Why Does Catnip Get Cats High

The chemical compound in the plant that attracts and affects cats is called nepetalactone.

Why does catnip get cats high. The compound that plays the biggest role in the so called catnip effect in domestic cats is produced in specialized glands in catnips leaves and flowers and is called nepetalactone said jim. Some may describe the cats as being euphoric after exposure to nepetalactone and then purely serene after some time. That is the cat essentially reacts to an artificial cat pheromone. Catnip nepeta cataria is a perennial herb that is a member of the mint family.

Human brains are physiologically different from cat brains and people do not react to catnip by getting high native americans. Because cats do respond to catnip again and again the herb can be a powerful training aid. There are two possible methods through which cats can get affected by catnip. Cats get high off catnip by inhaling the nepetalactone whether from a live plant dried plant material or an oil extract.

It is found in the leaves and stems. Yep theyre pretty much sniffing up the nip. When it is eaten directly then it acts as a sedative. The chemical binds to receptors inside a cats nose which stimulate.

Catnips nepetalactone is absorbed through tissues in the cats nasal cavity and creates a domino effect in the brain affecting areas from the amygdala to the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland. Want to keep kitty from clawing furniture. Sprinkle a little of the herb on kittys cushion to make it more attractive to your feline friend. When cats get a whiff of catnip they behave similarly to female cats in.

It can grow to be up to three feet high. One is direct intake ie eating and the second one is sniffing or smelling. This sort of reaction however is not solely result of catnip. In either way catnip has a different effect and leads to various reactions in cats.

Rub a scratching post with catnip to make it more appealing. Cats are receptive to a volatile oil an oil that evaporates in the air found in the stems and leaves of the catnip herb.