A Michael Broad Blog
Until a recent study was published by a group of Japanese researchers led by biochemistry Professor Masao Miyazaki of Iwate University’s Faculty of Agriculture, there was no hard evidence that silvervine (matatabi) was safe and non-addictive to domestic cats. Although the general consensus was that it is a safe and a mild hallucinogenic which …
Anxiety is a massive issue with domestic cats. It is often a hidden condition because cats hide their anxiety and sometimes their caregiver is insufficiently involved with their cat to recognise it. But if a cat is hiding a lot and behaves in a fearful way, he/she will be feeling anxious. And you can …
This is a red herring in my considered opinion. There are indications that people are using Google to search for “catnip poisoning in cats”. There is one well-known website which discusses this topic together with symptoms, causes and diagnosis but they have nothing to say as is the case for all other major websites …
Everyone says that a cat cannot be poisoned by catnip (Nepeta cataria) in the conventional sense. The worse that can happen is that it may cause vomiting if large quantities are ingested and it may cause a headache and general malaise/lethargy, according to the Pet Poison Helpline. Other experts say the same thing. It’s …
This article was published on 6th June 2010 and is as applicable today as it was then: This is about herbs for a cat — 6th June 2010. I have just received an email from Kathrin Stucki of A1 Savannahs. She went to the herb festival in Ponca City, Oklahoma, USA, where she bought …
Most cat caregivers know that domestic cats get a non-addictive high from silvervine and catnip. Silvervine is also called matatabi (又旅) or Japanese catnip. It is a climbing plant that grows in the mountainous regions of China, Japan, Korea and eastern Russia at an elevation of 1,600-6,200 feet. We also know that domestic cats …
I think this is a very good question. What if you see an injured feral cat and you want to help by taking her to a veterinarian? True feral cats are essentially wild. They are totally unsocialised. This means they aren’t domesticated which in turn means that they are fearful of people. They’re going …
We don’t know why some cats don’t react to catnip! That’s the complete and unhelpful answer. The experts think that a cat is predisposed to reacting to catnip because of their inherited genes. But we don’t know what genes are the triggers. The experts call it “the genetics of catnip sensitivity or susceptibility”. We …
