This greyish-green plant has a weedier appearance than catmint, it has large leaves and small white flowers.Ĭatnip grows taller and wider than catmint and it also grows quicker.Ĭats often want to eat catnip but the smell alone can also cause the euphoric feeling and the amusing behaviours that go with it (running around, rubbing, rolling, and being generally excited and playful). So if you have cats and you’ve planted catmint, there’s a good chance your catmint will be flat half the time.Ĭatmint is a beautiful plant, it has smaller leaves than catnip and blooms with bright purple-blue flowers in late spring to the middle of summer.Ĭatmint is also a natural insect repellent and is edible too, with a mild minty taste.Ĭatnip is preferred by cats thanks to its higher nepetalactone content.Ĭats will eat catnip, as well as roll around in it.įor most cats catnip is irresistible which is why they love catnip toys. Some cats seem indifferent to the plant, especially if there’s something more interesting nearby (such as catnip).Ĭats that do like catmint seem to enjoy playing and rolling in the plant rather than eating it. Some cats are attracted to catmint but it is nowhere near as appealing to them as catnip. How Does Catmint Differ From CatnipĬatmint and catnip are both from the same plant family but there are a few key differences, particularly in the way cats react to the plants:Ĭatmint is a herb but is considered an ornamental plant too thanks to its attractive appearance. Fortunately, catmint is a hardy plant and can continue to grow even with the occasional attention from cats.
When cats show interest in catmint they tend to roll around in the leaves rather than eat them. There is not as much nepetalactone in catmint but it is enough to catch a cat’s attention as they walk past.ĭue to the low nepetalactone content, a cat has to be very close to the plant in order to be affected by it. Catmint Alternatives That Don’t Attract Cats Why Are Cats Attracted To Catmint?Ĭatmint contains a component that attracts cats called nepetalactone, the same component that is found in catnip.Some cats are attracted to this variety too, but not with the same fervor and excitement as they are to its catnip cousin. Just a nice shearing after the first blooms and they keep blooming into late Autumn. It’s a perennial ornamental and comes back each year with very little care as they are super drought tolerant. It is a perennial and comes back each year but I prefer to plant fresh ones in hanging baskets in the main catio.Ĭatmint ( Nepeta faassenii) is an attractive looking mint variety with beautiful lavender flowers that attract bumblebees and butterflies. Bees and butterflies are also attracted to this plant. I wish I could find a way to extract this oil and bottle it, but for now, I will keep harvesting the plant for kitties’ enjoyment throughout the winter. It has a more bushy, weedy appearance but redeems itself with pleasant looking white flowers. Nepetalactone is the organic compound found in catnip that sends our furry friends into a euphoric frenzy.
So what’s the difference between catnip and catmint?Ĭatnip ( Nepeta Cataria) is the most popular variety of catmint among cat lovers the world over. But the catmint that we really go crazy for is the one with the white flowers. Our big lady cat likes to plant this around our tunnel too, because it looks pretty and we like to watch those fuzzy black and yellow flying things. Like most cats, we love catnip, but we also like sniffing the catmint plant and watching the bees and butterflies as they circle around the purple flowers. It’s all about keeping the peace and spreading the love. He tried that once with me and never again! I’m also known as the social facilitator because I like to groom my friends and spread the communal scent. You see, Baggy thinks he’s the leader, as he always powder puffs my other housemates when they’re in his path. Happy Caturday Furriends! It’s Mr Jack here, and today I feature in our Caturday Doodle blog hop, hosted by Athena Cat Goddess. Well, it features Baggy too, the brown tabby on the left, and Jimmy Fancy Feet on the right, but as you can see I’m the centre of attention.
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