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You hand your cat a catnip mouse and she rubs it all around her cheek scent glands, then she starts ripping around the house. Or she dozes with the catnip mouse clutched in her paws. It is curious behavior. So what is it about catnip that makes your cat go crazy?

Catnip comes from the aromatic mint family that includes plants like spearmint and basil. The main ingredient in catnip, which makes some cats go crazy, is nepetalactone. Contrary to popular belief, not all cats have this reaction to catnip. For a cat to have an olfactory response to the plant, they must have inherited genes that respond to nepetalactone.

For instance, if a cat is from Asia or a country that does not have wild or naturalized catnip, it will not have a response to the plant. Cats that are not fully-grown (who are not quite 6 months old), even with the proper gene structure, will not react to this plant. And, an interesting fact is that large North American cats such as cougars, bobcats, and lynxes contain the right gene structure to react to catnip in the same fashion as an adult house cat. An interesting note about nepetalactone is that it is also used in DEET to keep mosquitoes away.

Male and female cats have the same reaction to catnip. It can be amusing when they race around like kittens with an invisible friend, roll in the catnip, rub their scent glands wherever the catnip is sprinkled, roll on their backs, gaze at the ceiling, and/or settle into a dreamy snooze. Sometimes cats can get aggressive after one of these adventures. If a cat gets aggressive, it is best to keep them away from catnip and use another olfactory treat such as honeysuckle.

There are many ways you can use catnip. One suggestion is when a cat is destructive towards couches or other household furniture that the owner put a catnip toy on a catscratcher. This action on the owner's part will take the cat's attention away from the furniture and to a better catscratching place. There are many ways that catnip and catnip toys can be used to enforce positive behavior.

So if your cat is having a boring day or needs just a little stimulation, think catnip. You'll be glad you did.

Learn more about this author, Cyn Bagley.
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