Catnip: The Feline Buzz.
Has your cat ever been around catnip?
It is an amusing way to get stress relief. What you need is a catnip junkie, some high grade stuff for a lowbrow laugh. The cat enjoys a legal buzz and you get to laugh. It is official; dogs think this stuff is science fiction. Dogs do not allow friends to do catnip.
Place a few sprinkles of catnip on the floor and watch what happens. Some cats will beg with intense meows. Some dive to the pile of sprinkled catnip on the floor, some sniff the leaves, then lick and chew them. They will rub their chins and cheeks into the pile. This will progress to rolling and rubbing the entire body in the scattered leaves. Some cats will set and watch other cat's theatricals. They may sniff the catnip with distain or react with a little more enthusiasm.
Catnip is in the mint family has a stimulatory response to all families of cats, including lions and tigers. This harmless herb Response to catnip is transmitted genetically to offspring. That would make an interesting project, figuring the gene locus in the feline genome. There may be an application for continuous endorphin and possible analgesic applications.
Cats can be placed into three categories by response to catnip. They are: total responders, partial responders, and non responders. Approximately 70 percent of domestic cats show at least some response.
Total responder: sniffing, licking, chewing, chin and cheek rubbing, rolling and rubbing, may also include digging, pawing, scratching, salivating, washing, grooming, and vocalizing. It reminds me of the phrase "dance like nobody is watching.
Partial responder: attracted to the herb but do not enter into the more extreme excitatory phases.
Non responders: oblivious to the herb. Other species, humans for example, lack the affinity. Rumor has it that some humans are attracted to a different grass material though. The response to catnip lasts about 5 to 15 minutes and is followed by an hour when the cat cannot respond to the plant. Sniffing catnip is an enjoyable experience for cats; we are not concerned about addiction in cats. Humans do show a tendency to continually give catnip to cats. (Must be an enabler gene we have).Consuming catnip is not a problem. The feline's amusing response is to the olfactory (smell) stimulation and not to actual ingestion and absorption of the plant.Catnip must be an adolescent to adult response as kittens less than 6 weeks of age usually avoid the plant and are not attracted until 3 months of age. Sickness and health status will not keep a cat from responding to catnip, but a stressed cat may not react at all. A cat's response to catnip can resemble the same behavior of a cat in estrus (heat), there is no conclusive evidence catnip is related to sex or reproduction behavior. Gender is not a factor as male and female cats are equally susceptible to this mild mind / mood altering stimulant. Occasionally we manipulate this curious and entertaining phenomenon of a cats' attraction to catnip. Behavior modification is used by applying catnip spray or crushed leaves to an approved scratching post. This may make it a more attractive outlet than your new furniture. Cat toys imbedded with catnip may be used to entice exercise in a full-bodied cat. We enjoy watching our cats amusing behaviors from exposure of catnip as much as your cat enjoys the buzz from this innocuous herb.
For more information about the health of you feline, contact your veterinarian.
Mike Sweet, DVM
Milan Veterinary Clinic
734-439-1112