What Is It With Catnip.... Which Attracts Cats?

[Ludwig Venter]

What is it in catnip which attract cats the way it does???.... my cats are absolutely crazy about it, and nibbles at it.... rolls in it, rubs in it..... (must say though... it looks a lot like weed and seems to have the same effect..... Just why are cats so attracted to it??

 

[MBOU]

No idea really, i would assume it acts in the same way as certain drugs would do with humans...

The common behaviors that are observed are: rubbing on the plant, rolling on the ground, drooling, sleepiness, anxiety, or consuming much of the plant. The plant terpenoid nepetalactone is the main chemical constituent of the essential oil of Nepeta cataria and acts as a feline attractant. This chemical enters the feline's nose, and produces effects on the cat.[3]

Catnip has a history of human medicinal use for its soothing properties. It has also been known to have a slightly numbing effect. The plant has been consumed as a tea, juice, tincture, infusion or poultice, and has also been smoked.[4] Nepetalactone is a mosquito and fly repellent.[5][6]

Would love to introduce to to one particularly high kitty cat:

Billie (my *female* cat who has the worlds most serious death wish having been hit by a car 5 times and the only thing she is missing is her tail and most of her brain cells!! This is the result... an old clean sock with catnip in it + a cat addicted to catnip!).

My link

 

[Baccus]

Catnip is odd in that not all cats go gaga

over it. Every cat I have ever owned (all moggy short haired) have never been wild about catnip even as kittens (and they are mad enough without additives

). I even grew catnip in my garden thinking "ok maybe the dried catnip in the toys was old and stale like potpuri can get" but no my cat(s) still have shown no interest. I think it boils down to something in the different genetic lines of the cats like some people able to smell certian chemicals while others can't.
Although a dog we used to have would run around like a mad thing (even at 15yrs old) with a catnip toy in her mouth....maybe I just have odd pets

...coz a galah I used to have used to chase the dog off its nice fresh meaty bone so it (the Galah) could have a chew. And a rainbow lorriket I used to own would chase both of our cats away from their dinner bowl so she could have a taste of it. Now that's a funny site sight to behold

2 cats waiting slightly shocked to go and finish eating their dinner, all because a bird not that much bigger than a large Budgie gave them short shift.

Mind you our current cat Spook is that mad I don't think I want to see her "stoned", she is now 11 going on 12yrs and still every morning as I put on my work boots she has to have her commando games with an old shoe lace. My husband has to provide this game, because other wise the nutter of a cat keeps trying to play with my shoes laces while I'm trying to do them up. And believe me she really gets into the spirit of the game, picking up her end of the shoelace in her mouth and running as far as the length allows (the length is now up to 3 boot shoe laces long), doing numerous commando rolls, leaping high in the air to catch the shoe lace in the air and more sedate stalking and pouncing. All of this from a cat who is flat out catching a juvinile mouse let alone an adult and the only birds she has ever manged to catch (I think the bird walked into her mouth while she was yawning) she promptly lets go to have fly all through the house until I rescue it.
Ahhh pets got to love em.

 

[Mikaila31]

Yeah it grows wild around here. My cats know where to find it

 

[wodesorel]

I wish I could grow catnip for my furry little ones. The neighborhood cats decimate the plant before I get the chance to bring any inside for mine!

Spearmint will sometimes have the same affect as catnip, depending on the cat. I have three that prefer to go bonkers over spearmint than catnip. (And one who will assault your face to get at your gum...)

Most of mine just have a good time rolling around and then they loose interest. When Ruffy gets a hold of any catnip, I mean even just a sniff, I can tell because he gets completely loopy. He's got this "catnip look" to him when he's found some, and I know that the next three hours will be me chasing him around so he won't:
A.) attack the other cats
B.) jump 12 feet to the floor of the side of the steps
C.) try to eat the couch
D.) run into walls and give himself a bloody nose. (Yes, he's done this a few times.)

Sigh....

 

[Baccus]

Your cats liking spear mint reminded me that Spook actually likes the smell of Vics Vapour Rub....Go figure. Another cat now departed would go nuts over the vics nasel inhalers (not a spray type). If you weren't careful she would chew on them and just generally rub all over the inhaler and get all crazy. This same cat was an avid wool chewer as well, many a knited jumper got ruined in the process of being knited by this cat chewing through the wool as it came from the ball of wool to the knitting needles.
If the neighborhood cats keep ruining your attempts at growing cat nip for your own cats go to a pet shop or even second hand shop and get a cheap bird cage. I say cheap so you wont be too upset about dismantling the cage. Remove the base and put the cage over your plants. That or make a bird wire/mesh cage for the same effect. I have to cage most of my plants in my planted aviary to stop the birds eating them to stumps before they are established. The plants eventually poke out through the cage while the bulk of the plant can stay protected and continue to grow.

 

[wodesorel]

If the neighborhood cats keep ruining your attempts at growing cat nip for your own cats go to a pet shop or even second hand shop and get a cheap bird cage.

THAT IS BRILLIANT! Totally going to be doing that this summer. Thank you so much for the idea!

 

[Baccus]

If the neighborhood cats keep ruining your attempts at growing cat nip for your own cats go to a pet shop or even second hand shop and get a cheap bird cage.

THAT IS BRILLIANT! Totally going to be doing that this summer. Thank you so much for the idea!

Glad to be of service

, make sure you take pics and post them so we all can see your caged plants.

 

[Paradise3]

I have 2 cats right now and they both go mad over catnip. Bugsy used to get paranoid on catnip.

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[MBOU]

About 4 months after moving into this house, (only 2 months after we first started letting the young cats outdoors as we had moved to the countryside) we had to take the pair of them to the vets...

Symptoms over the last... few weeks:

-Lethargy
-Excessive Drinking
-Foaming at the mouth
-Agression
-Off their food
-Clumsy
-dull coat... no longer shiney...


Sounds like a sickening cat!! We were thinking poisons and toxins!! The pair racked up a huge vet bill to no conclusion!!

About a month later when i was out in the garden trying to call the cats in for the evening, i found them rolling abut near my mums vegetable patch looking for all the world like they were convulsing!!

Only when i waded into the stinging nettles to get the cats and then back out again did i consider the fact i didnt get stung... remarkable how much catnip plant looks like stinging nettles!!!

We had to call and tell our vets that our cats were high on weed and thats why they were acting odd!!

Needless to say it all got cultivated, dried out and dealed to the local population (of moggies of course!)

 

[coldcazzie]

None of mine go bonkers over catnip, but I do have one that persistently eats the spider plant, which has a similar effect - dilated pupils, hyper-alert, running around the house like a maniac and then passing out for a while!