Well we have been cutting and hanging catnip for days. We are about one third through the crop and all the plants look fabulous with lots of good size cream and purple flowers on nice clean stems. The crop looks stunning in flower and there are thousands of bees and hundreds of butterflies feeding on the nectar from the flowers.
Today is raining so we are having a natural break as we can’t cut in the rain. A day of rest and a very welcome chance for recovery for my old bones. 
I have been working in Quality Control all day and I am exhausted. Everything is perfect with the catnip plants but I am very thorough and I like to do a very exhaustive series of hands on tests of the plants before I give my seal of approval. As you can see it really takes it out of me. Is there no rest for me? I am supposed to be the CEO of this organisation but need to get paws on to keep on top of things. Oh the stress of it all….
The first thinning of the 2017 catnip crop is underway. The human is very happy as all the plants look really good. The recent hot weather and rain seems to be working a treat on the plants as they are jumping out of the ground. The smell in the field is wonderful and as the early flowers are out the bees have just started to arrive so there is a steady buzz all day as they work the flowers. Looking forward to some lovely lazy afternoons napping in the meadow. Hope you like the picture of the smiley human. Getting a bit grey though so I shouldn’t really be working her quite so hard. The best thing about the picture is the catnip she is holding because it is all mine!
At Fred’s Catnip Farm our Catnip Mouse is one of our most popular products.
It seems natural that a mouse toy is the ideal and obvious toy for any cat. After all in it’s natural environment a cat will happily indulge it’s hunting instincts playing with real mice!
There are many toy mice available on the market and indeed many catnip filled toy mice also. In coming up with our own mouse toy, Fred exhaustively tested lots of products and from this extensive empirical testing, painstakingly carried out by Fred himself, we were able to decide on the very best attributes necessary for a catnip toy. This information we used to source our refillable catnip mouse toy, designed to provide your cat with the very best play experience.
Firstly our mouse is a perfect size for play and comes in a selection of materials all of which are really attractive both to cats and humans alike.
Secondly, it has a hollow refillable tummy. This is brilliant because you can stuff it with as much catnip as you wish and when the toy has been murdered many times and the catnip in it has lost its oomph all you need to do is add some fresh catnip and hey presto your catnip mouse is just as good as it was when you bought it. This means our mouse lasts lots longer than other non-refillable catnip toys. Such toys once played with quickly lose their appeal but can’t be refilled and just end up stuffed under the sofa gathering dust.
Finally, and most importantly, Fred’s catnip mouse comes with an ample supply of Fred’s Catnip. This above all else assures you that your cat will enjoy playtime with this toy. Our catnip mouse comes with enough catnip for plenty of playtime. The catnip supplied with our mouse is Fred’s Catnip Farm catnip. That means it is 100% Irish, it is hand sown and cut. It is naturally air dried, and quality tested by Fred himself. Only the flowers and leaves are used. We do not use any of the woody stalks in our products and we do not add any other plant material to bulk out the product. We use no pesticides or herbicides on our plants so our catnip is 100% natural with no horrible chemicals. We would not want anything less than the very best pure catnip for Fred and we want the same for your cat too!
If you keep our catnip in a dry, dark, cat proof location (a kitchen drawer or old biscuit tin is ideal) it will keep very well. But please don’t be stingy with the nip! Your cat will love playtime all the more with Fred’s catnip and you will too!
Bees are in terrible trouble from disease, pests, loss of habitat and changes in farming methods. However we can all make a little contribution to saving the honeybee. My contribution is my catnip. From my research and from watching my plants I can see that honeybees love catnip.
Catnip is a wonderful plant for bees because it flowers profusely for most of the summer. Often the flowers only fade when the first frosts come. The tiny flowers, carried is great numbers on the catnip stems produce both pollen and nectar. From what I have read it is unclear if catnip pollen is much used by honeybees. However the nectar helps the honeybee colony produce a substantial stock of honey for the winter months.
So here’s to catnip, a very talented plant, and to honeybees too!
Because of the feedback from our wonderful customers and the extra demand that this has created we have had to expand our production in 2017. With that in mind we have now taken on around 3 times as much land as last year, therefore we need more plants.
This week we have started planting the catnip seeds in our brand new polytunnel. They should be ready for planting out in April and will be ready for harvest in late August early September. We still have the plants from last year which might be ready for harvest a little earlier.
We’ll keep you up to date with how this year’s catnip crop is coming on.
But don’t worry you won’t have to wait until then for our catnip as we still have some of the 2016 crop in stock.
Fred likes to be stroked with his catnip pillow and is very laid back about it all. But Minx gets a bit more paws on when playing with her pillow. Every cat is different in how they react to catnip so basically you won’t know till you try!
Here is just a little demonstration of Minx’s technique. Her reaction lasts about 10 minutes. Then her pillow is put away for a few days before she has it again. Minx is not a spring chicken and does not go out much now so this is a good way to get her to have a bit of exercise and she does love it. She will sleep after playing with her catnip pillow for quite a long time.
Yesterday was the big day of the Limerick Cat Show and a very excited human set off at the crack of dawn to get there Unfortunately her navigational skills are nothing to write home about and despite her early start she got to the show late and frazzled. So much for presenting a cool calm exterior!
However despite the tardy start she had a lovely day. She met lots of lovely catnip lovers and their humans too!
A big thank you goes to the Midland Cat Club and the GCCFI for organising the show and a big thank you also to all our customers and friends who came along on the day. The feedback on my catnip was great….of course but it is great to get the lovely feedback.
Only a few days to go now before the Limerick Cat Show. Fred’s Catnip Farm will be there so you can stock up on the very best Irish Catnip treats for your special feline friend. So keep Sunday February 19th free: come along to see the show and don’t forget to say hello!
Fred’s Catnip Farm stall will have in stock a range of goodies your cat will love including our jumbo catnip bags, refillable catnip mice, catnip pillows, and catnuts in assorted colours.
This is Gilly who is a beautiful little girl with absolutely gorgeous white fur. As you can see she is getting to grips with a catnip pillow from Fred’s Catnip Farm and demonstrating exactly how to do it!
Gilly is in the care of Cats Without Homes who do a great job helping cats find their forever homes.
