Are catnip toys (for cats) harmful to children/babies?
My 10 month old son LOVES my cats catnip toys. The catnip mice are his favorite toys and I worry because he likes to chew on them. I take them from him when I catch him with one, but I worry about if they are harmful to him. Does anyone know if they’re harmful/toxic??
They can be. It’s certainly not an approved child toy.
First, catnip is not weed for cats. 1/3 of cats don’t have any reaction to catnip at all. 1/3 have a relaxed reaction. 1/3 have a bad trip aggressive type reaction.
Second, the processing of catnip actually is not very clean. Mouse droppings, cockroaches, etc have all been found in those little toys. It’s not smart unless you grow your own catnip to assume it’s clean enough for a baby.
Third, if you DO grow your own, it’s actually an herb recommended to fight colic, so it’s safe for infants to digest.
January 8th, 2010 at 1:37 am
if they are small.
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January 8th, 2010 at 2:00 am
It can be harmful to your cat as well as your child. It is like a drug, not to strong, but like weed for cats, so not good at all for a young child. that is why cats tend to get addicted to play with them
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January 8th, 2010 at 2:11 am
Catnip is not harmful to any creatures, animal or human. It is an herb of the mint family.
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January 8th, 2010 at 2:21 am
they are to me because im allergic just take them away from him he’ll forget about them soon enough
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January 8th, 2010 at 3:10 am
Catnip is a feline version of human weed or pot, depending on what people use to name it these days. I would keep them well away from your child and only let the cat have them when there’s no one else around.
They go insane with them if you give it to them only once in a while, but they get bored if they play with them every day.
Too much of a good thing can be bad in a way.
But again, seeing as your child has an interest in them, he is probably mimicing your cat, in which case, keep them away from him. If he were to chew a hole in one, he’d get a nasty taste in his mouth, and possibly become ill.
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I nibbled on one once as a kid, it tasted like crap, never did it again after that. I always thought catfood was cheerios, too, I was a strange child, LOL
January 8th, 2010 at 3:59 am
They can be. It’s certainly not an approved child toy.
First, catnip is not weed for cats. 1/3 of cats don’t have any reaction to catnip at all. 1/3 have a relaxed reaction. 1/3 have a bad trip aggressive type reaction.
Second, the processing of catnip actually is not very clean. Mouse droppings, cockroaches, etc have all been found in those little toys. It’s not smart unless you grow your own catnip to assume it’s clean enough for a baby.
Third, if you DO grow your own, it’s actually an herb recommended to fight colic, so it’s safe for infants to digest.
References :
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/infantile-colic-000094.htm