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Along the same lines, does it gives cats a “hangover” of sorts afterwards? The article describes catnip as similar to heroin for humans. I’ve never done heroin but I would imagine the withdrawal is really unpleasant which is what then causes addiction. Do cats experience the same come down? Can cats get addicted to catnip if they have access to an unlimited supply?

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The behavior I notice with my cats when they have some ‘nip is they get a little active then have a time where they just mellow out. But cats also sleep about 16 hours a day, so it is hard to determine at what point being mellow shifts into their typical nap time.

I don’t think there’s a long-term tolerance that builds up. I get the sense it is short-acting. I’ve read once a cat has catnip, giving them more in a 15-20 minute window is pointless because they’ve already been “activated” by it. They need to come down from the initial dose first.

My cats’ vet has suggested to use catnip to encourage activity (they’re a big chunky and need some exercise).

I bought a ton of catnip and my cat seemed to become indifferent to it pretty quickly. Maybe it just dried out, though.

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