What exactly is Cat Nip?

Question

What does it do to them??

Answer 1

Nepeta is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. The members of this group are known as catnips or catmints.

The genus is native to Europe, Asia and Africa, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region east to mainland China. Most of the species are herbaceous perennial plants, but some are annuals. They have sturdy stems with opposite heart-shaped, green to grayish-green leaves. The flowers are white, blue, pink or lilac and occur in several clusters toward the tip of the stems. The flowers are tubular shaped and are spotted with tiny purple dots.

Catnip and catmints are mainly known for, and named after, the effects they have on cats, particularly domestic cats. Approximately two thirds of cats are susceptible to the effects of catnip, as the phenomenon is hereditary.

Catnip contains nepetalactone, a terpene, that is thought to mimic feline sex pheromones. Cats detect it through their vomeronasal organs. When cats sense the bruised leaves or stems of catnip, they will rub in it, roll over it, paw at it, chew it, lick it, leap about and purr, often salivating copiously. Some cats will also growl and meow. This reaction only lasts for a few minutes before the cat loses interest.[2] It takes up to two hours for the cat to "reset" and then it can come back to the catnip and have the same response as before. Young kittens and older cats are less likely to have a reaction to catnip but big cats, such as tigers, seem to be extremely sensitive to it. Cat toys can contain catnip and some cats love to play with them while others are not interested. Cat owners do not need to worry about allowing their cats access to catnip because there are, for the most part, no negative side effects to doing so. However, some cats become overly excited when exposed to catnip, so aging or obese cats with heart troubles should be kept away from it. A diabetic cat can also experience complications from catnip.[citation needed]

Other plants that also have this effect on cats include valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and plants that contain actinidine or dihydroactinidiolide (Smith, 2005).

At least three species attract cats: Nepeta cataria, N. grandiflora and N. × faassenii, but most other species have not been tested. Of these, both true catnip and Faassen's catnip have a sharp, biting taste, while the taste of giant catmint is bland.

There is anecdotal evidence that coyotes, wolves and some dog/wolf breeds may be susceptible to catnip's intoxicating effects. Humans have no reaction to the ingestion of catnip, but when smoked it produces a short lived "buzz", similar to that of a cigarette but described by many as more mellow and/or relaxing.

Answer 2

Cat Nip is an herb and basically what it does to cats is to give them a kitty high. It is not addictive or dangerous to cats so feel free to let your cat indulge in some cat nip. Some cats don't care for catnip so don't be disappointed or wonder what is wrong if your cat doesn't react to it. It's not for every cat...:)

My cats roll in it and eat it and have a great time chasing each other around the house after a session in their catnip. I give it to them about once a week.

Answer 3

Catnip ("nepeta cataria") is a member of the mint family, which includes spearmint, peppermint, and ornamental plants such as coleus. They are easily distinguished by their square stems. The active ingredient in catnip is nepetalactone; it affects about 50% of cats. Kittens are often oblivious to it, as it is a psycho-sexual reaction generally limited to adult cats. The behaviors associated with catnip include shaking of the head, "bunting" (rubbing the chin and cheek on objects or people), rubbing of the body against objects or people, and rolling the head. After the reaction has been produced and has faded (about 15 minutes), it's generally not possible to induce it again for at least an hour.

Answer 4

It is in the same family as Cannabis Sativa. It is a mild stimulant and, for the most part, takes your cat to outer space...

as its cousin, Marijuana, for us, heightens our senses and increases our sensitivities to touch, hearing, and taste, so it does for Ms. Kitty...

the fresh Nip is the best...its the, lets say.... BC bud of catnip. You can pick it up at your local corporate pet chain...an don't be afraid to ride with it, it legal.

I do advise against a water pipe hit of your own though 8D

Answer 5

Is is a mint herb which cats are attracted to.
Its not addictive to cats but hey love it which is a handy tool to train kittens and cats a like to use their toys, bedding and scratpads.

Some people smoke it but I cannot say smoking mint was ever something i took up as a hobby

Answer 6

It's an herb. Only about 60% of cats get buzzed off of it. I have 2 that love it and one just sits there and can't figure out why the other 2 go crazy.

Answer 7

I've found this website for you. My sister's cat goes crazy about cat nip.
http://www.penmarric.ns.ca/catcare/usefulinfo/catnip.htm
Good luck to you

Answer 8

It's just a plain herb, which has hallucinogenic qualities to it for some cats who ingest it. Not all cats respond to it, and not all the same way. We've had cats go totally bananas, others who just wouldn't stop rolling, and still others who couldn't care less.

Answer 9

It's just a plant. You can buy it already dried and cut up or you can buy the seeds and let them eat off the real plant. And no to the poster above, it doesn't smell like marijuana.

Answer 10

Is a herb and can be obtained through your local nursery. It sends them in to a kind of stupor - for want of another word, to be polite it probably feels like 'love' to them.