Treats that tempt kitty to the garden
Many a cat lover has added a bit of catnip or catmint to their garden to provide a bit of culinary or olfactory temptation for their favorite feline. It turns out that there are a host of other plants that cats find irresistible, be that to nibble or roll around in.
Before I introduce those, here are a few words about the two most popular plants for cats. Both catnip (Nepeta cataria) and catmint (Nepeta faassenii) belong to the greater mint family (Lamiaceae). The active ingredient in catnip is an essential oil called nepetalactone, released when plants are bruised. When your cat encounters catnip, she usually sniffs it, rubs against it, then decides whether to eat some of the plant. It’s the inhalation not the digestion that gets your cat “high.” The responses — play, aggression, a kind of euphoric daze — last five to 10 minutes, usually followed by drowsiness. Interestingly, after one dose, cats are immune to its effect for another two hours.
Research has shown that as many as 30 percent of all cats are immune to catnip’s effects. Cats from countries such as Australia, where the herb is rarely found, are not affected by it. In fact, reaction to catnip is hereditary. Age also factors into a particular feline’s receptivity. Kittens under 12 weeks old do not react and may even be repelled by the smell, while older cats may experience a diminished reaction.
Contrary to the popularly held belief that only house cats are affected by catnip, all species of cats, including big cats such as tigers, leopards and mountain lions, are drawn to it. And file under strange but true: Catnip resembles a component of female cat urine odorant MMB, leading some to speculate that the herb might mimic kitty sex-communication pheromones.