When Cats Get High
I'm sure you've heard of catnip's effect on cats. It's hard to miss it - the behaviour of cats that get high from the plant was first described more than 200 years ago!
But what exactly does the plant do to our feline overlords?
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a plant from the mint family (Lamiaceae) that contains nepetalactone, a compound of the plant's volatile oil. Cats detect the oil through their olfactory epithelium (nasal tissue), where the oil's molecules are thought to bind to protein detectors, which then stimulate sensory neurons. For about a third of cats, this means nothing - their body does not respond to the chemical.
The behavior is hereditary (although there probably isn't a single catnip-makes-you-high gene, it seems to be a polygenic thing), so what happens in those cats that inherit the ability to get high on catnip?
A response is provoked in neurons in their olfactory bulb, and the information travels on to the amygdala and hypothalamus. The amygdala mediates emotional responses to stimuli; it integrates information from the olfactory bulb flow and sends the information to areas that control behavior responses. The hypothalamus regulates responses via the hypophysis, making this whole thing sexual - the cat basically reacts to a fake cat pheromone. It rolls around, grooms itself, makes various strange-looking movements and weird sounds. But, of course, all cats respond to it in their own way.
The sensation is seemingly very pleasant to cats - it's been shown that if cats are given naloxone, a medication used to block or reduce the effect of opioids, it blocks the effect of catnip. This means that opioid receptors are likely to be involved. Cats can go crazy about it for approx. 10 minutes. After a while, they become immune to the oil, and it takes some more time for them to be able to get back to it and fully enjoy its heavenly might... or whatever they may think it is. In any case, if you've ever wondered - yes, it is safe for them.
And the effect of nepetalactone goes beyond cats: it also attracts insects to fight the plant's pests - it's an aphid sex hormone!
Catnip or other Nepeta species are not the only plants that can get felines high - silver vine (Actinidia polygama), Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) wood, and valerian (Valeriana officinalis) roots can also do the magic. Also, it's not just our domesticated feline friends who can enjoy it - some big cats will go just as crazy about the plant as domestic cats! Altogether, 60% of felids are able to enjoy its effects.
