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by K Marie Alto Updated 9 min read 4 Comments
Cat parents know and love catnip as a fun treat for their feline friends.
Some cats get playful and rambunctious, while others get cuddly and sleepy. Either way, it's a fun time for both you and your fur baby. One common questions pet parents have is does catnip expire?
One critical consideration for pet parents when in comes to catnip is understanding that catnip buying should never be taken lightly. Given the pervasive nature of imported catnip in the USA, you can imagine the high risks involved related to heavy metals contamination.
You may be surprised to learn that buying the wrong catnip could potentially result in the slow poisoning of your beloved cat. I wrote an extensive post on the 7 deadly pitfalls to avoid when buying catnip for cats. Please read and help me share it with other caring pet parents.
It is no secret that the pet products industry is flooded with unscrupulous manufacturers that will use the art of deception in product labeling to mislead pet parents to make a buck at the expense of the happiness and well-being of our furry children.
I've also answered some common questions about catnip before, but if you're interested in keeping catnip around, you probably want to know how best to store it.
For one thing, you don't want your furry little troublemaker getting into a sealed package. At the same time, you don't want your catnip to go bad or expire.
So, does catnip expire? In this blog post I cover from how you should store it to the most common mistakes you may be making with catnip to how to grow your own catnip (with bonus video) for DIYers.
If you are curious to learn more about catnip for cats then make sure not to miss the read further section at the bottom. Alternatively, you can visit my blog and search by topic. Spoiler alert: it is loaded with useful pet parent resources.
Let's dig in.
Catnip is an herb that is part of the mint family.
This is the same family as culinary herbs we use every day, including thyme, mint, and sage, as well as flowers like Bee Balm. When you buy it, it's dried and crumbled into easy-to-use flakes and bits, but on occasion you may also find it as larger stalks.
If you've ever kept a jar of dried herbs in a spice rack for months or years, you know that, over time, they lose potency. They don't taste or smell as fresh because the various chemical compounds that give them their unique scents and flavors break down.
The same goes for catnip. The active ingredient – a class of chemicals, called nepetalactones – are a type of volatile oil. In other words, they easily evaporate when exposed to air.
Over time the oil will break down, and the effect it has on your cat will be reduced. That's why fresh catnip seems to evoke a stronger reaction because it's so much more potent!
When stored properly, catnip can last for quite a while, though catnip's potency will decrease over time no matter how you store it.
Also, while dried catnip doesn't "go bad" on its own, it will if it's exposed to moisture, after all, it is still a plant. That means it can rot. This is rarely an issue; however, the most common problem you may have with catnip is simply age.
Generally, catnip doesn't spoil or go bad outside of extreme circumstances. It will simply lose potency over time, though since cats are sensitive to it, they can still get some effect even with old catnip. It just won't be as pronounced.
The oil in catnip that gives it its effects is vulnerable to oxygen and to UV rays. Both will break down the chemical and cause the herb to lose its potency over time. If you want your fur baby to have the freshest possible catnip, you need to store it properly.
There are, technically, five things to avoid to keep catnip fresh. These are generally the same things that can break down or ruin any herb, spice, or organic product. They are:
Generally, sealing your catnip in an air-tight container and storing it in a cool, dry place is all you need to keep it fresh.
The average shelf life for catnip is around six months. That assumes, however, that the catnip is opened and used every few days, or that it isn't always stored properly.
When stored in ideal conditions and accessed rarely, catnip can last up to two years or more.
"Dried catnip doesn't expire if it's kept in a well-sealed, dry container. It'll lose its potency over time, but it won't harm your cat unless it's moldy from exposure to moisture." – Grove Collaborative
Catnip is very strong, and most cats are usually very sensitive to it. It doesn't take very much to affect them. So, one small package of catnip can last quite a long time.
Some people also recommend storing catnip in the freezer. This can work, but you have to be careful with it. Freezing catnip is a cool, dark place, but it's not necessarily dry.
Freezers often build up humidity, and your catnip can accumulate moisture. When you thaw it out to use it, that moisture will turn it into a wet mess, ruining anything you don't use right then.
Our Momma Knows Best catnip is only the freshest, most recent harvest, and is shipped in an air-tight sealed container for maximum freshness.
The container can be used to keep it dry and sealed when you're not using it, so you don't need to worry about it going bad prematurely.
Catnip is a fairly easy-to-grow herb and can be grown outdoors or indoors in containers. The freshest catnip is catnip that hasn't even been plucked and dried yet, so for the absolute most potent nip for your fur baby, consider growing some yourself.
There are three main challenges to growing fresh catnip.
"For indoor cats, grow several pots that you can rotate between outdoors and indoors. Growing catnip requires a lot of light, so you'll need to move indoor pots back out every couple of weeks and bring in new ones." – Bonnie Plants
That said, this is a very high-maintenance way to keep catnip around. You need the space in an appropriate window, you need to keep it watered, make sure your feline friend doesn't destroy it in their eagerness, and potentially even keep multiple plants in rotation.
