What Is In Catnip That Makes Cats Go Crazy

Catnip has a well known effect on its intoxicating highs are caused by nepetalactone a type of chemical called a terpene.

The scent of catnip has the strongest effect on cats. The compound sticks to the olfactory receptors in the olfactory epithelium. Experts aren t sure however exactly why the herb triggers such an emotional response. Akimasa harada getty images there are few greater joys than watching a cat completely lose its inhibitions and mind at the hands of catnip.

Normal cat behavior in response to catnip is to paw at it lick it roll around it and rub it. So what is it about this plant that makes our cats go bonkers. Its psychoactive quality comes from nepetalactone which binds to receptors in a cat s nose. What does catnip do to cats.

John innes centre summary. When your cat sniffs the nepetalactone the reaction the oil produces causes your cat to experience feelings of euphoria which leads to the crazy behavior that makes it seem like it is on drugs. How catnip makes the chemical that causes cats to go crazy date. Essentially nepetalactone acts like sexual pheromones and it s no secret that sexual urges can drive cats up the wall.

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These emotional responses are then processed in the same way that feline pheromones are which is why cats who sniff catnip often behave like female cats in heat. The nepetalactone is a volatile oil that binds to your cat s nasal tissue when they sniff it. Highs last between 10 minutes to an hour and affect 70 of felines. This out of fur experience is due to the active ingredient in the oil nepetalactone.

December 11 2018 source. Researchers have shed light on how catnip also known as catmint produces. It binds to receptors inside the cat s nose and drives its sensory neurons crazy according to daniel rotman. Cats are silent by nature except during their heat period and the moments in which they try to communicate with humans they rarely emit a single noise even when walking perhaps that is why they are so irritated by loud strong and insistent sounds which makes cats go crazy especially if they hear them suddenly as they immediately turn to a state of alert that indicates they may be in danger.

A study by the american chemical society found that the nepetalactone in the plant binds to the olfactory receptors in a cat s nose and triggers a euphoric neurological response.