FC KITTY HOOTS

Catnip belongs to the mint family and has a leafy green appearance. However, it has Nepetalactone, which makes cats turn into hyperactive furballs. The most intense reaction to catnip starts with the sniff. According to researchers, catnip targets the happy receptors in your cat's brain, which makes them go crazy. However, catnip usually has the opposite effect when ingested and tends to mellow down even the most hyperactive cat. Usually, cats tend to react by flipping, rubbing, rolling, and gradually just zoning out. Usual behavioural signs include meowing and growling at the same time and aggressiveness when approached. These sessions usually last 10 minutes to lose interest in the catnip and a maximum of two to recover completely.

Prolonged exposure to catnip might cause the cat to become insensitive to it. Fortunately, the effect of catnip lasts for only 10 minutes. Therefore, if you are spraying catnip on a toy or filling one up with dry catnip, you'll have to do it again after a short while. Usually, cats react positively to the effects of catnip, but there would be some cats that are immune to it. In the end, it comes down to the inherited autosomal traits of the cat. These traits will determine whether your cat loves catnip or not. Bear in mind that kittens younger than a few months will not feel the effects of the catnip.

It's a fun experience to watch your cat entertain itself for hours with the catnip toys. While it may worry you to watch your cat flipping, rolling and running around, there's absolutely nothing to worry about. While it may make your cat go crazy, it's a perfectly safe natural herb that doesn't cause any hazardous issues. How catnip works is by acting as a hallucinogenic substance. A big sniff might cause your pet cat to go into a frenzy. The natural herb does so by mimicking happy pheromones in the body. It tells the brain to be happy, which makes the cat go into a state of delight. Better still, you can spray your cat's favourite mouse toy with a bit of catnip and watch it go crazy around the house.

Catnip toys are the most popular way to administer the herb to your playful cat. There is a large variety of catnip-specific toys available in the market, filled with dried organic catnip. The best catnip toys in the market are the ones that come with refillable catnip. Cat parents can open up these refillable catnip toys to replace the used catnip that has lost effectiveness. The key to choosing a catnip toy is to look for fresh and densely packed catnip filling. Make sure that the top is full of pure herbs without any fillers.

Looking at the behaviour of your cat, it's natural to wonder if cats can get addicted to the herb. However, Nepeta cataria, more commonly known as catnip, is not addictive and is relatively harmless for most cats. However, you might wonder about the reason behind the hyperactive behaviour of the cat. The chemical in catnip - Nepetalactone acts as an attractant for acts. It's closer to pheromone than a drug, which is another reason cats cannot get addicted to catnip. What happens is that the pheromone triggers a non-habit forming chemical release in cats and triggers a sense of delight more than anything else.

Technically speaking, the effect of catnip on a cat lasts from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the size, age, and breed of your cat. However, it will be at least a couple of hours before the effect of the catnip completely wears off, and your cat resets to become susceptible to catnip again. In terms of life sustainment, catnip is not known to go bad over a long duration of time. However, it's susceptible to lose its potency over time. In case of prolonged storage, ensure that catnip is sealed and stored in an airtight container.

There are two broad behavioural patterns associated with catnips in cats. These two are related to the sense of smell and consumption. If you're using catnip spray, it will trigger the smell receptors and send your cat into hyperdrive. On the other hand, consuming the catnip will induce a more relaxing effect on the cat and mellow it down.

Catnip is an all-natural herb, which doesn't have any adverse effect on a cat. Moreover, the impact of catnip is not long-lasting either, which is another advantage of giving catnip to the cat. Therefore, if you are worried that your cat might overdose on catnip, there's no reason to be.