Dec
26
2009

Are kittens too young for catnip toys?

Are cat toys w/catnip in them ok for kittens? We have 6 4week old kittens in our garage. I want to give them toys to help encourage them to stay out of things, though we have them sectioned off pretty well.

Catnip doesn’t work on kittens under 5 months old. They can play with the toys but they won’t get "high" on the catnip. Just get them balls and big cardboard boxes. They’ll have well…a ball!

7 Responses to “Are kittens too young for catnip toys?”

  1. ♥Pretty♥ ♥Kitty♥ Says:

    Catnip doesn’t work on kittens under 5 months old. They can play with the toys but they won’t get "high" on the catnip. Just get them balls and big cardboard boxes. They’ll have well…a ball!
    References :

  2. naturemama6 Says:

    Four weeks old is pretty young to be away from their Mum for
    any lenght of time yet. They will begin playing more in a couple of more weeks.
    I hate to tell you, but kittens consider everything a toy. Catnip
    is not all that to them yet. Sectioning them off is a really good
    idea, especially if there are things that could be harmful to
    them in the garage. The sectioning will have to be taller and wider than you’d think when they get older.
    The best thing you can do, is to socialize them; handle
    them gently and talk with them a few times a day, and get
    them used to people. Then, when they are bigger, they
    will love to be around you and play with you and their
    prospective owners.
    Happy kittens!
    References :

  3. seabreezecc Says:

    Too young, wait a few more months.
    References :

  4. Megan R Says:

    no way,kittens need to play.Cats grow up fast. Its good to make sure that you keep them away from the car they could go up the engine.its ok to to give them toys make sure they are soft they might hurt them selfs at this age.
    References :

  5. kisses come in fives/vet student Says:

    your kittens may play with the toys however they will not feel the effects of the catnip
    a cat who is effected by catnip may feel more playful or more mellow, depending on the cat
    your kittens won’t start to feel the effects of catnip until they are 3 to 6 months old
    some cats are never effected by catnip, even when full grown; however most cats, by the time they are 6 months old, can be effected by catnip
    catnip is completely safe (contrary to popular belief, catnip is nothing like marijuana nor is it anything like tobacco)
    remember that when not in use you should always keep catnip and catnip toys in air tight containers otherwise the catnip will go stale and the cat won’t be effected by stale catnip
    here are a few sites which discuss catnip toys for cats:
    http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/obedcat/a/catcatnip.htm
    http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-catnip.htm
    and here is a site that I think you could really appreciate, it’s got three short videos on how to play with cats. It won’t even take you 15 minutes to watch all three and they cover what kind of toys kittens like best (toys that resemble mice or birds are usually good), how to get cats and kittens interested in playing, what to do if the cat tries to bite you, store bought toys vs home made toys, and how to make a home made toy your cat will love (the last of the three videos also discusses the effects of catnip as well as how to keep catnip fresh):
    http://petvideo.com/index.cgi?category=28
    hope this helps!
    References :

  6. Elaine M Says:

    They may be too young to respond to the catnip but they’ll use the toys as toys, so go ahead and give them some.

    Ping pong balls are great for kittens. Small milk rings, bottle caps off plastic soda bottles, wadded up paper balls, anything BUT string. They can eat string and it could hurt them really bad, so no string.
    References :

  7. fireflystar2002 Says:

    nope.
    References :

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