| Your cat, your loving and lovable family pet is not | | | | When a cat finds catnip it will usually sniff at it, rub up |
| usually what you would call a bundle of energy. In fact | | | | against it, lick it and nibble at it. It is the sniffing at it that |
| she spends a good deal of the day taking a siesta. | | | | gets the reaction, it is thought that cats nibble and rub |
| When she moves she does so at her own pace and | | | | against the catnip to bruise it and thereby cause more |
| in her own time. | | | | of the nepetalactone oil to be released. Strangely, if a |
| But should your sedate kitty have a whiff of catnip . . . | | | | cat actually eats the catnip it will likely act as a |
| well, wop bop a lula blim bam boom! The party is on | | | | sedative as opposed to giving the kitty a high. |
| baby. Suddenly your cat is rollicking and rolling around, | | | | So, is catnip dangerous for your kitty? After all, the |
| frisky, excited and running about as if the clock had | | | | response that some felines have to catnip is not unlike |
| been turned back and she is a kitten once again. | | | | the response that some humans have to stuff that |
| Then as little as two, but up to fifteen minutes later | | | | they shouldn't smoke. |
| your cat is back to her slothful, normal self, the catnip | | | | Although it said that catnip is bio-chemically related to |
| effect completely worn off. | | | | cannabis cats will come to no harm by enjoying it and |
| What causes the catnip effect, why do cats react in | | | | will not become dependent. The catnip effect very |
| to it in that way? | | | | seldom lasts longer than 15 minutes maximum until the |
| First, not all cats do react to catnip. It is estimated that | | | | cat loses interest. After this a cat will not react again |
| one third to half of the domestic cat population is | | | | for a minimum of one hour. |
| unaffected by the herb. The reaction to catnip is | | | | Not all cats react to the herb in exactly the same way |
| inherited. Kittens that have only one parent that reacts | | | | though. The typical response is an uninhibited friskiness |
| have a one in two chance of reacting themselves, and | | | | and silliness, but a few cats, usually male, become |
| kittens that have parents that both react have a three | | | | aggressive rather than frisky. |
| in four chance. Kittens under three to four months old | | | | Catnip has long been thought safe for humans. It has |
| do not react to catnip and with older cats the effect is | | | | been prescribed by herbalists to treat nervousness, |
| considerably lessened. | | | | stomach complaints, flatulence, and even smallpox! Its |
| Also, if a cat that would normally have a reaction to | | | | leaves have been chewed to relieve toothache and it |
| catnip is in a threatening situation, or is outside of its | | | | has been drunk as a tea as a cough remedy. |
| usual surroundings, it may not respond to the catnip. | | | | Catnip is not dangerous for cats rather it is a very |
| Anyway, as to what causes the catnip effect, the | | | | effective kitty treat for some cats, those that are |
| experts do know that nepetalactone, an oil found in | | | | susceptible to it, to enjoy. |
| catnip causes cats that are sensitive to it to go ga-ga. | | | | ************ |
| What they don't know is why certain cats react that | | | | You are welcome to use this article on your cat or pet |
| way. | | | | related web site or in your pet ezine. You may make |
| It's not just the domestic cat that can experience the | | | | minor formatting changes but the article must be kept |
| catnip effect. Big cats too can react to it; lions, | | | | intact including this resource box, and keep all links as |
| leopards, cheetahs and pumas can get catnip high but | | | | hyperlinks. Thank you. |
| interestingly not tigers. | | | | |