We had a great time at the NPC this year. We met some of our existing customers and the feedback we got was universally positive – it means such a lot to us to know that our hard work means that cats and their owners are having fun and creating memories with our products.
Here is an interview that thejournal.ie carried out with Aideen. Here she explains where the idea for Fred’s Catnip Farm came from and why we believe our catnip is the best on the market.
When I tell people that I grow catnip one of the first questions people ask is WHAT IS CATNIP ? So I thought it would be a good idea to write about what type of plant catnip is and how it is used.
Catnip is the common name for Nepeta Cataria, a perennial herb that belongs to the Mint family. It has similar leaves and the same square stem structure as other mints but is not generally used for cooking as the flavour is quite different to common mint. You probably do not want to use catnip in your mojito!
The main use of Catnip is as an attractant for cats and it is widely used in cat toys.
Cats react to catnip because of an inherited genetic marker that the majority of cats carry in their genes. So most cats react to catnip but a minority do not. Even big cats like tigers react to catnip so the genetic attribute that makes cats react to this herb must have evolved a very long time ago. Cats that have the ‘catnip gene’ just love catnip and each cat will have their own individual reaction to it. It is impossible to know how an individual cat will react until you actually see the cat react. I have seen cats react in all sorts of different ways. That makes it great fun to introduce your cat to catnip for the first time. When you do, make sure you have your camera ready to video it. You will want to watch it again and again!
Catnip can make a cat playful, rolling in the catnip and play hunting. This is how our Minx reacts to it. If she is given a fresh catnip toy she will ‘murder’ it thoroughly and when she has done that she will protect it from Fred and Barney. On the other end of the scale catnip makes Fred, (our CEO and main quality assurance expert) completely relaxed and chilled out. Fred’s eyes will become like saucers and he will snuggle up to his new catnip toy and snooze away for ages. Barney, likes to eat the catnip. He will nibble away at it and roll around in it. If the catnip is inside a toy, Barney will try very hard to rip the toy open to get to the catnip inside. I believe this reaction is due to the fact that cats can ‘smell’ through their mouth and that is why he wants to nibble it.
Whatever your cat’s reaction it is all due to the naturally occurring Nepeta Lactone contained in the leaves and flowers of the plant and the strength and freshness of the Nepeta Lactone is key to your cat’s reaction to catnip.
Catnip is a natural product and poor handling or long term storage will cause significant deterioration in quality. Nepeta Lactone can be lost from handling or exposure to light and this will be reflected in lower reactions in cats to the product. If you are going to give catnip to your cat you will want to give the best quality catnip both to ensure that your cat gets the best fun possible and also that the catnip is as natural and fresh as possible.
At Fred’s Catnip Farm we want every cat to be able to enjoy the best quality catnip possible and we put in the love and effort into our product so that cats and their owners everywhere can enjoy 100% natural top quality catnip fun.
So now you know the answer to the question “What is Catnip ?”
We had a great time at the Supreme Cat Show in Birmingham on 28th October. Although we sell the majority of our Catnip into the UK it was the first show that we had attended there and it was great to get all of the positive feedback from existing customers and others that did not know that there was a Catnip Farm in the British Isles !
The show was very well run but we wondered if we were out our depth on the Friday setup day when a stand just across from us had their stock delivered in a large DHL lorry and we had just two large boxes full of ours ! It turned out that we had just enough on the day so we were very happy.
Most people who passed out stall were encouraged to have a sniff of our catnip and they were amazed at the difference between ours and our competitors. It should have been the freshest dried catnip in the UK as it was in the field only 6 weeks ago !
Last year I had a lovely day at the Cork Cat Show which was in Cobh. So I am delighted I am able to make it to the 2017 Cork Cat Show.
This year the Cork Show will be in Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal in Blarney. September 17th is the date! As usual the show is on a Sunday.
The really good news is that I will be selling the very first batch of the 2017 catnip harvest at the show. It is drying now and almost ready for bagging. So for the very freshest dry catnip possible make your way to the Cork Cat Show.
I am looking forward to a great day out….and to meet lots of beautiful cats and their lovely humans too!
A classic toy for the great game hunter! This toy has a pocket inside that can be loaded with catnip. The pocket has a velcro fastening so can be reloaded with fresh catnip when needed. With the mouse is included a large 28g bag of Fred’s catnip which provides lots of refills and lots of mouse hunting fun too.
Each of our little mice are hand made with love and so can vary slightly from the pictures shown.
