Nepeta cataria, commonly known as catnip, is a perennial herb and it is from the mint family.
It is sometimes called catmint.
An active component of catnip is the oil called Nepetalactone, which is found in the leaves of the herb.
These plants possess the ability of altering a cat's behavior by its mere scent.
For this reason, scientists have coined the phenomenon called "the Catnip effect".
But aside from that, catnips are also used by humans as an herb for medicinal tea.
This tea soothes toothaches, helps people who have cough, and aids sleep.
Not only that, they are also used as ingredients for salads and other foods.
Furthermore, it was proved that it shows great potential as a natural insect repellant.
Going back to our mystery case, this herb affects almost any cat.
Some people say that the reaction of a cat to catnip is based on an inherited genome at birth.
This genome might come from a parent who also reacts to this herb and then passed this trait to its offspring.
Kittens, on the other hand, do not react to Catnip until they are sexually mature.
Being sexually mature may take up to 3 to 4 months of age.
However, other scientists observed that older cats did not show the effect, which leads them to conclude that the effect happens only to a certain gender and the plant acts as a some sort of aphrodisiac.
In addition to this theory, they found out that the sexual pheromone found in a tomcat's urine is similar to nepetalactone found in the catnip's leaves.
It is very interesting to know that other species from the cat family such as the lynx, lion, tiger and bobcat are known to react the same way as the common house cat would.
Also, when a cat sniffs catnip, it acts as a stimulant, but if ingested, it gives the opposite of its usual effect - it becomes a depressant.
Now, we all know that cats are naturally-born sleepers.
They tend to sleep all day and wake up only if it's time to eat.
This routine is not good for the health of your cat.
It will become round, fat, and lazy.
That is why; presenting catnip to your lazy cat is the best idea.
You already know that it encourages activity if it is being sniffed.
Your furry little friend will surely go hyperactive, jumping, playing, and running around after getting a whiff of the herb.
But this effect will only take fifteen minutes maximum.
You can also use this herb to keep the claws of your pet away from your furniture.
All you have to do is to buy a new scratching post, rub some catnip oil on it, and observe how your feline reacts.
If all goes well, your pet will sniff and inspect the post, after doing such, it will begin to claw it.
After a few minutes, the effect will be gone.
But don't worry! You just have to re-apply the oil and hopefully the cat will be trained to claw the post and not the sofa.
It is sometimes called catmint.
An active component of catnip is the oil called Nepetalactone, which is found in the leaves of the herb.
These plants possess the ability of altering a cat's behavior by its mere scent.
For this reason, scientists have coined the phenomenon called "the Catnip effect".
But aside from that, catnips are also used by humans as an herb for medicinal tea.
This tea soothes toothaches, helps people who have cough, and aids sleep.
Not only that, they are also used as ingredients for salads and other foods.
Furthermore, it was proved that it shows great potential as a natural insect repellant.
Going back to our mystery case, this herb affects almost any cat.
Some people say that the reaction of a cat to catnip is based on an inherited genome at birth.
This genome might come from a parent who also reacts to this herb and then passed this trait to its offspring.
Kittens, on the other hand, do not react to Catnip until they are sexually mature.
Being sexually mature may take up to 3 to 4 months of age.
However, other scientists observed that older cats did not show the effect, which leads them to conclude that the effect happens only to a certain gender and the plant acts as a some sort of aphrodisiac.
In addition to this theory, they found out that the sexual pheromone found in a tomcat's urine is similar to nepetalactone found in the catnip's leaves.
It is very interesting to know that other species from the cat family such as the lynx, lion, tiger and bobcat are known to react the same way as the common house cat would.
Also, when a cat sniffs catnip, it acts as a stimulant, but if ingested, it gives the opposite of its usual effect - it becomes a depressant.
Now, we all know that cats are naturally-born sleepers.
They tend to sleep all day and wake up only if it's time to eat.
This routine is not good for the health of your cat.
It will become round, fat, and lazy.
That is why; presenting catnip to your lazy cat is the best idea.
You already know that it encourages activity if it is being sniffed.
Your furry little friend will surely go hyperactive, jumping, playing, and running around after getting a whiff of the herb.
But this effect will only take fifteen minutes maximum.
You can also use this herb to keep the claws of your pet away from your furniture.
All you have to do is to buy a new scratching post, rub some catnip oil on it, and observe how your feline reacts.
If all goes well, your pet will sniff and inspect the post, after doing such, it will begin to claw it.
After a few minutes, the effect will be gone.
But don't worry! You just have to re-apply the oil and hopefully the cat will be trained to claw the post and not the sofa.
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