I want to grow Nepeta (Catmint), but I don't want cats attracted to it! I want to grow it for the Bees, Butterflies and etc....

I've enough problems with loose neighboring cats in my yard and I don't want to attract them with a flowering plant.

Are sterile Catmints a better choice?

Or, do I not grow it to be safe?

Thanks!

Is catnip the same as catmint (nepeta)???

I don't have any trouble wuth cats being attracted to my Nepeta

I agree with Jennifer, cats do not come around my catmint and it has been here for years.

My cat loves Catnip (Nepeta cataria), but he won't touch my other nepetas.

No problems here either. The feral cat that my neighbor feeds never comes near 'Walker's Low'.

Thanks y'all!

Good to know!

My kitties love nepeta. The only one they don't bother is walkers low. The others I must put put a cage around until their big enough to fend for them selves or they are rolled on till death.

Well maybe that explains it, I only grow Walkers Low

I grow four different kinds with no cat problems even though there are cats in the neighborhood. Even the new ones planted two years ago have not been bothered by cats.

I grow many different Nepeta"s. 8 cats of my own and plenty of neighborhood cats. The only Nepeta they bother is the Nepeta cataria.

Can Walker's Low and the rest of Catmint be grown into containers?

Yes! I grow almost everything in containers,. Just be prepared to water and fertilize more often then in the ground.

'Tis said..."If you set it, they will get it. If you sow it, they won't know it."

The idea being that if you're handling it, you're releasing the oils and consequently the scent and they will smell it (cats)

I grew nepeta but finally gave up because once our cat happened upon it, he would return and return and return....smash it down, roll in it, drool all over it...lol..

Where we are now we do have a lot of neighborhood cats who spend a lot of time in our yard so I won't even try to grow it...though I do love it.

I've been reading a lot more on the net with people saying that cats do and don't get into the different varieties of catmint, and as much as I like to offer more flowers to the bees and butterflies, I don't want the cats coming into my yard any more than they do already.

I feed the birds and wild rabbits every day (in feeders and on the ground) and the cats have killed the birds and chased after the rabbits, so I decided not to grow this plant. I don't want to take a chance.

Thank you all very much for the replies and the information!

I understand completely. I used to have all kinds of bird feeders here. I thought as long as they were high off the ground, the cats wouldn't be able to get to them. Wrong! It just brought more birds into the yard and made it easier for the cats to get them. They are bad enough about this without my help.

The nepeta that my cats and the neighbor hood cats love the most are nepeta subessilis varieties. Had a new one last year that I forgot to protect poor thing didn't last long. I was trimming the dead growth the other day since they are regrowing now and there was a line up behind me. Funny some cats are mellowed by nepeta and others get quite aggressive. I was going to get the nepeta cataria last year just too see if they would leave my others alone but forgot.

Hmmm...
I absolutely hate it when I plant nepeta, and the cats ignore it...

At my previous garden, I had catnip growing everywhere!
Seems the cats spread it around... When they ate it and then used the garden as a litter box, thus deterring the voles... And planting the catnip...

Y'all plant catnip and then expect to keep the cats away from it?

Cruel dude, that's just cold.

Stone,

We're talking about Catmint not Catnip.

My cat rolls in both catnip and catmint. Also in valerian. Catnip is more robust and will eventually pop up again, but I've lost several catmints. I'll try Walkers Low next.

Marilyn said:I've been reading a lot more on the net with people saying that cats do and don't get into the different varieties of catmint, and as much as I like to offer more flowers to the bees and butterflies, I don't want the cats coming into my yard any more than they do already.

I feed the birds and wild rabbits every day (in feeders and on the ground) and the cats have killed the birds and chased after the rabbits, so I decided not to grow this plant. I don't want to take a chance.

Thank you all very much for the replies and the information!

Marilyn, if you want to grow some catmint for the lovely blue flowers to feed the bees and butterflies--do it!
It will not cause the cats to come into your yard anymore than they already do because the cats are coming into your yard to hunt the birds and other critters you are feeding. If you really want to un-attract the cats, then don't bait them with birds and critters.

I am a big fan of the 'Select Blue' --that is one rockin' catmint from spring right thru the heat of summer and on thru the fall 'til it freezes. My cats and the neighborhood cats are not interested in it at all but the bees love it!
Seriously, if you are going to keep chumming in the cats with live prey, there is no legitimate reason to simultaneously deny yourself and the pollinators the pleasure of catmint based on the fear of cat attraction think about it

feed the bees too
I promise, you will still have the same cat problem, but it really won't get any worse with the addition of pretty blue flowers.