what causes my cat to "tweak out" when he eats catnip? can he have too much? why don't humans react to catnip?

Answer 1

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!!



How Does Catnip Affect Cats?
Many cats, not just domestic, respond to catnip including wild cats like cougars, bobcats, lions, and lynx.
Catnip has an active ingredient named Nepetalactone that affects a a cat's olfactory system as a mild hallucinogen. Located at the back of a cat's nose is the vomeronasal orgon (also known as Jacobson's organ) which almost allows cats to taste smells and smell tastes. When the aromatic oils with Nepetalactone are inhaled into the vomeronasal orgon some cats respond dramatically.

How Do Cats Act When Affected By Catnip?
Cats react differently depending on the cat and the quality of the catnip. Some cats seem to have no reaction what so ever to catnip while others carry on quite comically. Kittens less then 3 months old and senior cats often respond less or even not at all and some cats never respond to catnip no matter what the age. A catnip response is hereditary. Cats that are affected by catnip can exhibit a range of behaviors that may include sniffing, licking and chewing the plant, head shaking, chin and cheek rubbing, head rolling, and body rubbing. Typically cats look as if they are having a really good time! The affects of catnip wear off after a few minutes and it can take at least an hour for the cat to "reset" before they can be affected by catnip once again.
http://www.furlongspetsupply.com/catnip.htm

Answer 2

"Catnip" is the common name for a perennial herb of the mint family. It is native to Europe and is an import to the United States and other countries. The catnip plant is now a widespread weed in North America.

Given to the right cat, catnip can cause an amazing reaction! The cat will rub it, roll over it, kick at it, and generally go nuts for several minutes. Then the cat will lose interest and walk away. Two hours later, the cat may come back and have exactly the same response.

Because there really isn't any scent that causes this sort of reaction in humans, catnip is hard for us to understand. However, it is not an uncommon behavior in animals that rely heavily on their noses. For example, there are many scents that will trigger intense hunting behavior in dogs, and other scents will cause dogs to stop in their tracks and roll all over the scent.

Although no one knows exactly what happens in the cat's brain, it is known that the chemical nepetalactone in catnip is the thing that triggers the response. Apparently, it somehow kicks off a stereotypical pattern in cats that are sensitive to the chemical. The catnip reaction is inherited, and some cats are totally unaffected by it. Large cats like tigers can be sensitive to it as well.

The reaction to catnip only lasts a few minutes. Then the cat acclimates to it, and it can take an hour or two away from catnip for the cat to "reset." Then, the same reaction can occur again. Very young kittens and older cats seem less likely to have a reaction to catnip.

Answer 3

Oh, not so!
I had a cat that ate catnip. He would then go completely bonkers for 20-30 minutes, before collapsing in the hall and staring at the wall for several hours.
Other felines who have lived with me have gotten bombed on just the smell. Others have avoided it entirely.
I think that, like booze for humans, catnip is an individual experience for cats, and some really enjoy overindulging, and some are tea-totallers.
Humans lack the receptors in our brains to respond to catnip, more's the pity. But then, if humans could enjoy a "nip", the government would probably make "rolling in the field" illegal.

Answer 4

Catnip is a aphrodisiac for cats......kind of like a shot of testosterone mixed with viagra would be for a human type guy! (However, human type guys like Viagra better, because it comes in a convenient bottle, whereas it is sometimes hard for them to find a Catnip plant right at the very time they need it! (hehe!) Anyway, that's why the cats "tweak out" when they get around it. Catnip also has some medicinal uses, so you will find it as an ingredient in some medicines. Catnip can also be useful to animal control people, for trapping wild animals in the cat family.

Answer 5

My cats gets just plain goofy on catnip, one goes spaz and one just looks dazed and confused. My neighbors cat will eat the catnip and then slide down the kids slide on the swing set - go figure? Obviously it does something to their brain that has no effect on humans - which is probably a good thing. If we acted like they do - it would most likely be illegal.

Answer 6

catnip makes cats high.

Humans do not react to the chemicals in catnip.
Our brain chemistry is not the same.

Answer 7

cat nip is like cocain for humans

Answer 8

cat nip is like kitty weed. why do you let your cat get stoned?