Did you dry your catnip first or give it to your cat fresh? Makes a difference.

FataMorgana

Fresh.

Bingo. That is your problem. Fresh doesn't have the same appeal. Dry it first. Variety doesn't matter. Just buy seeds that would be to grow catnip intended for herbal use - I'm not sure if there are ornamental varieties of standard catnip. Ornamental varieties never are the best herbs for the essentials oils and active constituents.

FataMorgana

Some cats do prefer dried version but I've known cats who spaz over the fresh version too.

What is your cat's age? The young cats are less interested in the catnip, but older they go, more likely they'll go crazy. If your cat wasn't young when you tried to give it fresh catnip, then yeah, it might prefer the dried version.

try growing ornamental catMINT (nepeta), too...many cats roll and play in it for hours, finally falling asleep IN the plant itself, haha....

My cats like both fresh and dried. Were your plants in full sun? That seems to produce the stronger essential oils.
When I have to purchase dried catnip, I get the "tea" from the health food store as it is leaves and flowers without stem. The cats like it better than the powdery stuff that's packaged just for cats.

I have noticed that some catnip varieties are not appealing to cats. There are ornamental types that look attractive but lack the fragrance that cats enjoy.

Well last year I bought 6 Catnip plants from our local nursery. My cat ended up killing each and every plant within a couple months, but yes they seem to love the dried leaves more than the fresh. If I decide to try growing the plants again I will have a wire cage around the plant. One plant did self-seed in my lawn but I pulled it up as a weed before I realized what I was pulling up so now I have no plants.

I have it growing wild in my yard. It flowers white, not purple like the catmint, which is different. My indoor cats love it fresh when I bring some inside. They roll around in it and eat some of it, too. But cats have their individual preferences, so keep trying until you find something your kitty likes. They're worth it!

I definitely noticed a difference in the smell of the dried catnip I've bought and the fresh nip I grew.

Nepeta Cataria is catnip, other nepeta's are cat MINT.

Catnip is much more attractive to cats than catmint. It doesn't need to be dried, cats love it fresh in the garden.

Mine will eat half the plant, roll around in it, then fall asleep in it.

But don't just plant catnip for cats, it also makes a great tea and the bees love it.