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Even if they can't pronounce the Latin, name your cat would beg you to go out and buy or grow some "Nepeta Cataria" (cat nip) as soon as possible!
Yes, that's the fancy scientific name for catnip, which is just a variety of the mint plant, but it's the party treat that all cats adore.... Or do they? As with cats, the interesting point about catnip, and cats’ reactions to catnip, is in the variety of answers to this question.
Catnip can be grown in places as distant as Australia, South Africa, Italy and Sri Lanka, as well as in West Virginia, U.S.A. So which is the best? Well, do you like wine from France, Germany or California, or coffee from Brazil or Colombia? It's all in your individual taste buds, right? Well, so is the "taste" for catnip. Although catnip only requires a temperate climate in order to be grown, differences in the soil, sunlight, length of growing season, amount of moisture, average daily temperatures and other local growing factors can have an impact on the quality of the product. Some catnip may be better than others, but some cats like different catnips from others, too!
Sprinkle a little catnip on the floor and watch the response! For about 5 to 15 minutes the cats will taste it, rub their cheeks in it, roll in it and generally act like they are a little drunk and very happy. It has no long-term effects. Most cats just get a little drowsy and doze off afterwards. If you ever have any lions, tigers or leopards in your house remember this as a way to calm them down! Yes, the big cats react to catnip just the same as the little cats do!
That is IF they react. There are some cats that are party poopers and just don't have a reaction. Or some cats will have more intense reactions and get very excited, while others will just sniff a little while and look at you asking, so what's next? Male cats seem to have more intense reactions than females, but approximately 20% of the cat population will not react at all.
Reaction to the catnip may cause your cat to take on a rather odd look with their mouth hanging partially open. This is because the cat has a unique taste/smell organ that has a passage leading from the roof of its mouth. Airborne particles are actually captured on the tongue and tasted, but then also flicked back towards the roof of the mouth to be "smelled". It is during the capturing and flicking action that the cat looks either like it is dumbstruck, or maybe perturbed with something, but it is actually just using one of its sensory organs. Male cats do this to track the smell of females during estrus, but all cats have it and it can be used at any other time, like when they are smelling catnip, as well!
Catnip has never been found to be harmful and unlike psychedelic drugs in humans, it is not addictive. After the 5-15 minutes of trance response, the cat will show no signs of further effects. However, too much of a good thing can ruin the fun for your cats because evidently, if given too frequently, cats eventually become indifferent to catnip and may no longer respond.
The right frequency seems to be no more than about once every two or three weeks to ensure your cats keep their "party animal" good-natured reaction! This means that the best way to buy catnip is not in a toy that you leave lying around the house for them to play with all the time, and lose its appeal, but only loose catnip that you sprinkle out for a "good time" once in a while.
It you want to give your cat some of the best quality catnip offered on the market today, and know more about where I learned most of this interesting information, then let me introduce you to Catnip Trading, a new company formed by cat lovers Gene Kalb and Linda Pollitz. Gene and Linda decided that they wanted to form a business based on what they loved the most - cats.
Catnip Trading sells catnip and treats from around the world, including small producers from the U.S., purposely providing products that are not available in pet stores or pet catalogs and that are only of the highest quality. They also offer treats (snack foods) from Holland, Germany, England and other locales in addition to catnip and they will not sell any product that they wouldn't feed to their own cats.
As a matter of fact, they use their own and other family members' cats as their "test cats" to determine the quality and effectiveness of any product they sell, which only come from verifiably recognized companies worldwide. If their cats don't eat it or react to it, it gets a "four paws down" rating and doesn't get into their product line!
When they ship out their products they include information on the history of the particular product and/or on the location where it was purchased. So you can feed your cat's fancy and your mind at the same time!
Catnip Trading uses some of the proceeds from their profits to support non-profit cat-related charities, like Animal Umbrella! For more information on catnip or Catnip Trading, write them at 17 North Street, Lexington, MA 02173-1811or call 1-800-8CATNIP or 617-860-7900.
By Linda Lachman
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Sunday, 07 September 2008
