How to Grow Your Own Catnip and Cat Grass
All four of our cats like to eat grass. Only one wants it in order to throw up. The other three just like the taste. Two of our four cats love catnip, fresh or dried. One will eat catnip just like regular grass. A fourth feline avoids catnip in any form. Our cats have nearly killed my spider plant with their desire for greens. So we grow catnip as well as safe grasses for them. Here is how you can, too.
Planning Ahead Criteria or things to consider before you start a cat garden: It will be messy. The plants won't last long and will probably be eaten down to stubs. You will either have to overplant, or have successive plantings so that there will always be some grasses to nibble. Your cats will love you more for being able to satisfy their craving for grasses and for providing another safe way to avoid boredom. Methodology or what do I have to do?: Decide where in your home the plants can best grow. Be sure it is also a spot that your cats can reach without knocking things down. Look for plants that will do best in the lighting, humidity and temperature you have to offer. In our experience, catnip plants prefer full or partial sun, cat grasses prefer full sun. Use a houseplant guide to help you select possible plants. It is important to pick only cat safe plants (for example aloe is toxic to cats, but not humans) see our ARTICLE and the following links: Then refer to a list of relatively safe plants by Common Name http://moggies.co.uk/nontoxix.html Make certain you are NOT planting any of these toxic (poisonous) to cats plants, also listed by common name. http://moggies.co.uk/plants.html One more word of caution, with Spring weather coming, so are Lily plants; all of which are extremely toxic to cats. See Moggies.co.uk for more information http://www.moggies.co.uk/articles/easter_lily.html When ready to plant, place together plants with similar watering and sunlight needs in the same pot. We plant our indoor cat garden in a deep pot, with the soil 2-4 inches below the rim of the rather large wide pot. This lessens the likelihood of soil being tossed outside the pot by an enthusiastic feline. Growing Your Cat Garden Our cats have dragged the grass and soil clumps out of the pot and around the house unless we take certain precautions. Locate your cat garden low to the ground in a wide base pot so it is less likely to be tipped over. Our cat grass pot is fairly heavy and on the floor, so tilting by a running or overeager cat, which can produce a major spill is very unlikely. It also avoids the possiblity of an enthusiastic cat knocking it down from the furniture and possibly injuring iteslf or another cat (or person!). We keep our cat plants indoors to keep the insects outside where they belong, and to keep the neighborhood cats from gobbling up all our catnip! Do not use pesticides or plant fertilizers as they can be toxic to your cats! Possibly the only safe fertilizer is fish emulsion, but not all cats like the smell. For that matter, neither do some humans! Buying Already Grown Grasses (or Seeds Packs) We have tried wheatgrass (Agropyron), which we buy already potted and grown in the local human supermarket for about $2.00. Our cats go wild briefly for one or two days, then ignore it. Not a great choice in our home, but perhaps your cats will like it. Looking for the best buys and grasses most appealing to our cats, we purchased both kits and small sacks of "cat grass seed" at various pet superstores with mixed results. "Cat grasses" are usually a mix of oat and red wheat grasses. The kits often include easily tipped or breakable plastic pot, soil and seeds. When we bought just the seed in the stores we used our own pots and soil. You must be certain to check the "use by" or "fresh in year" dates of store seeds. The older the seed, the less likely you are to have a good crop. If there is no date, we recommend that you don't buy it. See Resources (below) for places to buy cat safe grass seeds or kits on-line. Some pet superstores will offer pre-grown catnip (Nepeta cataria) or "cat grasses" usually near the check out stands on a seasonal basis in temporary plastic pots. Check the quality of the plant, just as you would any other. No mold, yellowing leaves or dried up stalks should be present. The plant should be fresh green and smell pleasantly like fresh spring grass. I wouldn't sniff the catnip too closely though…it can be potent to some humans 
Drying Catnip for Later Use Catnip can be dried like any other herb. Stalks are best cut in dry weather. You must avoid moisture as it will cause mold to grow and make the cut grasses unusable (and unsafe for your cat). The plants are at their most flavorful before the flower buds open. The old fashioned method that I have used is to cut the stalks about 1/3 from the top, tying them together with string, and hang them upside down in a cool, dry, dark envirnoment. Drying to a slightly crunchy consistency can take a few days. Check to make sure mold has not started to grow — that means the air is too damp. The dried leaves must still be green, too, or the flavor has been lost. Harvest the leaves and place in an airtight container, but be sure to avoid exposure to moist air. Two more modern methods: Lay the cut catnip on a drying rack, cover with undyed muslin cloth (or cheesecloth) to keep off dust and place in a warm dry place. You can try warming the kitchen oven (1 minute or less on the lowest temperature setting) and after turning off the heat, place the tray inside with the door slightly open. The plants should be dry in less than 24 hours. I have not tried a solar warmed fruit drying preserver, I assume it may work as well and more speedily, so long as it was thoroughly cleaned first. Most cats we know do not like the smell of fruit juices. For more information: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign <>lists plants toxic to animals by common or scientific names. This detailed directory also presents information on toxic plant distibution nationally, controlling the toxic plant population, and the signs ususally displayed by an animal who ate the toxic plant.Of help to veterinarians is the accompnaying indformation on the name of the active toxin present in a plant. Resources to buy seed: Kits http://www.cattailgardens.com/Products.htm Catnip http://www.burpee.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=214&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=catnip Catgrass http://www.burpee.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=1015&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=catnip
Tags: Boredom, Cat Garden, Cat Grass, Catnip Plants, Easter Lily, Four Cats, Grasses, Houseplant Guide, Indoor Cat, Moggies, Nibble, Partial Sun, Plantings, Safe Way, Spider Plant, Spring Weather, Stubs, Sun Cat, Uk Articles, Uk Plants
