Three minutes to talk about popular science
Why does catnip make cats so good?I believe many people know that catnip is a big killer of cats, most cats are difficult to resist catnip**, under the stimulation of catnip, cats show a completely different attitude than usual, and some arrogance will become docile and intimate;Some of them become excited and aggressive, while others fall into a state of depression, which is very interesting. So what is catnip, and what makes cats so addicted?In this issue, let's talk about catnip.
The so-called catnip is actually its common name, and its official name is nepeta. To say that the relationship between nepeta and mint is not as close as father and son as we think, but a distant relative who can't be beaten by eight poles, if you have to connect, you can only say that the two have a little connection in their ancestors. However, nepeta and peppermint are not close relatives, but they do look very similar to peppermint, and they can also exude a peculiar fragrance, but this fragrance is particularly effective for cats, so it has a common name of catnip.
Interestingly, the relationship between nepeta and cats was discovered very early, which we can also guess from the English name catnip of nepeta, which begins with cats. Because of this, we are more Xi to call it catnip in our daily life. Nepeta comes from an ancient Italian city where catnip was not intended to be noticed, but as cats entered human life and moved to Italy, they gained attention because of their love for cats.
However, catnip itself is also quite beautiful, not only does it have a strong aroma, but its leaves are also heart-shaped or ovate-shaped, and it has lilac or white flowers arranged in spike-like inflorescences. In particular, catnip itself is hardy and drought-tolerant, so it is also a very good ornamental plant, and it can also repel small insects such as mosquitoes, flies or termites to a certain extent, because the aroma is addictive to cats, but mosquitoes are disgusted.
Of course, the biggest role of catnip in human society is still used to tease cats. Under the influence of catnip, cats will exhibit different behaviors such as excited, lazy, intoxicated, etc., as if they were changing into another cat in an instant. However, catnip is not effective for all cats, according to statistics, only about two-thirds of cats will react to catnip, and the rest of the cats are ordinary plants in their eyes, and this reaction is directly related to genetics.
So how exactly does catnip get addicted to cats?This is mainly due to the nepeta esters in catnip, which bind to some protein receptors in the cat's nose and activate sensory nerve cells. These nerve cells then come alive and cause the cat to start rubbing its head and body against the plant, or jumping, rolling, making noises, or drooling. The effect may seem similar to some human substances, but it's actually quite different.
Cats are very addicted to catnip though. But the effect of catnip on cats will only make the cat last for ten minutes, and the longest will not exceed an hour. After that, the cat loses interest in catnip and enters a cooling period of several hours, after which it regains its sensitivity to catnip. What's more, catnip has no effect on kittens, and only sexually mature cats will be sensitive to catnip.
In other words, the stimulation of catnip to cats is essentially nepetal ester acting as a pheromone, making cats enter estrus, which is one of the reasons why cats may not eat catnip although they are addicted to catnip. Of course, even if cats are not sensitive to catnip, it is only because cats do not have genes that are sensitive to catnip, and it is not that there is anything wrong with the cat's body. Also be careful, don't feed catnip easily, because cats can have diarrhea if they eat too much catnip.
Based on the unique effect of catnip on cats, catnip can have a certain soothing effect on cats, can make them happier and more lively, can also help them relieve stress and anxiety, and can also be used to attract cats. But don't think of catnip as "**** more about getting close to the cat." So how do you usually tease cats?