Catnip - When Your Cat Gets High
Dear Diary,
The number of myths and false beliefs about cats that stick around is huge.
No, cats are not supposed to drink milk. They are lactose intolerant!
No, a flicking cat’s tail doesn’t mean your cat is happy. Remember, cat ≠ dog. It’s a warning sign.
No, cats are not nocturnal, they are crepuscular (eh?!). Their peak activity is during dawn and dusk. Yes, Jamie can vouch for this.
No, not all cats hate lemons or are afraid of cucumbers (watch this video ‘cat vs. cucumber’.) Guess what, Jamie isn’t bothered by lemons or cucumbers …
No, cat allergies are not caused by their hair but rather by a protein naturally produced in their salvia.
And the list goes on …
Though, one particular obscure thing is actually true.
There’s a drug for cats. It’s called ‘catnip’.
Cats and drugs? I mean seriously? Did we get that far… well.
The Catnip Story
The fact is, lions, tigers, leopards and cats are all heavily attracted to the leaves of catnip.
Catnip (nepeta cataria) is a herb from the mint family.
The fresh leaves have a very aromatic and refreshing minty scent and are a great addition to your garden.
The plant is very easy to grow, low-maintenance and looks pretty when blooming with its violet flowers during summer.
It’s also commonly used in its dried form, usually sold in little packages (they do look like drugs!) and cat toys are often stuffed with it.
Catnip oil spray comes in handy if you want to encourage your feline to use the scratching post rather than your sofa. Maybe I should give this a try …
The Effect of Catnip on Cats
So the big question is - what happens if your cat smells catnip?
… they get high!
They start to roll around, rubbing themselves eagerly against the leaves (or toy). They purr their souls out, they might even start drooling. They are in heaven.
After about 10 minutes this fun-to-watch show comes to an end. Smell fatigue
has set in. Your cat will be immune for about the next half an hour before the show starts all over again.
Catnip is also used to calm nervous cats down (i.e. before heading to the dreaded vet) or to relieve pain.
However, only two-thirds of cats are attracted to it (Jamie certainly is as you can see in the header image) and it usually doesn’t work for kittens either.
By the way, just in case you were planning to start a catnip farm - it has no effect on humans. Sorry. I actually think the dried version smells like old socks.
Though, it is used in herbal teas as a human remedy for all sorts of things.
The Science Behind Catnip
What’s the reason behind all this cat madness-inducing plant?
Cats react to nepetalactone which is a volatile oil found in the leaves of catnip. It triggers a reaction via the scent organ that is found in the roof of their mouth.
This leads to two different responses in their brain:
An emotional response is triggered in the amygdala.
Hormones are released through the hypothalamus.
The catnip basically acts as an artificial cat pheromone. It’s a sex hormone that mimics the behaviour of a female cat in heat.
It makes them happy, relaxed and overly affectionate.
Oh, cats can also overdose! It can make them sick and cause dizziness. It’s therefore recommended to limit the playtime with catnip toys to a couple of times a week.
However, most of the toys lose their potency quite quickly anyways, so your cat be totally fine.