71–80 of 123 posts
> Our findings suggest instead that rolling is rather a functional behavior. People smoke weed all the time and it decreases violence. But that’s not why they do it. Chances are just as good that the insect repellant is just a nice side effect of these cats getting high, not the other way around.
They get high from ingesting it. Not from rolling around in it.
How were they able to patent this? I've known for 20 years that catnip works as a mosquito repellent; there was a 2001 paper that showed that its essential oil, nepetalactone, was 10 times more effective than DEET[1]. Soon after this a variety of "natural mosquito repellent" products based on catnip appeared on the market. I've made homemade repellent myself by soaking catnip in alcohol and it works great, although i…
Maybe this is a weird question, but why do people give drugs to their cats? Is it to see them have fun? Is it so the owners have fun? Is it good for them? I never quite understood why catnip was so socially acceptable when we view other drugs with such different eyes.
Maybe this is a weird question, but why do people give drugs to their cats? Is it to see them have fun? Is it so the owners have fun? Is it good for them? I never quite understood why catnip was so socially acceptable when we view other drugs with such different eyes.
Along the same lines, does it gives cats a “hangover” of sorts afterwards? The article describes catnip as similar to heroin for humans. I’ve never done heroin but I would imagine the withdrawal is really unpleasant which is what then causes addiction. Do cats experience the same come down? Can cats get addicted to catnip if they have access to an unlimited supply?
I don’t think there’s a long-term tolerance that builds up. I get the sense it is short-acting. I’ve read once a cat has catnip, giving them more in a 15-20 minute window is pointless because they’ve already been “activated” by it. They need to come down from the initial dose first.
My cats’ vet has suggested to use catnip to encourage activity (they’re a big chunky and need some exercise).
Maybe this is a weird question, but why do people give drugs to their cats? Is it to see them have fun? Is it so the owners have fun? Is it good for them? I never quite understood why catnip was so socially acceptable when we view other drugs with such different eyes.
New cat utterly unresponsive to catnip, wonder if defective. Have never encountered a cat that didn't go cray for the nips until now. Last cat was so into it, I worried whether she experienced withdraw symptoms. Literature on that is pretty mixed though.
> Most scientists and pet owners assumed the only reason that cats roll around in catnip was for the euphoric experience, Miyazaki says. "Our findings suggest instead that rolling is rather a functional behavior.” There is no incompatibility between proximal and distal, what they call functional, explanations of behavior. Once you have a brain with a reward system, a good way to encourage (discourage) a behavior that…
Maybe this is a weird question, but why do people give drugs to their cats? Is it to see them have fun? Is it so the owners have fun? Is it good for them? I never quite understood why catnip was so socially acceptable when we view other drugs with such different eyes.
I've met christian, conservative, Swedish country-side folk who frown on anything the government considers illegal or drugs.
But at the same time will use catnip on a new cat toy as a tool to make the cat take to it. Or just watch it roll around for their own amusement.
Maybe that's a fringe example but I have had that experience a couple times.
More often I have contact with younger people in their 20s and 30s who don't view human drugs as anything morally wrong and just enjoy giving their cat what they assume is enjoyment.
> Our findings suggest instead that rolling is rather a functional behavior. People smoke weed all the time and it decreases violence. But that’s not why they do it. Chances are just as good that the insect repellant is just a nice side effect of these cats getting high, not the other way around.
> People smoke weed all the time > and it decreases violence https://i.imgur.com/61JXtJ7.png
Jamie, pull that up.
> Most scientists and pet owners assumed the only reason that cats roll around in catnip was for the euphoric experience, Miyazaki says. "Our findings suggest instead that rolling is rather a functional behavior.” There is no incompatibility between proximal and distal, what they call functional, explanations of behavior. Once you have a brain with a reward system, a good way to encourage (discourage) a behavior that…
I think you're misreading that paragraph. It is specifically saying the euphoria is not the _only_ reason that cats roll around in catnip.