Cats Don’t Like Catnip for the Reason You Think.
Scientists isolated nepetalactone, the active substance in catnip (Nepeta cataria), and found more than they were looking for.
Catnip is super interesting, you offer a little bit of this dried herb to a cat and, if they fall into the lucky percentage (30%) of felines that are sensitive to catnip, then they will reward you with some minutes of incredibly cute footage:
This effect of Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is theorized to be similar to the effects of psychedelics and narcotics in humans, thought shorter-lasting and mostly harmless for your pet.
The substance responsible for this is called Nepetalactone.
There are other plants other than Catnip (Nepeta cataria) that are rich in nepetalactone such as the Silver Vine (Actinidia polygama) and not until recently scientists have been able to come closer to the answer as to why our feline friends act how they do when they smell or ingest Catnip.
