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Why cats are crazy for catnip

sciencemag.org

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Re: Why cats are crazy for catnip

#91

Post by dokem »

zvrba wrote: post #38

My cats get high after eating tiny bits of green olives. They roll, are crazy for more, will literally lick my clothes if I spilled a drop of the pickle, and one of the gets a bit playfully aggressive. Just the smell of olives attracts them like crazy. Have also tried catnip, but no observable effect. I don't overdo it, I don't have olives very often in the fridge, and even then they maybe get a tiny piece once a wee…

My cat acts the same towards my sweaty post-workout socks. He can't seem to get enough of 'em. And he doesn't seem to care for cat nip nearly as much.

Re: Why cats are crazy for catnip

#92

Post by lreeves »

the-dude wrote: post #86
lreeves wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the same reason I smoke weed. They clearly love it and it has no adverse effects (just don't let them eat it, use it in toys).

> has no adverse effects I used to think that too. And I still smoke ( hash, which is different ). However, it does make me complacent, which sometimes make me endure situations I would otherwise change.

Oh I meant catnip, haha. I think pot definitely has some mild side-effects for sure.

Re: Why cats are crazy for catnip

#93

Post by _underfl0w_ »

the-dude wrote: post #86
lreeves wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the same reason I smoke weed. They clearly love it and it has no adverse effects (just don't let them eat it, use it in toys).

> has no adverse effects I used to think that too. And I still smoke ( hash, which is different ). However, it does make me complacent, which sometimes make me endure situations I would otherwise change.

Complacency is a huge downside. I'm also much less motivated to work on side projects.

Not to mention the toll on the lungs. Ask Willie Nelson if you'd like anecdata about how that can play out over a lifetime.

I've recently made the leap to edibles exclusively after a stint with a hot-air vaporizer (a la Volcano devices) and I now find the resin smell of smoking incredibly off-putting. The coughing, hacking, and lung stiffness that results from a bong rip even more so.

Doesn't lessen the complacency, but the delay your metabolism introduces can help you get started on projects before it sets in!

Re: Why cats are crazy for catnip

#94

Post by mopierotti »

rpiguyshy wrote: post #67

i recently moved into a house with some other people. they have cats which they have owned for many years. after living here for a while, i was sitting on the couch watching star trek with these people when one of the cats came up and sat on my lap. they were shocked. that cat didnt sit on any of their laps, ever. and they became a little jealous. this happens literally every time i take up residence with people who…

I have fostered roughly 25 cats (one at a time), and what you wrote about communication resonates with me. Most cats seem to develop a sort of pidgin[1] language in collaboration with you to communicate how they feel or what they want. It's different for each cat, but is usually some combination of vocalization tones, body postures/movements, eye contact, or even the location in the house they choose to do those things from.

They can be surprisingly great communicators.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pidgin

Re: Why cats are crazy for catnip

#95

Post by eps »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #20
cosmodisk wrote: post #6

Not just catnip,valerian too,which is a 'top recreational drug' for cats, apparently. When we were kids,we used to give small amounts of valerian root to our cat to chew. The cat would literally tear anything apart just to get it. Then,a few minutes later,it gets high, and just keeps rolling over purring with satisfaction.

Our cats are definitely more into valerian than catnip, they dive face first into the stuff, eat it, roll around in it, etc. With catnip, no reaction.

Valerian is the cat drug in my home country. Mentioned it once to a friend, a Canadian, and brought him a bit the next time I went back home for a visit. His cat had no reaction. Zero. But the catnip worked as expected.

Re: Why cats are crazy for catnip

#97

Post by ivansavz »

ivansavz wrote: post #96

Direct link to research paper: [ The characteristic response of domestic cats to plant iridoids allows them to gain chemical defense against mosquitoes ] https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/4/eabd9135

On a lighter note, and for anyone who hasn't seen cats on catnip in practice, check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0OB9p0zqx0

Re: Why cats are crazy for catnip

#98

Post by idlewords »

leadingthenet wrote: post #53

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 started off giving my catnip once every few weeks or so. Soon it was multiple times a day. Now the cat just lies around on the sofa all day, waiting for the next fix. I dare not stop because I fear its claws. The active, happy animal I knew is gone, replaced by this sleepy, torpid monster—just another victim of catnip addiction.

Re: Why cats are crazy for catnip

#99

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

zvrba wrote: post #38

My cats get high after eating tiny bits of green olives. They roll, are crazy for more, will literally lick my clothes if I spilled a drop of the pickle, and one of the gets a bit playfully aggressive. Just the smell of olives attracts them like crazy. Have also tried catnip, but no observable effect. I don't overdo it, I don't have olives very often in the fridge, and even then they maybe get a tiny piece once a wee…

Cats are known to like fatty and salty foods, and not have a "sweet tooth". Olives are oily, and preserved in salt

Re: Why cats are crazy for catnip

#100

Post by RandallBrown »

jrimbault wrote: post #55
cosmodisk wrote: post #6

Not just catnip,valerian too,which is a 'top recreational drug' for cats, apparently. When we were kids,we used to give small amounts of valerian root to our cat to chew. The cat would literally tear anything apart just to get it. Then,a few minutes later,it gets high, and just keeps rolling over purring with satisfaction.

Olive wood too. Many cats will lick a piece of olive wood and seem to get some kind of high from it. I've seen many cats lounging under (or on top of) olive trees in the Alps around Nice (France).

The cat I had growing up was OBSESSED with olives. He would eat one, then roll around in the spot where it was on the floor. It was the same reaction he had to catnip, but more extreme.

My current cat is much less interested in olives, but loves catnip.

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