement. She's happily eating the green shoots. This way, it won't flower and will be her snack bar for some time to come. I also planted some catnip seeds in it.
She's really into this stuff, and still does her catnip baths with the dry catnip too!
Cats were gods in Ancient Egypt. So what's changed since then?
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Kristina, How did your kitty like the catnip? 
Sarah - Mommy of Gracie, Joey, Gina and Faith
"Dogs think they are human, cats think they are God"
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Gizmosmom,
Most cats are crazy about catnip, but Chester doesn't care much about catnip at all so I don't buy it for him. I have heard some cats like honeysuckle. Have you heard of it?
Carolyn
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Oh all three of the cats LOVED it....I hung it in my room for awhile I had them camped out underneth it...it was funny. But I let them have a piece every once in a while and they are just in heaven. I don't think my plant is doing all that well does anyone have some advice?
Kristina and Oliver
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