Catnip: what is it and how does the plant affect cats?

Cats do not cease to amaze us with their unique habits and features that distinguish them from other pets. One of the addictions of cats is their love for mint. But this mint is not simple, but feline, and has a certain effect on the brain of furry pets. Observations of cats showed that the same individual can respond to this plant differently depending on its age, but most representatives of the feline family cannot remain indifferent to catnip.

Catnip (or catnip) is a perennial herb from the family of Lamiaceae. The biological description of peppermint is presented below.

• The plant can be found almost throughout the European part of Russia, as well as in the Caucasus, Siberia and the Far East. This perennial is better known as weed grass.
• Catnip looks like an upright plant with a pubescent woody stalk, egg-shaped leaves and dense inflorescences in the form of a semi-umbrella, consisting of many small white-blue flowers.
• The root of the plant is branched and quite powerful.
• Flowering of perennial grass begins in June and continues until the end of July.
• The aboveground part of the catnip contains non-petalactone, glycosides, saponins, tannins and bitterness, as well as ascorbic acid.
• Most of the essential substances contain the leaves of the plant, and in the stem they are extremely few.

The essential oil of catnip smells like a mixture of lemon and tart geranium, which is why this perennial is also called lemon catnip.Sometimes people confuse catnip with lemon balm - outwardly both of these spicy herbs are similar to each other, and lemongrass also has a smell with fresh lemon notes. However, if a person can confuse these herbs visually, then cats with their unique innate instincts are not mistaken in this matter.

The catman attracts the attention of cats and cats precisely because of the ethereal lemon smell, however, kittens up to six weeks of age remain completely immune to the plant.

In addition, scientists have found that not all representatives of the feline family react to feline catnip, but only 75% of their number.

Outwardly, lemon catnip is similar to a plant called peppermint, but there are significant differences between them. For example, catnip contains the substance non-ketalactone in the composition of essential oils, and peppermint differs from it in that menthol prevails in its essential components.

These two aromatic substances have a fundamental difference from each other, and it is expressed in the fact that cats react to non-ketalactone, but not to menthol. Even the smell of these two plants has a difference: catnip always smells like tart lemon, and peppermint has a peculiar menthol flavor.

Feline catnip affects the receptors of the brain not only cats - the smell of the aroma of this spicy grass attracts insects, which are called lacewings. Also, this smell can scare away mosquitoes or a certain type of cockroach.

The manifestation of the effects of catnip on cats is to change their usual behavior. Fluffy pet breeders often use this property of the plant in order to influence the behavior of animals, changing it as required by a particular situation. For example, if a cat or cat behaves aggressively for no reason, then a spray with the Nepalactone substance will help to quickly calm the animal and set it in a more friendly way, while literally before the eyes the pet will become affectionate and peaceful.

If a furry friend is often withdrawn, does not want to play and contact with a person, then catnip will make it possible to rectify the situation here - under the influence of the essential oil of this plant, the animal will become cheerful, active, will want to move and play.

But this is all the useful properties of lemon catnip. Due to its specific chemical composition, the plant has a pronounced antibacterial effect, and when a cat eats fresh leaves or flowers of this plant, it not only changes its mood, but also eliminates pathogenic bacteria in its digestive tract, and also improves intestinal motility by relaxing smooth muscles. In addition, under the influence of non-detalactone, the cat's body is cleared of helminths.

It often happens that furry pets are exposed to various stressful situations. For example, such cases may occur after moving to a new apartment, painful medical procedures or unsuccessful contacts with other animals. To reduce the effects of stress on the animal, veterinarians recommend giving them catnip, which will have an anti-stress effect.

Sometimes, for one reason or another, pets begin to pick and choose food and show poor appetite.Feline catnip, added to food in dry or fresh form, will help to establish a good appetite in a fussy cat. Catnip can also be used to teach a cat to a tray, scratching post, sleeping place. Experienced breeders know this feature of four-legged pets and use it advantageously.

Mint for cats does not contain narcotic substances and for this reason does not cause addiction and dependence in animals. But in some cases, this grass is still harmful to four-legged pets. For example, it is not recommended to give mint to pregnant and lactating cats for the reason that in an animal, under the influence of non-petalactone, severe nervous excitement and depletion of the nervous system can begin. In addition, an overly active animal can harm itself or its offspring.

The substance nepetalactone, which is part of catnip, affects cats and cats through irritation of brain cells, and the reaction from this effect manifests itself in animals in the form short-term hallucinations. These hallucinations can be compared to intoxication - they change the behavior of animals, provoking them to a particular action.

