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- Why are cats so crazy about catnip?
Chemicals, which are also mosquito repealants.
From a Science mag news article.
It can also affect non-domestic cats:
Apparently, nepetalactone is known to have mosquito repellent properties (similar to DEET).
Not that surprising if its supposed to protect the plants from aphids.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) and silver vine (Actinidia polygama) both contain chemical compounds called iridoids that protect the plants against aphids and are known to be the key to the euphoria produced in cats. To determine the physiological effect of these compounds, Iwate University biologist Masao Miyazaki spent 5 years running different experiments using the plants and their chemicals.
his team extracted chemicals present in both catnip and silver vine leaves and identified the most potent component that produces the feline high: a minty silver vine chemical called nepetalactol that had not been shown to affect cats until this study. (The substance is similar to nepetalactone, the key iridoid in catnip.)
It can also affect non-domestic cats:
they repeated the experiment with 30 feral cats—and one leopard, two lynxes, and two jaguars living in Japan’s Tennoji and Oji zoos. Big or small, the felines surrendered to the substance, rubbing their heads and bodies in the patches for an average of 10 minutes (see video, above). In contrast, dogs and mice that were tested showed no interest in the compound.
Apparently, nepetalactone is known to have mosquito repellent properties (similar to DEET).
Not that surprising if its supposed to protect the plants from aphids.