Can sibling cats have opposite reactions to catnip?
fox asked:
I understand that some cats have a gene that makes them responsive to catnip, while other cats lack this gene. Since we were told that our two cats are siblings, we would expect the same reaction to catnip, yet the female loves it and the male is indifferent to it. Is it possible that related cats have different reactions, or is it more likely that they are not siblings? Curious to know what multi-cat families have experienced. Thank you!
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I understand that some cats have a gene that makes them responsive to catnip, while other cats lack this gene. Since we were told that our two cats are siblings, we would expect the same reaction to catnip, yet the female loves it and the male is indifferent to it. Is it possible that related cats have different reactions, or is it more likely that they are not siblings? Curious to know what multi-cat families have experienced. Thank you!
July 5th, 2010 at 7:50 am
every cat is different doesn’t matter with the litter its all about each separate cat i have 3 adult cats who love it i have a litter of 5 kittens (all from the same litter) and some like it and one hates it ohio girl
July 8th, 2010 at 12:03 am
It may be gene-related but all the kittens a litter do not necessarily have the same father. A female can mate with many males and each of her eggs can be fertilized by different males so the kits would not necessarily have exactly the same genes. That’s why a black mama cat can have kittens with various colors and patterns. And the reaction between sibs to catnip isn’t always the same–my brother had two sib cats, one would get all loving and sweet from catnip but her sister would get excessively nasty. Inundated in SF