On Saturday I bought a new scratch pad for Rotley and Ruggles, which included catnip. The scratch pad was manufactured by SmartyKat and was manufactured in China. I've used their stuff before with no problems, although the previous products were made in the USA.
However, the catnip, which was included in the scratch pad box and was to be applied to the scratch pad itself, was not good for Ruggles.
I put a couple of pinches of catnip on the pad, rubbed it in, and put the pad down on the ground for the cats.
About 30 minutes after the two cats were exposed to the catnip, Rotley was vomiting violently and Ruggles exhibited stroke-like symptoms which included severe dizziness, disorientation, panic, and paralysis on the left side of his body. A few minutes later, when Ruggles was able to get to his feet, he was leaning against the wall while walking, trying to keep from falling over.
I was in the kitchen by this time, frantically calling my vet's emergency phone number.
By the time my vet returned the call, both cats had almost completely returned to normal behavior. The vet indicated that it was because of the catnip.
My cats have been exposed to catnip from the ages of 6 months onward. They never reacted to catnip like this before.
Yesterday I went back to the store and was refunded my money, and I signed a product liability form.
Please be careful of the catnip you give your cats. The sight of a terrified Ruggles, trying to get to his feet and falling over, was horrible.
