Last night my cats amused me with their antics after I gave them some catnip. Both of them just love the stuff! I don't give it to them very often in its raw form as they have it in their toys. The cats go through a faze where they need to play in it and can be quite demanding if they don't get it! I guess you can say their addicted! They have this scratch pad that I like to put it on and they really go nuts rubbing on it. You should see how wild they get on it! Sounds cruel to do this but my cats can be very demanding when they need this and they both have this weird meow that lets me know that it is time for their fix! I only let them have this about one a month!
This morning I decided to look up the facts of catnip and how it effects your cat....
CATNIP- this report was taken from HDW Enterprises & Foothill Felines
Catnip is a grey-green, leafy member of the mint family. This hardy, robust perennial was originally grown throughout Europe, and was native to the dry regions of the Mediterranean, inland Europe, Asia, Eurasia and Africa. It was introduced in America long ago as a popular plant in herb gardens. Catnip came to the U.S. along with the pioneers, as a vital element of their kitchen gardens, useful as a medicinal tea to alleviate coughing, cold symptoms, upset stomach and to aid sleep. The plant soon escaped the confines of cultivation and naturalized throughout much of the continent.
Catnip the herb is also employed as a remedy in the treatment of tension and anxiety, and is mentioned as being a useful calmative for hyperactive children. Also listed as a mild diuretic, catnip can be helpful in eliminating toxins from the body. Distilled oil from catnip can be procured from an herbal apothecary, and this oil is supposed to be a very effective appetite stimulant, and has been used in the treatment of anorexia.
Catnip loves full sun but can tolerate partial shade, and does well in almost any garden soil (pH between 5 and 7.5). It is more pungent when it is grown in sandy soil with full sun. Cataria grows to 4 feet tall and somewhat resembles stinging nettle. Mussinii grows to 1 foot, sprawls. It has a citrus-like scent and is sometimes called catmint . Bruising the leaves is what releases the powerful oils in the catnip which so many cats find irresistible!!
Catnip is now mostly recognized for its use as a feline "aphrodisiac", although it is estimated that about 15-20% of cats do not have a response to catnip. The presence (or lack) of a response to catnip appears to be a genetic trait for cats. Since catnip triggers responses that are sex-behavior linked, kittens generally do not begin responding to catnip until they have started to sexually mature, at the age of six months. Studies have shown that the Big Cats (lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, etc.) also enjoy the effects of catnip!
It is the scent of catnip, not the consumption of it, that has such a dramatic effect on cats. When cats are enjoying the plant, they do often chew the leaves, but this may be merely to release more of the scent that is in the essential oils. It is the chemical nepetalactone , a volatile oil similar in structure to the sedative ingredient found in valerian root, another well known sedative herb, that triggers the response in cats' brains; however, because human brains are physiologically different, we must be content to gain any vicarious pleasure through watching our cat's enjoyment of the herb!!
I have also found that catnip oil, taken by steam distillation, is also a repellent against insects...in particular mosquitoes, cockroaches and termites. In research they found that the active ingredient in catnip repels mosquitoes 10 times more effectively than DEET!
So what could be worse...being chased by mosquitoes or being an attraction for cats?
I feel, like us cats need to have some fun once in awhile and if it makes them happy, with no harmful results....why not give it to them?
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