Cat lovers all know catnip, a magical plant that makes cats excited.

After taking it, the cat’s eyes become blurred and extremely intoxicated. Some people call it a “cat drug”. Is it harmful to cats?

Let’s popularize science today~

1. What is catnip?

The official Chinese name of catnip is Nepeta cataria, and its scientific name is Nepeta cataria. It is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the family Lamiaceae and is only distantly related to the real mint botanically.

Although it looks a bit like mint and has a strong fragrance, in actual life people prefer to call it catnip instead of nepeta.

The origin of catnip is distributed from Eastern Europe to western China. The altitude distribution range is from sea level to nearly 2,500 meters above sea level. It has strong adaptability and is very easy to grow.

　2. The magic of catnip

A long time ago, people discovered that catnip can have some strange effects on cats’ behavior.

According to research, catnip is rich in aromatic essential oils, which emit a strong and complex fragrance with just a slight touch. Whenever a cat smells this smell, it may become extremely excited and roll around; or it may become aggressive towards the cat. They happily take a few bites of mint, while others will close their eyes and become extremely intoxicated...

Various reactions, different from the cat before smelling catnip, completely different.

Because catnip contains a chemical called nepetalactone, which is like a pheromone. When inhaled, it binds to receptors in the cat's nose, thereby stimulating sensory neurons connected to the brain and changing many aspects of the brain. Activities in each area participate in the cat's emotional regulation.

3. Is catnip harmful to cats?

Many people are concerned about this issue. In fact, some cats will cause temporary (5-15 minutes) behavioral changes after eating them...

For example, they can sneeze, chew, rub, roll, meow, etc.

Some cats will chase imaginary mice after eating catnip; some will sit blankly and stare blankly. These behaviors will not cause any harm, and catnip is not addictive.

Catnip has no substantial help or harm to cats’ health.

But you must be careful not to use catnip on cats frequently, and use it less than once a week!

Because frequent use of catnip will make cats less and less sensitive to catnip, and over time, cats will no longer be interested in catnip.

At the same time, if a large amount of catnip is used at one time, it may irritate the cat's respiratory system and affect the cat's breathing. After all, no matter what you do, don't overdose.

Don’t give catnip to kittens either.

In addition, not all cats like to smoke catnip. If your cat is not interested in catnip, don’t be disappointed, it’s normal~~

4. Other wonderful uses of catnip

Catnip can also repel mosquitoes, flies, termites, and even cockroaches...

If you don’t like those annoying insects, you can plant some in your home or yard... Then, you will have a cat...

A netizen once put catnip in the yard, and it turned out like this!

In addition, if your cat doesn’t like to drink water, you can put a few fresh catnip leaves in the water basin (catnip products are not recommended) to induce the cat to drink more water.