It’s International Cat Day and we want to make sure your kitty is getting the recognition they deserve. That’s why we’ve created a recipe for the perfect summer treat, catnip iced tea! 

Catnip tea is a safe and refreshing treat for your cat that is made by steeping the leaves of a catnip plant in boiling water, then serving over ice. 

Catnip is an inexpensive herb available at most grocery and pet stores.. or you can even grow the catnip plant in your garden! Catnip's benefit is that it targets the feline “happy” receptors in the brain. Cats often react to catnip by rolling, flipping, rubbing, and eventually zoning out. My cat, Marlon, however, reacts with a loud, abrupt meow followed by a 3 foot horizontal jump, legs flailing in the air. Each cat will have their own unique and equally strange reaction!

For this recipe, we’ve decided to use a staff favourite, the Handy Brew Tea! This is a foolproof steep and release tea brewer that lets you accurately control the brewing process, and release tea directly into your vessel, mess-free! If you don’t have a Handy Brew Tea, however, any loose leaf tea steeper or fillable tea bag will do the trick. 

Before getting into it, it may be worth mentioning that this recipe is quite flexible, so feel free to adjust it as you’d like! Unless your cat is a trained tea sommelier. In that case, please be sure to follow the recipe exactly as stated. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp dried catnip
• 2 cups water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place dried catnip in tea steeper
2. Pour boiling water over catnip
3. Let steep for 3-5 minutes
4. Drain into vessel and chill or drain over ice and serve

Ensure the tea is completely cooled before serving! 

The leftover tea can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Though my kitties loved sipping on the tea, photographing them in the process on a tiny balcony proved to be quite the challenge! I would set up for the perfect shot as they took 2 sips, then inevitably sprint away, only to come back for more… and the process would repeat. 

Penelope found more entertainment in rolling around beside the glass, then knocking it over and swatting around the ice cubes. 

Regardless, both cats had a wonderful time and were tired out for the rest of the morning, though that doesn’t take much.

If you try this at home, be sure to let us know how your kitty responds or tag us in a photo on Instagram, we’d love to meet all your feline friends! :) It's always fun to find different ways to use catnip to make your cats day a little extra special :)