Cats can roll on the floor, rumble or meow loudly, actively rub their paws on their faces, jump unnaturally high, climb up the curtains, or, conversely, a furry pet can roll lazily on its back and fall asleep.

The feline brain reacts to the action of non-petalactone for a short time: only 7-10 minutes. Then the animal begins a period of immunity: even despite the fact that the plant is next to the animal and smells strongly, the cat's brain no longer responds to it. But after an hour or more, the neurons of the animal’s brain again become susceptible to nonpetalactone, and the effect of catnip again begins to manifest.

Cats really like to feast on fresh catnip, but inside they have a certain barrier to saturation with such grass, and the animal will not be able to eat this plant a lot. No one has ever seen a cat standing near a catnip and eating this grass continuously. If the pet still managed to overeat catnip, then there is nothing terrible in this situation. The only thing that can overeat can threaten is a digestive disorder and loose stools.

You can buy catnip in any pet store where they sell goods for cats. Grass is sold in dried and crushed form, packaged in bags or bottles of various shapes and sizes, as well as in the form of a spray with a spray device, sticks for chewing and brushing your teeth. She is even part of some cat toys. The smell of catnip makes the toy especially attractive to the pet, but only at first - over time, interest in it may disappear. Dry grass or essential oil, which is part of the toy, eventually loses the brightness of the aroma and gradually disappears.

The spray is considered to be the product with the longest shelf life - it can be sprayed where necessary and with the right frequency. Dry grass or crushed powder prepared from it can be added to the cat's food or scattered in small quantities in certain places at home. A chewing stick with a catnip will help to accustom a cat to the procedure of cleaning teeth, if for some reason it ignores conventional means.

Owners of cats familiar with the effect of catnip, consider it necessary to have funds with this plant at home and spend considerable amounts on their purchase:

• a bag weighing 100 g with dried leaves of catnip will cost 100-150 rubles;
• a bottle of liquid spray with catnip in a volume of 50 ml costs 350-500 rubles;
• a small package of cat treats in the form of crispy pads containing catnip, weighing 50 g, costs 130-150 rubles;
• cat toys and chewing sticks are in the price range from 150 to 250 rubles.

To save money on the family budget, experienced cat breeders grow catnip on their own. This plant can be planted in your country house or even at home in a regular large-volume flower pot. Kotovnik is unpretentious, grows well and quickly, and does not require any special care. Peppermint for cats is not afraid of pruning and transplanting, perfectly rooted.

Lemon catnip can be used in various ways.

• Soap bubbles with mint. The composition of the product includes the extract of essential oils of catnip. This tool is intended for active games with a pet. The cat reacts not only to iridescent bubbles floating in the air, but also captures the astringent lemon smell of mint, which further stimulates the animal to play.

• Cat food. Some manufacturers produce canned meat with the addition of nepetalactone. This food usually causes interest and appetite in the cat, and the animal willingly eats the proposed dish. Such nutrition is necessary in cases where a weakened animal after childbirth or illness suffers from poor appetite or completely refuses to eat.

• Scarlet Point. A small structure is being constructed, inside of which dried catnip grass is placed, and outside the material is fixed on the structure, about which the cat can sharpen its claws. Interest in the clawfish in an animal arises under the influence of essential oils that feline catnip vaporizes. Such a device allows you to discourage a pet from scratching furniture and accustoms it to sharpen its claws in a specially designated place.

• Toy. It can be sewn from fabric and look like a ball, mouse, banana or any other shape and color. An important detail of this product is that inside it is ground shredded feline catnip grass. This toy attracts cats with its smell and stimulates the animal to play actively.

• Feed supplement. This tool contains a vitamin-mineral complex of substances necessary for a cat for its full nutritional diet. So that the animal willingly consumed such an additive, it includes crushed catnip. Thanks to the smell of non-detalactone, the cat eats vitamins that are beneficial to her.

Sprays and dry leaves of catnip can be used as you wish. If you spray a little spray near the cat's toilet tray, the cat will show interest in this design, which means that it will be much easier to train to use this tray for its intended purpose.

Sometimes animals do not want to stay in their place at all and, meowing plaintively, ask to go to bed with people. This cannot be allowed, because subsequently it will become impossible to eradicate this habit. You can accustom an animal to its place by spraying it with a spray with catnip or sprinkling a small amount of crushed dried leaves of this plant. The pet will be happy to stay on its bed and eventually will do it even without using catnip.

When buying a dried plant, you need to know that only catnip leaves exude an odor, and the stems do not possess such an aroma. For this reason, when buying dried catnip, you should pay attention to the quality of the raw materials - there should not be any crushed dry stems in it. Otherwise, the effectiveness of such a tool will be low.

About how catnip affects cats, you can learn more.