Day 780 (Monday) 29^th July 2019

I hurt my back the other during a stumble on the beach so yesterday I took it really easy in the hope of it getting better but this morning it was still very painful. I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk the usual 5kms to work and back so Huw kindly took me in on the scooter carefully avoiding all the bumps in the road. I had three new students today and all the Russians and Armenians were back, as expected. I tested the three new ones and two of them are almost beginners so they joined Melissa’s group and the other one who is also Russian joined my intermediates. I gave the three advanced students some quite difficult grammar exercises on dependent prepositions and they happily got on with it while I worked with the intermediates. It was a tough morning physically as I was in a lot of pain and Marsha (one of the advanced students) acted as the teacher and wrote all the answers on the board for me. Huw picked me and when we got home he made me sit still for an hour before Frank, our lovely new hairdresser arrived at 2pm. He was very impressed with the view while he cut our hair.

As I had to sit still all afternoon I don’t have much to say so I looked up the benefits of catnip. A few months ago Trinny told us about catnip and how it’s good for indoor cats so we bought some and Badger loves it.

I have found some old photos of Badger to show you how much he has grown.

 

Look at the size of him now!

1. Cat grass or catnip?

The confusion is often made between cat grass and catnip while it is absolutely not the same thing!
Catnip refers to young shoots that the cat can eat to purge while cat grass is not edible and causes strange effects on your cat. Also known as catmint or catnip, catnip like catnip or valerian is found in many cat toys for its stimulating effect. So, unless your feline is insensitive, offer him an accessory with catnip and observe his behaviour: he rolls, rubs, sniffs intensely ... and acts euphorically as under the influence of a drug! An intense moment of joy and well-being for him, which, in addition, is totally natural!

2. Digestive comfort assured!

Cats make their daily toilet to maintain their beautiful coat, and, in passing, they swallow many dead hairs. Once in their stomachs, their hair can agglomerate and form balls of hair that can be more or less easily digested or regurgitated. In times of moulting, when the hairs fall in mass, the risks related to the balls of hairs are then much more important.
What is the interest of catnip? The shoots of fresh grass are rich in fibre and vitamins helping to stimulate intestinal transit and promote its proper functioning. If your cat tends to be bothered by his hairballs, catnip is a valuable ally to help eliminate them naturally.

3. Perfect for quenching your cat's thirst for greenery

If your flat cat tends to attack your plants, it's time to take action! Unfortunately, many plants are toxic, even deadly, to the cat, which can be extremely dangerous if ingested. In addition to placing them high in non-accessible places, you can quite propose catnip to your cat to divert his attention from your indoor plants. Without any risk for his health, on the contrary, you can let him feast as he wishes.

4. An indulgent treat for indoor cats

The apartment cat has little or no access to the outdoors and therefore cannot revel in the fresh grass to purge, digest well and meet his desires of nature. In addition, he is often much less active than an outdoor cat, which can have repercussions on his intestinal transit. Indeed, to move so much to stimulate the latter is why it is not uncommon for apartment cats to suffer episodes of constipation. Thus, to offer him a free access to a pot of catnip can only be beneficial!

5. The maintenance of catnip: a breeze!

If you do not have a green thumb, do not worry! Catnip is a decorative plant that is very easy to grow and is growing very fast. You can buy a ready-made tray, then just water, or seeds of catnip that must be planted in a planter or pot. No need for large garden either; it is a plant that can perfectly live in an apartment or on a balcony.