Is it bad for a cat to eat catnip?

Question

We have wild catnip growing in our yard and we hang it up to dry. When it is dry my boyfriend will crumble some up on the floor and our cats will roll around in it and eat it. Since I always see catnip is inside cat toys, can eating it harm them?

Answer 1

It is completely natural, you will just want to limit the amount you give them and only give it to them if the cat is a mature adult (they will not have any benefit from cat nip when they are kittens and already energetic).  Eating it and rolling around on it are completely safe for them in small amounts.

Answer 2

They arn't suppose to, And they can get sick, but nothing serious...Mine eats it sometimes when one of her toys break, and I swear she goes CRAZY lol

Answer 3

No its fine,  if you have more than one cat be careful it can bring out aggressivness that they normally dont show

Answer 4

No - it's harmless to cats.  Of course it makes them higher than a kite, but that's all.  I watched my cat play with a small pouch of catnip - she was all over it for about 30 minutes then fell asleep for a few hours.

Answer 5

The funny thing about catnip is that when sniffed, they act as a stimulant but when ingested, the opposite occurs and they became a sedative. There is no harm in eating the catnip but instead of going all hyper, your cat will most likely be more laid back and in a state of peace and calm. :) As with any good thing, too much of it won't benefit so make sure you monitor how much your cats has eaten. Prolonged exposure to catnip will make the herb less potent as well.