Catnip...How does it affect your cats behaviour?
Catnip...How does it affect your cats behaviour?
For all our scientific know-how, we still have not uncovered the secret of why cats are attracted to catnip. According to a dictionary definition, "catnip is a strong-scented mint (Nepeta cataria) that has whorls of small, pale flowers in terminal spikes and contains a substance attractive to cats."
But though still a mystery, the substance that attracts cats has been isolated. It's a volatile turpenoid, and has a specific chemical name: nepetalactone. Nepetalactone is not attractive to all cats; only about 30 to 70 percent of cats are actually attracted to it. But when it works, it really works, appearing to drive cats wild with excitement.
Catnip
A cat reacts to catnip with ecstasy and unbounded joy. They are given to:
Sniffing, chewing and batting around the catnip source, salivating profusely
Shaking their heads
Rolling and rubbing themselves on the floor
Becoming ataxic, falling and stumbling
Tandem kicking forward with the hind feet
Excitement and chasing behaviour
Theories Behind Catnip
No one really knows why catnip is such a big attraction for cats. It is also unclear what sensations it is eliciting and what behaviour(s) it is releasing. However a few possible explanations and discussion of the points are:
Some of the behaviours look play-like, so cats under the influence of catnip do seem to be in a good mood and having fun.
Chewing and salivating appears to be an appetitive response, one that is associated with getting food.
Rolling and rubbing appear to be a sexual behaviour mimicking being in heat.
Tandem hind leg kicking behaviour may indicate predatory behaviour.
Chasing behaviour also indicates a predatory component.
So What is the Explanation?
It may be that they all are correct. Catnip, it seems, kindles a little bit of everything, exciting cats and allowing them to let go of their inhibitions. This implies a general excitatory effect on areas of the brain, particularly those centered in and around the hypothalamus, the region that controls appetitive, predatory and sexual behaviour.
Recent evidence is that nepetalactone, whose molecule has an opioid (opium-like)-shape, does indeed have an opium-like action. It stimulates certain types of opioid receptors in the same way morphine does. You might ask why an innocent plant would be harboring such a powerful chemical. The answer may be to attract insects that will subsequently assist in cross-pollination or help plants in other ways (e.g. wasps that are attracted will eat aphids). Lamiaceae-type plants may have evolved the ability to manufacture cyclopentanoids, known insect sex pheromones, to attract insects to assist in their own reproductive cycle.
Conclusion
All this may sound a little far-fetched but does explain some of the facts. It also explains why some cats are immune. If a cat that is initially attracted to catnip does not ingest the material, it will not discover the "forbidden fruit" and will thus remain indifferent to the covert pleasures.
Disclaimer
This pet health article is for reference only.
If your pet is showing any symptoms or distress, and you suspect your pet is ill CONTACT YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY.