When cats smell catnip, you will notice that their behavior changes. They may rub their heads and body on the herb, jump, roll and salivate, which is similar to their behavior when they are in heat. This reaction only lasts for about ten minutes. But why do cats have this kind of reaction with catnip?
According to The Humane Society of the United States, “The most intense catnip experience is an olfactory one. Your cat smells the herb and promptly goes nuts. Researchers aren’t sure what the neurological explanation is, but it’s thought that catnip mimics feline “happy” pheromones and stimulates the receptors in the brain that respond to those pheromones. When eaten, however, catnip seems to have the opposite effect. The cat may become very mellow.”
In this video, it shows cats who have just had a dose of catnip happiness! Their reaction also made me dizzy and twirly and I feel like I’ve been smelling catnip. Hahaha!
This effect does not apply to kittens until they are matured enough to be sexually active. Catnip is also not harmful or addictive so they can still be safe after having that kind of ecstasy, but be careful about leaving the catnip where the cat can get to it themselves.
