In a previous post, I mentioned that I wanted to try catnip bubbles. I looked into a few different brands, but either couldn't get the full list of ingredients or just didn't completely trust the product. So I decided to try to make my own. Most of the recipes online use catnip essential oil (which is apparently a thing), which I don't have and don't want to use. Some people made these elaborate distillation systems to extract as much of the nepetalactone as possible. That was just a little too intense for me (it reminded me of organic chemistry labs).
So I had to make my own recipe, borrowing ideas from multiple websites. I wanted to use ingredients that I had on hand and knew are safe. It turns out that making bubble solution is actually pretty darn easy. It's the catnip infusion part that is a little bit trickier. I decided to make regular bubble solution, but use a catnip "tea" as the water portion. I tried it out and it works pretty well! It also took a total of 20 minutes to make, which includes a 15 minute waiting period, so it's incredibly easy. I think next time I make it, I'm going to increase the amount of catnip I use. If you try the recipe, play around with the amount of catnip you use since difference forms and strains may have different amount of nepetalactone in them!
Here is my DIY catnip bubble recipe. Feel free to tweak it as you like and let me know if you discover any improvements! I first made the recipe using leaves and stems from my catnip plant. I tried it again with dried catnip, which may actually be a little bit stronger. So if you want to make these bubbles with the actual plant, I would double the amount that you use.
Ingredients:
1/2 water (boiling)
2 tsp dried catnip (or at least four catnip leaves and stems)
1 tbsp dish detergent or castile soap (unscented)
1 tbsp corn syrup
Equipment:
Kettle or pot for boiling water
Small bowl for mixing
Spoon for stirring (and muddling catnip plant if needed)
Tea ball strainer (optional)
Jar to store catnip bubbles
Funnel
Coffee filter
Bubble wand
Directions:
Boil 1/2 cup of water. Once boiling, remove from heat source.
While water is boiling, add catnip to your jar. If using leaves/stems, muddle the pieces to release more of the plant's oils. You can use a professional muddler or the back of a spoon. If using dried catnip, you can place it in a tea ball strainer to make life easier.
Add catnip to hot water and stir gently.
Let the catnip "tea" steep for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The water will turn a light yellow, then a subtle yellow-green color over time and your house will smell slightly of catnip.
The water will likely be at room temperature at this time and safe for handling. Strain the tea to remove any catnip pieces, collecting the water in a jar. If you did not use a tea strainer, the easiest way to do this is to place a coffee filter in a funnel and pour the water through. Squeeze excess water from the coffee filter.
Add 1 tbsp of dish detergent or castile soap and gently stir until fully incorporated. The solution will turn a vibrant green.
Add 1 tbsp of corn syrup and gently stir until fully incorporated. The corn syrup makes the bubbles stronger so they don't pop immediately.
Grab your bubble wand! Catnip bubbles are now ready to use! Store in the fridge (since it contains catnip extract). The cold temperature does not seem to affect the bubble quality. I recommend discarding after a few days.
The bubble solution seems to work pretty well! It is liquidy, but I let the excess drip off the wand before using. I wouldn't say it is any messier than your normal bubble solution. I don't detect any unpleasant smells and the bubbles do stay intact so that the cats can attack them with their paws! That's the best part.
Everyone checked out the bubbles and seemed to have a good time. Owen kept trying to sniff the bubbles and was a little bit confused, but still had fun swatting at them. Fiona liked to watch them land on the floor and then looked up at me expecting me to blow more bubbles for her. Oliver enjoyed smelling the bubbles I caught on my wand, which is not something he liked to do with the regular bubbles.
Orange is really the only one that went crazy over them, but they were more interested in these bubbles than the regular ones. Next time, I'll add even more catnip and see if there is any difference.
As with all bubbles, wipe up any residue from your floors just as a precaution. The ingredients are non-toxic, but do not let your cat drink the bubble solution since it could cause an upset stomach in large amounts.
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