Catnip mimics feline sex hormones, so cats enjoying this substance will often display behaviors similar to a female cat in heat although both male and female cats can experience the effects. These behaviors can include overt signs of affection, relaxation, and happiness. Other cats will display active behaviors, such as playfulness or sometimes even aggression. For cats that have a positive experience with catnip, it can help reduce anxiety and even relieve pain.
Some veterinarians have recommended using catnip to help with separation anxiety if your cat will be home alone for an extended period of time. Not all cats will respond to the active compound in catnip.
If your cat does not react to catnip, you can try silver vine. Catnip effects will vary in length, depending on the cat.
Usually, the behaviors associated with smelling catnip will last for around 10 minutes and then wear off gradually. It could then take 30 minutes without smelling catnip for the cat to become susceptible to the effects again. Although many cats go batty for catnip, young kittens typically are unaffected by the stuff. The minty perennial has long been appreciated for its surprising physiological effect on some cats.
Nepetalactone is one of the primary components of catnip, and the chemical compound can seemingly drive a cat wild. According to the Humane Society of the United States, the scent of the aromatic oil might emulate the actions of "happiness" chemical substances, and therefore elevate a cat's mood -- in a major way. Although catnip is totally harmless and safe around kittens, both to smell and to eat, it isn't necessarily effective.
These mind-altering affects can typically last between five and 15 minutes, although some cats will respond much more intensely and for longer than others. Interestingly, the ability to respond to catnip is thought to be heritable , with around one in three adult cats seemingly immune to its effect. However, other scientists argue all cats may possess the ability to react to catnip, but that some are active and others more passive responders, with differences in intensities of reactions influenced by their age, sex and neuter status.
Many cats are certainly very attracted to catnip and will actively seek it out in their environment. For these reasons, catnip is often used in its dried form to encourage cats to use their scratching posts — as opposed to the arm of our expensive new sofa. In humans, smoking catnip has been described as inducing sensations akin to those of marijuana or LSD.
Catnip sensitivity is hereditary—an estimated 50 percent of cats have no reaction. The most intense catnip experience starts with the nose—one whiff of the stuff and your cat promptly goes nuts.
Researchers suspect that catnip targets feline "happy" receptors in the brain. When eaten, however, catnip tends to have the opposite effect and your cat mellows out. Most cats react to catnip by rolling, flipping, rubbing, and eventually zoning out. They may meow or growl at the same time. Other cats become hyperactive or downright aggressive, especially if you approach them.
0コメント