Important Note:
Cats must always have access to fresh water. Catnip tea should only be offered as an occasional treat if your cat enjoys it, larger amounts can cause digestive upset. Seek advice from your veterinarian before offering your cat new foods and treats, as they may not be appropriate or safe for all cats depending on their age, underlying health or any medication they are on.
Sometimes, you want to spice up your kitty’s diet. After all, eating and drinking the same thing day in and day out must be boring, right? But you know you shouldn’t give your cat a ton of treats, and you know people food is definitely out of the question. So, how can you give your pet a nice change of pace when it comes to what they eat or drink?
With catnip tea! Wait, tea for cats? Yep. This tea is made with catnip (which we know most kitties adore) and offers your cat a refreshing alternative to plain, boring water (which should entice them to drink more). You can make catnip tea in a variety of ways (not all of them are exactly tea), but no matter how you make it, your cat should be thrilled with the drink.
The 6 Easy Recipes for Catnip Tea for Cats
1. Catster Recipe – Simple Catnip Tea
Simple Catnip Tea
As the name of this recipe indicates, this is the simplest, most basic form of catnip tea that you can make. It only involves two ingredients and only takes a few minutes to complete! When it comes to the catnip, it’s advisable to start with a small pinch first to see if your cat likes the tea. If they do, you can add another pinch next time.
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Pot or kettle
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Mug or bowl for serving
- 1 cup Water
- 1 pinch Dried or fresh catnip
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Boil water
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Add catnip to a mug or bowl
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Once the water has boiled, pour it over the catnip
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Let the tea steep for 3 minutes
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Let the tea cool, then serve to the cat
2. Honey, The Cat’s Dipped The Nip Again (Catnip Tea)
This fun recipe spices up the original catnip tea recipe above with the addition of chicken broth. Catnip tea alone might make your kitty go wild, but add some tasty chicken broth, and you’ve got a drink sure to delight even the pickiest of felines. Choose chicken broth that is specifically made for cats.
| Calories: | 0 kcal. |
| Number of Servings: | 4 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients:
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 tsp dried or fresh catnip
- 1/4 tsp instant powdered cat-safe chicken broth (no or low sodium, no onions or garlic)
Instructions:
- Place the water in the container.
- Add the other ingredients.
- Shake until broth is dissolved and catnip has tinted the water green.
- Serve 1/4 cup to your cat.
- Refrigerate the leftovers.
- Warm the leftovers just a touch before serving.
3. Iced Catnip Tea
Iced catnip tea is essentially the original recipe, just with ice. Or rather tea that has been strained over ice, in this case. Going with iced catnip tea saves you waiting for the tea to cool down and ensures your kitty doesn’t burn their tongue!
| Calories: | 0 kcal. |
| Number of Servings: | 4 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients:
- 17 oz water
- 2–3 tsp organic catnip
- Ice
Instructions:
- Boil water, then remove from heat.
- Add catnip and let brew for 5 minutes.
- Strain the tea over ice using the sieve.
- Serve the tea to your cat.
4. Catnip Tea Ice Cubes
If your kitty isn’t digging catnip tea in a bowl, or you just want to make things more fun for them, you can make catnip tea ice cubes! These fun frozen treats are perfect for hot days and are a great way to add extra water to your cat’s day.
| Calories: | 0 kcal. |
| Number of Servings: | 12 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients:
- Amount of hot water your ice cube tray will hold
- 1 tsp dried catnip for every 8 oz of water used
Instructions:
- Measure how much water your ice cube tray will hold, then boil it.
- Add 1 teaspoon of catnip for every 8 ounces of water and stir.
- Let the tea cool.
- Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze.
- Serve to kitty.
5. Catnip Ginger Tea
Is your cat suffering from an upset stomach? Then, this catnip ginger tea may help soothe their tummy. Ginger has been used traditionally to help with vomiting and nausea, although too much ginger and catnip can have the opposite effects.
| Calories: | 0 kcal. |
| Number of Servings: | 12 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp dried catnip
- 1 tsp goat milk (or Cat Milk)
- 1/2 cup hot boiling water
- Dash of ginger (roughly 1/2 cm of ginger root)
Instructions:
- Take the ginger root and cut roughly 1/2 centimeters off.
- Slice ginger into tiny pieces.
- Place ginger pieces and catnip into a tea diffuser.
- Place the diffuser into hot water and wait about 6 minutes.
- Add a dash of goat milk or Cat Milk, let cool to room temperature, and serve to your cat.
6. Champagne Tastes Catnip Tea
This catnip tea recipe is supposed to be for humans, but with a couple of mild tweaks, you can easily make it cat-friendly. Simply leave out the sugar and honey and ditch the lemon. Then, for the herbal variation, add a cat-friendly herb, such as basil!
| Calories: | 0 kcal. |
| Number of Servings: | 4 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients:
- Few pinches of fresh or dry catnip
- 2 cups water
- A couple of basil leaves or other cat-friendly herbs
Instructions:
- Rinse the catnip and herbs.
- Boil the water.
- Add the catnip to the pot and muddle with the back of the wooden spoon.
- Add the herbs.
- Steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Strain using a sieve.
- Let cool and serve to the cat.
Conclusion
Making catnip tea for your cat is a fun way to get them to drink more and let them enjoy the “high” of catnip. Making this kind of tea is incredibly simple and only takes a few minutes to complete; plus, you can make tons of variations to the most basic catnip tea recipe! So, if your kitty is a big catnip fan, try one of these recipes and see how much they enjoy it.
Featured Image Credit: TarasBeletskiy, Shutterstock
