Word of the week: Nepetalactone

Kooky kitties and feral felines, why cats go crazy for catnip

Amelie Baker
31st October 2022
Image credit: Unsplash
We all know that cats go crazy for catnip, but why does this herb have such a chaotic affect?

Nepetalactone is a name for the multiple iridoid analog stereoisomers produced by Nepeta Cataria, or Catnip. Through binding to olfactory protein receptors and thereby stimulating sensory neurons, Nepetalactone affects the amygdala and hypothalamus (the brain’s master-gland) resulting in the onslaught of insanity seen in most fur balls. In other words, it simply targets the ‘happy’ receptors in the cat’s brain.

Image credit: Pixabay

Surprisingly, not all felines are affected by this cat-drug. It is an inherited gene that makes some extra susceptible to flipping, rolling and overall hysteria that catnip incites. This gene only presents itself once a cat is between 3 and 6 months old - kittens, after all, do not need any added incentive for chaos. 

So, when your cat has its next catnip fix, you know what’s happening and why. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ReLated Articles
magnifiercross
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap