# Catnip for hairball control?



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I read one of those pet advice columns this morning in the paper. I looked for it online, but could not find it. It was a question to Dr. Michael Fox about feeding catnip to cats for hairball control. The person wrote and said that she often gave home grown dried catnip to her cats but one day decided to also give the flower heads and fresh leaves to and almost immediately the cat upchucked a hairball.  He/she asked if that was an alternative use for fresh catnip. Dr. Fox said that perhaps this was a new use for the herb but didn't elaborate much. Has anyone else tried this use of catnip for hairball control?


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Good quality cat nip can help with mild upset tummy, flower heads are best for this, but I don't think it will help much with hairballs. The goal of hairballs is to help the cat pass it through as nature intended, not encourage kitty to throw it back up. My guess is it was a coincidence the cat puked up the hairball after eating the fresh nip.

I grow catnip and my cats have access to it when ever they want, both fresh and dried, but the cat who has hairball trouble still has hairball trouble. I use egg yolk lecithin for hairball control. .  

If she shows signs of having tummy upset I give her a nice bud of nip. I dry it all after harvesting, and save the best of the flower heads for this purpose, but it is the egg yolk lecithin that helps her pass the accumulated fur.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Very interesting. I never considered growing it myself. I have a veggie/herb garden. Is catnip an annual or perennial? Do you use seeds or transplants?


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Catnip is a perennial weed of the mint family. It grows profusely, but plants tend to grow themselves out every few years and have to be restarted. I often take the catnip kittens that come up every spring and spread them around other spots in the yard, or put them in peat pots and give them to my friends.

It can be difficult to start from seed for some reason. I recommend nicking the seed (they are tiny but it can be done) and germinating them in a damp paper towel in a warm spot. Once you see a little bit of white growth sticking out out of the seed, put them in little peat post to be transplanted outside at the right time.

If there is other mint growing nearby (wild or cultivated) sometimes it will cross pollinate and lose some of its potency for cats.

All this is just based on my own experience, nothing scientific or factual. I've been growing it for about 10 years 

seeds germinating in a damp paper towel, the baggy keeps it moist









ready to plant in a peat pot







...


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Thanks! I've started seeds like this before so am familiar with the germination process, but for a faster result I think I'll look for the transplants in the spring from the garden center. I appreciate the help!


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