The magical effect of catnip on cats

It is now known that nepeta, best known as catnip, is one of the few herbs that have a mysterious effect on cat’s psychology! Its name, in fact, indicates the cat’s love to lie down and rub against the plant when they find it!

Why is this cat’s love for catnip:

Catnip is rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements, but the strongest feature is its essential oil content. It has a strong aroma of mint, while the essential oil contains a specific component (nepetalactone) that causes this particular euphoria to cats.

Common reactions:

With the contact of the cat with the fresh catnip, you will notice that the cat begins to rub and lie down on the plant, as with the rubbing comes the essential oil to the surface. Other times you will see your pet chewing the fresh leaves. Of course if you want to keep the plant, it is good to put on a protective grid because the cat will flatter it! Other reactions are hyperactivity, jumping, running around the area where it is located, etc.

Positive effect on your cat’s health:

Catnip’s action is both sedative and stimulating. This means that your cat can with the fragrance start playing with the leaves or lie down as if in insobriety.

The fragrance of catnip works stimulantly, and you will see your cat playing, spinning, rubbing on the plant and floor, running with her game inside the house! Enhancing mobility is important for cats living in an apartment or overweight cats. Toys like balls filled with dried catnip will keep your pet in motion. Consumption on the other hand, causes relaxation and drowsiness, ideal action when the cat suffers from stress, feels fear or threat without cause or is afraid of a journey.

As a powerful insect repellent, the catnip protects against fleas and insects that will cause discomfort and even health problems in your cat!

Treats flatulence in your pet, reducing gases, a condition caused either by stress or by air swallowing, or by poor quality food.

What You Can Do With Catnip:

You can use it in toys as mentioned above to keep the interest alive for games.

You can lay out a little dried herb in a new cat bed that your pet refuses to sleep or put it where you want your cat to scratch its nails instead of the sofa.

You can make a bath to your kitten, do it with catnip tea as it calms the nerves, treats skin diseases and protects naturally from fleas.

Is it safe for your pet? Of course, it is safe as the influence lasts for a few minutes. Of course, you should be careful not to consume a big quantity of fresh or dry catnip because as any excess nutritionally, excessive consumption of catnip will cause vomiting and mild diarrhea in your cat.

Observations: Of course not all cats are lovers of the herb catnip. Approximately two-thirds of the feline population responds to nepeta scent. Depends on the existence or absence of a particular chromosome in your kitten’s genes! Consuming when pregnant is dangerous as it causes contractions in the uterus.

Other plants with a similar effect on cats are the honeysuckle, the trunk in which you will often see your cats rubbing or scratching their nails, and valerian root containing the same ingredient in its essential oil.