Felines—they’re often viewed as one of the most majestic creatures, whether they’re a young domestic shorthair or a lion, the “king of the jungle.” Cats tend to have a reserved air, even sometimes with their favorite humans and will be aloof whenever it suits them. But there’s one time no cat can keep their cool—and that’s when someone brings out the catnip.
Have you ever wondered what goes through your cat’s brain when you bring home a little catnip stuff toy? What makes them turn from a laid-back cat-napper to a frantically obsessed, playful kitten? Here’s the science behind why your cat goes crazy for catnip.
Catnip and Your Cat’s Brain
When your cat gets a whiff of the volatile oil in the leaves and stems of catnip, she experiences an immediate physical response. It’s hard for us humans to understand quite what happens to a cat when they come in contact with catnip because there’s nothing quite like it for humans. Cats who smell catnip show behaviors similar to females in heat. They often rub their heads and bodies on the herb, jumping, meowing, and salivating. They’ll likely behave like this for about 30 minutes until the effects wear off and the cat becomes temporarily immune to catnip.
Not all cats react the same way to catnip; in fact, about 20% to 30% of cats won’t react at all. Catnip sensitivity is hereditary, so if your cat’s parents passed down a genetic response, your cat will respond to catnip. Kittens under the age of six months won’t react, either. Only sexually mature cats with the right genetics will respond with the wacky behaviors we have come to associate with catnip.
What’s Happening?
When your cat goes nuts around catnip, they’re actually responding to nepetalactone, one of the volatile oils in catnips. When a cat smells this oil, it stimulates sensory neurons by binding to protein receptors. These cells create a response in your cat’s olfactory bulb (the very front of the brain), inducing a trigger reaction in the amygdala and hypothalamus. In essence, your cat gets a pleasurable “high” off of catnip in reaction to nepetalactone, which acts as an artificial cat pheromone.
Catnip grows like a weed and is cultivated in gardens, and is considered non-addictive and totally safe for your cat. It might be the perfect thing to stuff your cat’s stocking with or put under the tree for your furry friend this holiday!
