Catnip and Cats

**mst219** · 02-27-2007, 07:51 PM

so... does anyone know what the hell it does to them? i gave my cat some and it freaked out the rest of the night... kinda like stared at the wall for awhile then ran around then slept like a mother.. im thinkin maybe it does the same thing marijuana does to humans?

its pretty funny to watch for the 1st few times.. and its 100% safe.. they sell it at petco so yea..

**FSANE** · 02-27-2007, 07:54 PM

Originally Posted by mst219

so... does anyone know what the hell it does to them? i gave my cat some and it freaked out the rest of the night... kinda like stared at the wall for awhile then ran around then slept like a mother.. im thinkin maybe it does the same thing marijuana does to humans?

its pretty funny to watch for the 1st few times.. and its 100% safe.. they sell it at petco so yea..

I actualy wondered, what would happen if a person smoked it?

**86 IROC-Z** · 02-27-2007, 08:02 PM

Whenever my cats get in contact with it, they go completely psychotic.. Dont know what it does to them, but it must be some sort of stimulant or something.

**Dax** · 02-27-2007, 08:07 PM

It's Cat Weed!

**Secret Formula** · 02-27-2007, 08:08 PM

I bought some fresh stuff (like the maui wowie of catnip), put it in an old sock, tied it in a knot, gave it to my cat and it went friggin crazy.

**AKIRA** · 02-27-2007, 08:08 PM

My cats have usually just purred loudly and just ate it. Younger cats get a little wild, though.

**Secret Formula** · 02-27-2007, 08:11 PM

This is an older somewhat lazy cat, and it still went nuts, I think it was hydro-nip.

**eddierox** · 02-27-2007, 08:44 PM

Known as Nepetia cataria or grandiflora ... Catnip contains nepetalactone, a terpene. The chemical probably hijacks the pathway normally influenced by a cat pheromone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catnip

**s79** · 02-28-2007, 04:05 AM

"Catnip is a helluva drug"

Bought some for my two cats once, rubbed it into one of there toy mice, they both went bizzare/insane over it.....turned into a very violent fight(these two never fight) so that was the last I used it with them.

**bmyers** · 02-28-2007, 04:15 AM

catnip + peanut butter rubbed generously on... nevermind

**zbizkit** · 02-28-2007, 04:48 AM

"Catnip" is the common name for a perennial herb of the mint family. It is native to Europe and is an import to the United States and other countries. The catnip plant is now a widespread weed in North America.

Given to the right cat, catnip can cause an amazing reaction! The cat will rub it, roll over it, kick at it, and generally go nuts for several minutes. Then the cat will lose interest and walk away. Two hours later, the cat may come back and have exactly the same response.

Because there really isn't any scent that causes this sort of reaction in humans, catnip is hard for us to understand. However, it is not an uncommon behavior in animals that rely heavily on their noses. For example, there are many scents that will trigger intense hunting behavior in dogs, and other scents will cause dogs to stop in their tracks and roll all over the scent.

Although no one knows exactly what happens in the cat's brain, it is known that the chemical nepetalactone in catnip is the thing that triggers the response. Apparently, it somehow kicks off a stereotypical pattern in cats that are sensitive to the chemical. The catnip reaction is inherited, and some cats are totally unaffected by it. Large cats like tigers can be sensitive to it as well.

The reaction to catnip only lasts a few minutes. Then the cat acclimates to it, and it can take an hour or two away from catnip for the cat to "reset." Then, the same reaction can occur again. Very young kittens and older cats seem less likely to have a reaction to catnip.

**91Z28** · 02-28-2007, 05:51 AM

Catnip is about the only good thing about being stuck with cats in your house. Watching those little shits go crazy is funny as hell.

**brad8266** · 02-28-2007, 06:13 AM

My cat used to go wild running in circles all through the house, that shit is funny.

**86 IROC-Z** · 02-28-2007, 06:21 AM

Originally Posted by 91Z28

Catnip is about the only good thing about being stuck with cats in your house. Watching those little shits go crazy is funny as hell.

**Spaz** · 02-28-2007, 07:17 AM

cat nip to cats is like us taking LSD... i forget how it all works but when they smell cat nip the particles from it attach to recepteres in thier brain and make them high...

**Spaz** · 02-28-2007, 07:18 AM

here...

Catnip is also known by the following names: Cataria, Catmint, Catnep, Catrup, Cat's Heal All, Cat's-play, Cat's Wort, Catswort, Catwort, Chi Hsueh Tsao, Field Balm, Garden Nep, Herba Cataria, Herba Catti, Nebada, Nep.

The active ingredient which causes this is an essential oil called nepetalactone, which can be found in the leaves & stem of the plant. Other constituents include Acetic Acid, Alpha & beta-nepetalactone, Citral, Nepetalactone, Geraniol, Dipentene, Citronellol, Nerol, Butyric Acid, Valeric Acid and Tannins.

When a cat encounters catnip, it usually sniffs it, rubs against it, licks it & finally eats it. It's actually the sniffing that gets produces the high, it's believed that cats eat catnip to bruise the catnip & therefore release more of the nepetalactone. The high produced will usually last between five & ten minutes.

One interesting fact is that when sniffed, catnip will stimulate kitty, however when eaten it will act as a sedative.

Around 50% of cats are affected by catnip, and those who are, are affected to differing degrees. Kittens younger than 8 weeks old aren't able to enjoy it's effects. In fact, they show an aversion to it. The response to catnip appears to be inherited as an autosomal gene. It's not just domesticated cats who enjoy the effects of catnip, many lot of wild species also enjoy it. Cats can smell 1 part in a billion in the air. Males & females, entire or desexed, there appears to be no one group who is more readily affected by catnip than another.

Nepetalactone causes a hallucinogenic effect. Some say the effects are similar to LSD, others say similar to marijuana. Because cats roll on the floor, which mimics a female in estrus, it has been suggested that catnip acts as an aphrodisiac, but this is unlikely as males react in just the same way. What is likely is the cat is reacting to similar "feel good" pheromones released during sexual courtship/activity. However, non sexual behaviour including playing, chasing & hunting can also be observed. The response to catnip is via the olfactory system. Even cats who can't smell will can still respond to catnip.

**Secret Formula** · 02-28-2007, 08:40 AM

http://www.erowid.org/herbs/catnip/

Great website for information about all other drugs. (human drugs that is)

**Daniel P.** · 02-28-2007, 07:21 PM

my 11 yo sister has some growing wild right off her porch and found last summer that her cats go crazy over the shit so she put it in containers and then mixed it with her cats food, come fall when it quit growin damn things had withdrawals and shit shakin and eatin any other green plants in the area.

**Hi-Po** · 02-28-2007, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by mst219

so... does anyone know what the hell it does to them? i gave my cat some and it freaked out the rest of the night... kinda like stared at the wall for awhile then ran around then slept like a mother.. im thinkin maybe it does the same thing marijuana does to humans?

its pretty funny to watch for the 1st few times.. and its 100% safe.. they sell it at petco so yea..

I give my cat ... cat nip everyday. My brother puts it in his food. He actually put in on mashed potatoes one time and the cat ate the shit. He is 24/7 high on cat nip. He will dart across the room, attack your legs as you walk, all kinds of shit.

This cat will let me lay him across my shoulder and walk in to my pool. I have never gotten him wet. Found this fucker on my b-day in the walmart parking lot when he was 2 pounds or soemthing. ALLL black. long as fuck. I named him Wally. Coolest cat ever.