Question: My cat really goes crazy over catnip, is it dangerous?
Catnip is a perennial herb belonging to the mint family Labiatae. Catnip is known in scientific nomenclature as "Nepeta cataria". The plant is a weed-like mint that is now native in North America and Canada after being introduced from its native Mediterranean soil. Some cats go crazy for catnip. Why? Is it harmless? Read this FAQ to find out.
Answer: Cats are unique in their response to catnip, as cats have a special receptor for the catnip active ingredient, called Nepetalactone. Nepetalactone is a mild hallucinogen, but not addictive or harmful for cats. The behavioral response can be very dramatic in some cats - rolling, licking, rubbing, drooling, jumping, running. Other cats appear to become very sedate after exposure.
Very young and senior cats do not respond as much, or at all to Catnip. Also, 10-30% of the cat population does not respond to catnip at all, at any age. This is due to genetics - some cats are genetically "programmed" to respond to catnip, some aren't.
In any case, for all of the (sometimes entertaining) behaviors seen, catnip is completely nontoxic to cats. If a large quantity of fresh Catnip is consumed, you may see some vomiting or diarrhea, but this is rare and self-limiting. If your cat experiences this, limit or withhold catnip.
Additional Reading:
- Nepetalactone
- Chemical Structure and Information
From Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., Guide to Chemistry. - Catnip (Nepeta spp.)
Learn about various species of catnip, current research, how to grow it, and more...from Guide Juli Juli Kight, Herbs For Health. - Catnip and Cat Grasses
From Felidae World. - What
does the catnip plant look like?
From the Purdue Veterinary School plant database. - Catnip's
Effects on Humans
From 1001Herbs. Learn about the nutritional and digestive effects of catnip. - Will
catnip Work on Tigers?
Question of the Day, from HowThingsWork.com. - Gourmet Catnip
Products
From the Kooky Kat catnip Company.
- Operation
Catnip
While this isn't about catnip the mint, it is worthy of mention here because of the work that they do. Operation catnip is a nonprofit organization dedicated to humanely reducing the stray and feral cat population through a no-cost trap-neuter-return program. Check it out.
