Siliconhell Forum - View Single Post

**surkdidat** · 31-01-2006, 02:46 PM

What is catnip and why do cats like it?

Catnip is an herb related to mint. Like all mints, it has aromatic oils on the surface of its leaves. The magic of catnip comes from nepetalacone, one of the chemical constituents of its aromatic oil. When fragile membranes around the leaves are broken, the scent is released. A pleasure center in the cat's brain is triggered and they go into "cat happiness."

Why do only cats react to catnip?

It's not known why the reaction to catnip seems to occur only among the feline species. What is known is that the ability to react to catnip is a genetic one. Cats that react to catnip possess a gene that programs them to react to catnip. The gene does not develop until after six months of age or so, and not ALL cats possess the gene. About 15 percent of the cat population does not possess the gene, so this may explain why your cat does not react. If they do possess the gene, cats of all sizes - from housecats, cheetahs, mountain lions, pumas, etc. - will love catnip.

Worldwise (an American TV program) saw this firsthand when it made a giant version of a cat scratching post and donated it to a wildcat rehabilitation center in Folsom, California. The big cats went bonkers for the catnip in just the same way your housecat will.

31-01-2006, 02:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
surkdidat Super Poster Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portsmouth, UK Posts: 227 Credits: 1,978 Nominated 1 Time in 1 Post TOTW/F/M Award(s): 0	What is catnip and why do cats like it? Catnip is an herb related to mint. Like all mints, it has aromatic oils on the surface of its leaves. The magic of catnip comes from nepetalacone, one of the chemical constituents of its aromatic oil. When fragile membranes around the leaves are broken, the scent is released. A pleasure center in the cat's brain is triggered and they go into "cat happiness." Why do only cats react to catnip? It's not known why the reaction to catnip seems to occur only among the feline species. What is known is that the ability to react to catnip is a genetic one. Cats that react to catnip possess a gene that programs them to react to catnip. The gene does not develop until after six months of age or so, and not ALL cats possess the gene. About 15 percent of the cat population does not possess the gene, so this may explain why your cat does not react. If they do possess the gene, cats of all sizes - from housecats, cheetahs, mountain lions, pumas, etc. - will love catnip. Worldwise (an American TV program) saw this firsthand when it made a giant version of a cat scratching post and donated it to a wildcat rehabilitation center in Folsom, California. The big cats went bonkers for the catnip in just the same way your housecat will.