what is the real reason cats like catnip?

Question

I want to know the biological or scientific reason for why catnip drives cats crazy.

Answer 1

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How does catnip work?


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"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 2

Nobody really knows!

Since they aren't attracted to it until they're old enough to be sexually mature there's believed to be some kind of sexual attraction to the scent. But neutered cats, even those neutered before maturity, are just as likely to enjoy nip as any cat. And since it appeals to both genders, it can't be that it smells like one or the other gender's mating scent.

The actual mechanism behind cats' attraction to nip remains one of the many unresolved feline mysteries.

Answer 3

I also wonder that too, my cat gets sooo crazy with it. It's like she's on drugs or something.

Answer 4

It gives off the same "scent" for lack of a better word of a female cat in heat...why female cats like it who knows!!!

Answer 5

it's a cat drug

Answer 6

to them its a drug....kitty version of pot