You can make catnip oil at home using either a simple kitchen infusion method or a basic steam distillation setup. The infusion method requires no special equipment and produces a scented oil suitable for cat toys, DIY sprays, and mild insect repellent. Steam distillation yields a true essential oil with a much higher concentration of the active compound nepetalactone, but it requires more gear and patience. Here’s how to do both.
Infused Catnip Oil: The Simple Method
An infused oil pulls the aromatic and active compounds out of catnip leaves and into a carrier oil. It won’t be as potent as a distilled essential oil, but it’s the most accessible approach and works well for cat enrichment, homemade sprays, and skin-safe insect repellent blends.
You’ll need:
- Fresh or dried catnip leaves and flowers. Either works. Fresh leaves contain more moisture, so you’ll want to let them wilt for a few hours first to reduce the chance of mold developing in your oil. Dried catnip is more forgiving and easier to work with.
- A carrier oil. Olive oil, sweet almond oil, or fractionated coconut oil all work. Choose something with a long shelf life and minimal scent of its own.
- A clean glass jar with a tight lid. Mason jars are ideal.
Pack the jar loosely with catnip, filling it about two-thirds full. Pour the carrier oil over the plant material until everything is submerged with about half an inch of oil above the leaves. Seal the jar tightly. Place it in a warm, sunny windowsill and let it sit for two to three weeks, shaking it gently once a day to help the extraction along. After the steeping period, strain the oil through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a clean bottle, squeezing out as much liquid as you can. Discard the spent plant material.
For a faster version, you can use gentle heat. Combine the catnip and oil in a slow cooker or double boiler on the lowest setting (around 100°F to 150°F) for four to six hours. This accelerates extraction without damaging the volatile compounds. Strain and bottle as above.
Steam Distillation: Making True Essential Oil
If you want a concentrated essential oil, steam distillation is the standard method. High-quality catnip essential oil contains over 95% nepetalactone, the compound responsible for both the feline response and the oil’s insect-repelling properties. You won’t hit that purity at home without lab equipment, but a basic still can produce a usable essential oil.
A home steam distillation setup consists of a large pot or flask (the “still pot”), a connecting tube or arm, a condenser (a tube surrounded by cold water), and a collection vessel. Copper or stainless steel stovetop distillation kits designed for essential oils are available online for roughly $50 to $150. Fill the still pot with water, place your catnip in a basket or rack above the waterline, and heat the water to a steady boil. Steam passes through the plant material, carrying volatile oils with it. The steam then travels through the condenser, cools back into liquid, and drips into your collection vessel.
The collected liquid will separate into two layers: a thin film of essential oil floating on top of a larger volume of hydrosol (aromatic water). Use a pipette or separating funnel to carefully draw off the oil layer. A typical home run with a few ounces of dried catnip will yield only a small amount of oil, sometimes just a few milliliters. Essential oil yields from herbs are low, so don’t be discouraged.
One thing to know: steam distillation involves sustained high heat, which can degrade some of the more delicate volatile compounds in catnip. Industrial producers sometimes use supercritical CO2 extraction to avoid this, but that method requires specialized high-pressure equipment and isn’t practical at home.
Choosing Your Catnip
The species you want is Nepeta cataria, common catnip. It’s widely available as a garden plant, dried herb, or bulk dried leaf from herb suppliers. If you’re growing your own, harvest just as the plant begins to flower, when the oil content in the leaves and flower tops is at its peak. Cut stems in the morning after the dew has dried.
For infusions, loosely chop or tear the leaves to expose more surface area. For distillation, you can use whole stems, leaves, and flowers. Quantity matters: the more plant material you start with, the more oil you’ll get. Plan on using at least a few large handfuls of dried herb per batch.
How to Store Catnip Oil
Both infused oils and distilled essential oils degrade when exposed to heat, light, and air. Store your finished oil in dark glass bottles (amber or cobalt blue) with tight-fitting caps. Keep them at room temperature, ideally between 59°F and 77°F, and out of direct sunlight. A properly stored catnip essential oil has a shelf life of about 36 months. Infused oils tend to have a shorter life, roughly six to twelve months depending on the carrier oil used. If the oil smells rancid or “off,” it’s time to make a fresh batch.
Using Catnip Oil for Cats
A little goes a long way. For refreshing cat toys, scratching posts, or bedding, dilute the essential oil to a 1% to 5% concentration in water or a carrier oil. In practical terms, that’s roughly 3 to 15 drops of essential oil per tablespoon of carrier. Spray or dab a small amount onto the surface and let it absorb before offering it to your cat. If you made an infused oil, it’s already diluted and can be applied directly in small amounts.
Catnip is classified as “virtually non-toxic.” Toxicity testing has shown very high thresholds for harm through skin contact, ingestion, and inhalation. It can cause mild skin redness at full strength, so dilution is still a good idea for any application involving direct skin contact, whether yours or your cat’s. The “high” cats experience from catnip is a well-documented behavioral response to nepetalactone, not a sign of toxicity.
Using Catnip Oil as Insect Repellent
Catnip oil is a surprisingly effective mosquito repellent. Field trials in Uganda found that a lotion containing just 6% catnip essential oil repelled mosquitoes as effectively as a commercial product with 15% DEET. Even a 2% concentration provided significant protection. To make a simple repellent, mix your catnip essential oil into an unscented lotion or carrier oil at roughly a 5% to 6% concentration, which works out to about 30 drops of essential oil per tablespoon of lotion. Apply to exposed skin as you would any topical repellent.
An infused oil will be far less concentrated than a distilled essential oil, so it won’t perform as well for repellent purposes. If mosquito protection is your main goal, distilled essential oil or a purchased catnip essential oil is the better starting point.