My answer to all your questions is "yes". My garden is in the middle of a neighborhood with beaucoup numbers of domestic, feral, and stray cats. Not only is there my own collection (i.e., those I feed) of 1 stray, 2 domestic, and 2 feral cats, but also a number of other catty locals who drop by for a look, a chat, or a spat, as the case may be. There actually are cats who are not attracted to catmint, but in my experience they are very rare. Most have no restraint whatsoever when it comes to partaking of the 'nip.

As a result, I have completely given up on ornamental catmints (average half-life of about 30 minutes before being wallowed to death, if that) and only maintain the utility catnip (Nepeta cataria) plants by protecting its core with wire baskets so that only tips get harvested or crushed. Visiting cats enjoy my catnip along with the other amenities. I recently lost all my "volunteer" catnip seedlings when a new, sybaritic stray (now sadly deceased) went at them with such vigor that all were obliterated in short order -- it was amazing how fast, and thoroughly, he discovered each and every one.

Annie's Annuals claims that one species, Nepeta tuberosa, does not attract cats. I can emphatically say that this is not true. It did last for a week or two, but Bella eventually found it, found it irresistible, and that was the end of that.

I love catmints and used them a lot under my roses when I lived in Massachusetts. There, however, I lived out in the country with few cat neighbors nearby. My wonderful old tabby cat there would mash a few, here and there, but not to the extent that growing them was futile.

I live near a ravine & we have a lot of feral cats,I have trapped & spayed more of them than I can count & now feed 7 of them & one is a house cat. I grow nepeta fassenii (sp?) & they love it but not to the point of destruction, I've even had to divide it a few times in 3 years. It's gorgeous with my pink roses.

Jane

Thank you for your candid responses. Nepeta is a no.

I have had Nepeta and cats for 20 years or so, and never more than a polite nibble from cats, my own or strays. Why don't you get one or two now and see what happens? Nothing else is quite like it in effect. Only the true catnip, Nepeta cataria, got demolished in one night. Catmints have been fine.

gdinie,

I have a German Shepherd and do not want to attract cats to the yard. Plant loss is my secondary and minor concern.

Lynn

OK, got it. Success with your rose beds!

gdinie,

Thanks. In my previous garden I grew 3 types of lavender, saliva, penstemon, day lilies, tulips, vinca, alyssum, etc., but have coveted the Nepeta I see in gardens and magazines. It almost seems to be one of the quintessential accompaniments for roses. Now that I have more gardening space, I had hoped to safely integrate it into my beds. Oh well.....

Thank you too for the info.

I substitute salvias - I too tried nepeta as it is a 'classic' rose companion but at one point I counted a over a dozen cats visiting my sad battered specimens. Most of them gave up the ghost and were composted. I keep trying with N. Govaniana because I love it, and because it likes wetter feet the cats are less keen on rolling about in it. It still gets trashed regularly though. I might try a sacrifice plant somewhere next year, not sure where, space is at a premium in my small urban garden!

I grow masses of Nepeta (quite a few different cultivars), it's one of my garden stalwarts. I have never, ever had an issue with cats in it, not our own cat or any of the neighbours.

Never had a problem with cats and Nepeta, either. I have grown cat nip and would find the cat bedded down in it, but they couldn't care less about the mint.

Desertgarden, quite a different effect, and I don't know how they do in your area, but have you ever tried Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla mollis, under roses? They make the pinks etc. pop! Beautiful combination, though they don't rebloom for me.

Alchemilla mollis was a plant I used a lot in western Massachusetts (Z5) -- spectacular - but I haven't succeeded with it here in Z9 -- whether it is the heat or the dryness or relative winter warmth, I don't know, but it rapidly dwindles away. Sad to say, because it was a great underplanting and edging plant in MA.

I wonder if whether or not one's catmint gets clobbered has to do with whether or not it's been "discovered" or "put on the map" by some cat initially using it? They do pay attention to each other's activities by following scents. This might explain the discrepancies in experiences. I have cats (see last paragraph) that are very "into" scented plants.

I just returned from taking care of a neighbor's cat and plants while they are away and noticed a huge, intact, unprotected, unmolested Nepeta cataria in their backyard (!). Their cat normally goes outside but is apparently not big on catnip. He also protects his backyard from feline intruders. I will be watching to see the fate of that beautiful 'nip plant in his temporary absence from the yard, see if another cat notices it.

My domestic cats, on the other hand, are not only wild about Nepeta in any form, but also appreciate Geranium 'Biokovo', Pelargonium capitatum (a nice plant of that left unfortunately accessible was soon demolished down to a single leaf and a mangled stem, from which it is now slowly recovering), and various other mints (spearmint, peppermint, etc.). Just this morning I watched a succession of ferals plus the stray take a roll in my 'nip after breakfast as they wandered off to start their day.

In a hot dry climate Lavender is a good substitute for Nepeta. Actually the dwarf types live longer and look better longer--they don't split open to reveal dry dead stems as fast as the tall Lavenders do.

I think the one I have is walkers low? Or grow low or something - cats never bother it. The only time my cats take any interest is after I've been out cutting it back and raking it up - they like to sniff my shoes.

Would the presence of a big dog deter any cats in any case? If it were my garden I'd try out a few plants and see what happens.

As both a grower of catmint and a veterinarian I feel qualified to comment on this...catmint is basically a very watered down version of catnip and is unlikely to attract cats from any distance. If you are already had cats regularly passing through your property they might stop to enjoy it but no cat is going to abandon its sense if survival and brave your dog just to partake. My cats only notice it when i bring in cut bouquets of the stuff. Plant it, its one of the best performing flowers in my garden, blooms from may-october for me and I just love it.

What you say makes sense, allencia. Cats of all sorts are free to pillage whatever they want in my yard, at their leisure. For a long time, my yard was the only one on the block without a dog, so it was basically THE cat refuge; now it is one of several without a dog but still a popular place for felines to hang out (all day, all night, all week....). I still remember when we first moved in and my calico cat Ollie (all attitude all the time) popped over the fence to check out the neighbor's yard for the first time and within a milli-second popped back over (like popcorn) when she discovered the neighbor's dog.

allencla,

I have not seen a single cat in my neighborhood , but, I have only been living here for a a handful of weeks. A cat new to my yard may not realize the dog is present ( I think), and it could come down to which runs the fastest. I have a few months to assess the situation before I make a truly final decision. Thank you for your input as both a gardener and veterinarian; especially the explanation regarding catmint vs. catnip.

Lynn

I lost two Nepeta -- 'Little Titch' and 'Dropmore Hybrid' -- to the neighborhood strays. The other two -- 'Walker's Low' and 'Six Hills Giant' -- also suffered, but I managed to cage them off with short tree branches and they rebounded. I think now if I planted them again they'd be fine. The garden is filling up, so it's a bit harder for them to make their way to the Nepeta. Plus it seems they don't like walking on the used coffee grounds I've been putting down. I haven't seen any damage to my two survivors at all this year, and they're no longer caged. Also, my poor 'Mme Laurette Messimy' can finally grow unmolested -- it was frozen back to the mulch line a year ago, and the soft new growth was continually trampled by cats rolling in the Nepeta planted nearby. So I'd say give it a go with a plant or two to start -- the worst that can happen is that they end up getting trampled to death, and you're out a few dollars. Or, if you know any gardeners with Nepeta, ask for some cuttings. From my experience, they root very easily.

:-)

~Christopher

Cats used to visit my nepeta (catmint) all the time but they don't anymore, not ever. I now have a dog and cats are not stupid. BTW, not all cats are attracted to catnip or catmint. It seems to be a genetic thing that some of them have and others do not.