On top of that, you need to pluck and dry the leaves and buds before the end of the season. It's all a lot of work compared to just buying some catnip from an all-natural seller like toe beans.
However, if you are one of those DIYers, watch this great 3-minute video on how to grow your own catnip.
Not all cats enjoy catnip the same. Your fur baby might be really into it, or they might be less interested. Around 20-30% of cats don't have a visible reaction to catnip at all, and many more simply become sleepy.
It can be hard to tell sometimes whether your fur baby is napping in the sun because it's comfortable or because they're vibing from the catnip.
When you give your cat some catnip, if they're susceptible to it, they'll react strongly to it right away. After about 10 minutes the initial effects wear off and your feline friend will be immune to more catnip for around half an hour.
“It could take up to half an hour without smelling catnip for your cat to become susceptible to the substance again.” – Gilbertsville Veterinary Hospital
Interestingly, cats don't seem to build up a tolerance to catnip in the long term. It will work more or less the same on them every day, for as long as the herb is potent enough for them to smell or taste.
The potency of catnip will wear off as the herb gets older, but since your cat's scent organs are so sensitive, they will still get enough of the catnip oil to experience the euphoria and pleasure they get from it every time.
As mentioned above, the biggest enemies of catnip are light and oxygen. The best way to keep your catnip nice and strong for your fur baby is to store it in the right kind of container.
You want something that is:
Luckily – even though it's as potent as it possibly can be – fresh catnip isn't dangerous to your feline friend. There are no known health effects of catnip; it's just a fun time for your cat and an amusing chance to play with them.
You can freeze catnip for a short time, but thawing it might introduce too much moisture, depending on your local humidity and your freezer.
We generally recommend keeping your catnip in the container it comes in, in a cabinet your cat can't access. That way, you have it easily available, protected from the elements, and as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
In addition to keeping your catnip fresh, pet parents should also make sure to buy catnip that is free of heavy metals and other cancer-causing contaminants commonly found in catnip coming from China.
It is very easy to be misguided by unscrupulous online sellers and end up buying cheap catnip that may cause irreversible damage to your fur baby. Learn how to safely buy catnip.
If you are looking to learn more about catnip for cats click here. I've written extensively about this topic.
The Anatomy of Momma Knows Best USDA Organic Catnip
Do you have fun stories about your cat and their experiences with catnip? Have you tried growing it yourself and had it go very wrong – or very right?
When you buy catnip, how do you find it most effective to store it? Tell us your stories in the comments below; we love to hear from fellow pet parents!
Additionally, if you have any questions or concerns regarding today's topic or similar subjects, please feel free to ask away in that comments section as well or contact us! We'd be more than happy to assist you and your furry friend's needs.
Read Further
One more thing, if you are feeling like getting a little special something for your fur baby that is unique, made right here in the USA, 100% pup and cat safe, USDA certified organic and brought to you by a US company, check out Toe Beans online pet supplies store!
K. Marie is an animal lover, wife, kitty mom, dog auntie, writer, and co-founder of Toe Beans, a proud American family-owned online boutique pet supplies store focused on the improvement of the life of furry family members via pet parent education, better products, and advocacy. She has over 20 years of experience as a pet momma. She loves sharing her personal journey and experience as a pet parent via her blog and Facebook page where she currently has more than 50K followers (@furrytoebeans) and counting :-). Read more
October 13, 2024
When I buy catnip in a jar from a store, should it be safety sealed like any other jarred product we buy from the store?
July 27, 2022
Hi Beth! Thanks for your question. The life of catnip will heavily depend on how much light, air, and moisture it’s been exposed to. They all break down the oils that your cat loves. Since catnip doesn’t expire, the best way to tell if your catnip is still good is to pop open that bag and give it a good sniff. Odds are it won’t be as potent as you might expect, but your kitty might still respond to it since their noses are so much more sensitive than ours.
As for safety, consider the country of origin of your catnip. If you grew it or bought a USDA organic option, you can rest assured your cat won’t be harmed by the nip. If it was grown abroad and isn’t organic certified just be aware that there is the possibility that the nip, sadly, could be contaminated with heavy metals. You can learn more about identifying safe catnip here: https://www.toe-beans.com/catnip.
July 27, 2022
I have an unopened plastic bag of catnip and it’s been in the freezer for about 3 years. Is it still good?
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K. MARIE - TOE BEANS TEAM
October 13, 2024
Hi Erin – thanks for your question! Anything your kitty is likely to consume, including catnip, should always come in a sealed container. There is always the risk of cross-contamination on products without a seal. When it comes to USDA organic items, there is a requirement for there to be a tamper-evident seal of some sort, so if it’s not sealed, I would pass on the purchase.