So most of us cat owners know what catnip is and how most cats go crazy just to have a sniff of it. And the stunts that they pull just to get a chance to rub with this herb are all worth seeing. Most of us think that catnip is perfectly safe for our cat but I did come across a cat owner who believed that since this herb acts as a drug for cats and makes them high it would have some sort of addictive properties and might even leave cats with some sort of hangover. And since hangovers are painful for us humans they might be equally painful for the cat and thus cats should not be treated with catnip. I did not buy this but none the less thought that this should be researched so here is what I was able to find about catnip.
What is Catnip?
Catnip belongs to mint family and is commonly found in Europe, North America and some parts of Asia. There are more than 250 species of catnip. The oil extracted from catnip is also used as insect repellant. The oil is called nepetalactone and is found in the leaves and stem of the plant.
Catnip and its effect on cats?
Catnip produces a variety of behavior in cats; some cats just can’t stop rubbing against the herb, some will start playing with and drooling while others might even show aggressive behavior. Catnip induced behaviors last for a few minutes after which the cat gets to it normal self and loses interest in playing with the herb.
On encounter with catnip cats usually start by sniffing the herb and this sniffing is said to produce the high. After sniffing the cats start rubbing it and at the end might eat the herb. The source of the high is the oil in the herb which is called nepetalactone. Cats rub against the herb to bruise the leaves and stem to release more of this oil. Although the sniffing causes the high but when the herb is ingested it acts as a sedative.
Catnip does not affect all cats and the effect varies from cat to cat. Apparently the cat needs to inherit a certain gene to be able to enjoy the catnip. Kittens mostly cannot enjoy catnip and it has more effect on cats that have become sexually mature. Catnip comes in variety of forms like different shaped toys, and you can even use the dried leaves n rub it against the cat’s scratch post.
Catnip has not been associated with any negative or side effects to cats. The worst that can happen is that your cat will ingest a large quantity of herb and might end up vomiting or with diarrhea. But the chance of this happening is not very high as cats usually know when to stop and lose interest in catnip after a few minutes of playing around. And from all the research I wasn’t able to find anything that would say that it’s not good for cats and can end up in some sort of hangover. So it’s perfectly alright to treat your cat with a little catnip once in a while.
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