Catnip Tea Anyone?

(photo source: Wikipedia)

Catnip, Nepeta cataria, the beloved herb of felines, also makes a soothing, if not particularly tasty, tea for humans.  Adding lemon balm and honey will make it more palatable. 

Catnip is said to be calming, as well as helpful in lowering fevers, relieving the pain of teething and toothache, and a restorative digestive aid for issues such as indigestion, diarrhea, and colic. 

From Back to Eden, by Jethro Kloss- "If every mother had catnip herb on the shelf, it would save her many a sleepless night and her child much suffering." 

Catnip is easy to grow if you can get it established before a cat discovers and destroys it.  This advice from days past does seem to work-

If you set it, the cats will eat it.

If you sow it, the cats won't know it. 

I'm sowing catnip seeds today, and we'll just see how long it takes the cats to discover it.  Hopefully, I'll be able to harvest enough for a pot of tea, and perhaps a catnip mouse or two, before they pounce on it!  (I do have dried catnip in the herb pantry, just in case the cats beat me to it!)

Catnip tea anyone? 

C is for Cat

This week's Alphabe-Thursday ramble courtesy of the CAT.

 

Not me, though in some circles I am known as Cat (and probably something much less kind in others, but we'll not worry about that for now) ... today I'm speaking of this cat-

Don't let the photo fool you, she's only cute and cuddly when she is sleeping!

Felis catus, known in our home as Sadie, often as that stupid cat!



The cat, I hesitate to say our cat, though my husband insists she is my cat since I was  crazy compassionate enough to take pity on the poor, starving creature and give her a bit of food, just until her owner came looking for her, which of course, we all know never happens. 

So, we have Sadie cat, who is not nice by even the most imaginative standards, even after I rescued her from starvation and bitey dogs.  The cat who darts in the door at every opportunity, usually tripping me and then scratching my ankles for squishing her delicate kitty toes while trying not to fall, even though she is well aware has been forever banished to life out of doors for her numerous offenses (well, except when it was cold and icy and snowy ... even I am not that cruel), offenses including but not limited to- jumping on the table during dinner and wrestling a piece of pizza from my 8 year olds hands (she really is a crazy cat), using my potted plants as  kitty litter boxes, attacking my ankles in the middle of the night, etc., etc., etc. She still manages to sneak in numerous times a day.  Once inside she does her best to distract me from whatever task is at hand, demanding instead that I "feed her this minute", no matter that I may have fed her just an hour before.  Which explains why the poor starving kitty is now a big, fat cat, she eats as if she is still on the verge of starvation.

And by the way ... if you are in need of a crazy cranky cantankerous crafty, cunning cat- she has been spayed and vaccinated and is FREE to a good home!  If you are in need of an attack cat, she will be perfect for you.  (she also kills birds, mice and other small creatures ... just so you know)

CAT has become a four-letter word in my house!

I think a cup of catnip tea is in order ... for me, not that cat. 

Please visit Jenny Matlock for more fun with the Letter C!