Catnip Craziness

Cats, although common, seem to be mysterious creatures. Their sneakiness and sharp senses make them skilled hunters, but as pets, they can be quite playful as well. Even though most cats keep to themselves, some can be very affectionate as pets. To me, the biggest mystery is this: why are cats so attracted to catnip?

Catnip, a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which contains rosemary, sage, oregano, and basil, can turn a fierce cougar into a state of drunken stupor in a matter of seconds with its scent. When in the presence of catnip, felines can be observed running around frantically or rubbing their body against the herb. This behavior lasts from 5 to 15 minutes; after that, catnip will not affect the cat for at least another hour.

Fun Fact: Reacting to catnip is an inherited trait—roughly 70-80% of house cats have this trait.

This reaction is a result of a volatile oil called nepetalactone, which can be found in the plant’s leaves, stems, and seeds. When a cat sniffs the catnip, the nepetalactone enters the cat’s olfactory system (the cat’s smelling system) and activates a chain of neurons that lead to various areas of the brain. The amygdala, which is a region in the brain that controls emotional responses to triggers, sends the signal to other zones that manage the behavior responses while the hypothalamus, which a region in the brain that is in charge of maintaining various things including hunger and emotions, creates a “sexual response.”

Fun Fact: Catnip doesn’t affect cats until they are at least 6 months old, which is when they reach sexual maturity.

Humans don’t react to catnip in the same manner because our brains are different. Instead, catnip is known to be used as a mild sedative in teas to relieve headaches, cramps, gas, indigestion, insomnia, nervousness, and anorexia. It can also be mixed into a paste to decrease swelling, particularly in arthritis and soft tissue injuries.

Catnip is a relatively easy plant to grow as long as it is placed in a sunny location. Native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, it is commonly seen as a weed. Like other plants in the mint family, it grows aggressively. It is neither addictive or dangerous to eat, making it super safe to grow at home. It is known by other names as well: catmint, catwort, and field balm, just to name a few. The plant belongs to the Nepeta genus, the most common being Nepeta cataria.

Training pets is not an easy task, but catnip can help (with cats). For instance, you could rub some catnip on a scratching post to tell your cat to scratch there instead of scratching on your furniture. You can also put catnip on toys and new sleeping spots. However, catnip spray products might not work as well as other products due to the reduced amount of nepetalactone.

Although they are a different species, lions, leopards, and jaguars also respond to catnip; these big cats belong to the same family as the domestic cats that we have as pets. Dried catnip plants have even been used to lure cougars (also known as mountain lions and other names) into traps set by hunters.

Scientists don’t know exactly what happens to a cat’s brain when catnip is sensed, but they do know that it elicits certain behaviors from cats whether that entails calmness or aggressive playfulness. I hope you learned something new today! Keep a lookout for the next post!

Bonus: One of the cats pictured above is my cat. His name is Oliver. See if you can guess which one! (I'll give you a hint: it's not the cougar)