What's the deal with catnip?

For those of you who haven’t seen or heard about Catnip, here’s a little Herbology 101 to help you understand the effect it can have on your cat…

When cats are exposed to the leaves or stem of a catnip plant, they react in a way that has been described by cat owners as ‘crazy’, ‘loopy’, ‘childlike’ and even ‘high’. A quick browse through YouTube and the multitudes of ‘my cat on catnip’ videos should give you a fairly good idea of the kind of behaviour it induces. But why?

Catnip, a member of the mint family of herbs, contains an organic compound called nepetalactone, which attracts cats. It is believed to replicate the feline sex pheromones, and most cats respond by licking, sniffing and scratching the herb and displaying unusual behaviour for around three to five minutes after
contact with the plant, which affects them through their sense of smell.

Try before you buy
Surprisingly, perhaps, given its name, not every cat is susceptible to the plant. Only 75 per cent of cats are prone to the reaction described above, with genetics believed to be behind the reason for this. Although catnip is safe for cats, some may actually respond in a negative way to the scent, so it is best to test how your cat will react before buying toys containing traces of the herb.

Many cat owners use catnip to improve their cat’s behaviour, such as rubbing catnip on a scratching post (to encourage your furry friend to use it and not the dining room table leg) or to motivate a lazy cat into action! It should be noted that while catnip is a stimulant when sniffed, it is a sedative when ingested, and some owners have reported that catnip can also be mixed with food to subdue an over-excited kitty.

Catnip is completely non-toxic for cats and can be found in certain cat toys or grown at home. And as this cute kitty shows, the ones that like it really like it!

Image by thriftyfun