Karnak Street Kats

My cats adore catnip. Some will eat it, some will roll in it and some do both. In all my years of owning cats, I have had only one cat that did not like catnip, Dos. He could never understand what was going on with the other cats when catnip was distributed. He would sniff it, paw it, then look at the other cats mystified. I do know that a small percentage of cats are like Dos and do not react to catnip.

I have always had fresh catnip for my cats. When I only had two cats, Teeger and Tippy, a brother and sister, I could grow catnip behind the rose bushes in a corner of my garden. Teeger was a large, long-haired black cat; Tippy a robust tortoiseshell. Both were indoor/outdoor cats.

I was a successful grower for a number of years until Teeger discovered the catnip. I came home from work one summer day to find Teeger lying on his back among the remains of my catnip bed. He must have spent hours there behind the roses. He looked at me dreamily and did not move. The catnip never had a chance after that. Teeger returned day after day to that catnip until nothing remained.

After Teeger's debacle, I had to find a new way to grow catnip. My solution was to switch to a hanging basket. The hanging basket proved successful. I can grow large quantities of catnip in a basket hung from a chain under the oak tree. I trim the catnip back ever so often and share the green bounty with my cats. I think the fresh catnip is particularly good for my indoor cats.

Winter is a problem. I tried bringing the hanging basket inside, but that resulted in total destruction of catnip and basket. I still don't know how the cats managed to reach the basket. Now, I hang the basket on the front porch where it is protected from all but the hardest freezes. For those extremely cold times, I put the catnip in my office which is off-limits to the cats.

My cats know that I have been writing about their favorite herb. They all have that look of expectancy. I will go cut some for them to enjoy.