{"id":994,"date":"2017-07-18T14:30:51","date_gmt":"2017-07-18T21:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/?p=994"},"modified":"2024-07-25T05:30:39","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T12:30:39","slug":"effects-of-catnip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/","title":{"rendered":"Time for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"effectsIf you\u2019re one of the hundreds of millions of people devoted to funny cat videos, you\u2019ve definitely seen some hilarious, catnip-induced antics. While funny, these clips beg the question: is catnip safe for cats?<\/p>\n

Many cat owners<\/a> speculate about the long-lasting effects of catnip on their feline friends while others wonder why their cat doesn\u2019t show any interest in the green goody. Who knew there was so much to learn about catnip?!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nepeta Cataria<\/h3>\n

Currently, we don\u2019t know which culture first discovered the effects of catnip on felines. Whether its was originally developed in Egypt or Middle Eastern countries, the result on a cat\u2019s behavior has become legendary.<\/p>\n

The Plant\u2019s Basics<\/h3>\n

A relative of the mint plant, catnip has been cultivated for centuries for human maladies and is now widely referred to as \u201ccatmint.\u201d Nepeta Cataria is a hardy perennial that can grow 2-3 feet tall and is found throughout North America.<\/p>\n

The effects of catnip come primarily through the inhalation of the leaves, which have trapped inside them a volatile oil called nepetalactone. Cats will bite, chew, rub, and roll in catnip to release the oil. Why? Because nepetalactone triggers all the pleasure buttons in a cat\u2019s brain. Widely understood to have mild hallucinogenic powers over a cat, nepetalactone passes over the receptors in the vomeronasal organ (also known as Jacobson’s organ) in the roof of the mouth.<\/p>\n

Is it Always This Intense?<\/h3>\n

The effects of catnip vary from cat to cat. When inhaled, the euphoria can last 15-20 minutes. Cats become insensitive to nepetalactone afterwards, but it\u2019s not permanent. You can try to get your cat \u201ccatnip-happy\u201d again an hour or two later, but it\u2019s ideal to use the plant as a special treat once a week or so.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, catnip is not addictive, and fresh leaves can be stored in the freezer for many months without losing potency.<\/p>\n

Inherited Gene<\/h3>\n

Contrary to popular belief, many cats don\u2019t feel any effects of catnip, a fact that was revealed by research of certain feline genetic traits. If the gene is present, a kitten won\u2019t be able to feel any effects of catnip until about 6 months. Males are more prone to a catnip \u201chigh\u201d than females. Illness or stress may also inhibit a response to the leaves.<\/p>\n

Other Effects of Catnip<\/h3>\n

You can use catnip to help with crate training<\/a>, when visiting to the vet, or even a technique to help with weight loss<\/a>. Increased physical fitness<\/a> and environmental enrichment are powerful contributors to your cat\u2019s health and wellness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you have additional questions or concerns related to the effects of catnip on your frisky feline, our veterinarians<\/a> and staff<\/a> would love to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re one of the hundreds of millions of people devoted to funny cat videos, you\u2019ve definitely seen some hilarious, catnip-induced antics. While funny, these clips beg the question: is catnip safe for cats? Many cat owners speculate about the long-lasting effects of catnip on their feline friends while others wonder why their cat doesn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[488,489,490,491],"class_list":["post-994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-cats-meow-2","tag-cat-fun","tag-catnip","tag-cats-catnip","tag-the-effects-of-catnip"],"yoast_head":"\nTime for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many cat owners speculate about the long-lasting effects of catnip on their feline friends while others wonder why their cat doesn\u2019t show any interest in the green goody.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Time for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many cat owners speculate about the long-lasting effects of catnip on their feline friends while others wonder why their cat doesn\u2019t show any interest in the green goody.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-07-18T21:30:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-25T12:30:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Rocklin_iStock-543657392.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2a149393fa10716f5f5b1c1cd4305f4a\"},\"headline\":\"Time for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-07-18T21:30:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-25T12:30:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":469,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/07\\\/Rocklin_iStock-543657392.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Cat Fun\",\"Catnip\",\"Cats & Catnip\",\"The Effects Of Catnip\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Cat & Kitten Care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/\",\"name\":\"Time for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/07\\\/Rocklin_iStock-543657392.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-07-18T21:30:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-25T12:30:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2a149393fa10716f5f5b1c1cd4305f4a\"},\"description\":\"Many cat owners speculate about the long-lasting effects of catnip on their feline friends while others wonder why their cat doesn\u2019t show any interest in the green goody.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/07\\\/Rocklin_iStock-543657392.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/07\\\/Rocklin_iStock-543657392.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1630,\"caption\":\"effects of catnip\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/effects-of-catnip\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Time for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital\",\"description\":\"Our Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2a149393fa10716f5f5b1c1cd4305f4a\",\"name\":\"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/499d1e8b14a7de6bac4e3b17dedd8fd319df69ba3b365c22bf4502a847aff6bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/499d1e8b14a7de6bac4e3b17dedd8fd319df69ba3b365c22bf4502a847aff6bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/499d1e8b14a7de6bac4e3b17dedd8fd319df69ba3b365c22bf4502a847aff6bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/beyond\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Time for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip","description":"Many cat owners speculate about the long-lasting effects of catnip on their feline friends while others wonder why their cat doesn\u2019t show any interest in the green goody.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Time for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip","og_description":"Many cat owners speculate about the long-lasting effects of catnip on their feline friends while others wonder why their cat doesn\u2019t show any interest in the green goody.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/","og_site_name":"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital","article_published_time":"2017-07-18T21:30:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-07-25T12:30:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":1630,"url":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Rocklin_iStock-543657392.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/"},"author":{"name":"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital","@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2a149393fa10716f5f5b1c1cd4305f4a"},"headline":"Time for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip","datePublished":"2017-07-18T21:30:51+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-25T12:30:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/"},"wordCount":469,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Rocklin_iStock-543657392.jpg","keywords":["Cat Fun","Catnip","Cats & Catnip","The Effects Of Catnip"],"articleSection":["Cat & Kitten Care"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/","name":"Time for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Rocklin_iStock-543657392.jpg","datePublished":"2017-07-18T21:30:51+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-25T12:30:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2a149393fa10716f5f5b1c1cd4305f4a"},"description":"Many cat owners speculate about the long-lasting effects of catnip on their feline friends while others wonder why their cat doesn\u2019t show any interest in the green goody.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Rocklin_iStock-543657392.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Rocklin_iStock-543657392.jpg","width":2000,"height":1630,"caption":"effects of catnip"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/effects-of-catnip\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Time for a Kitty Intervention? Examining the Effects of Catnip"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/","name":"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital","description":"Our Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2a149393fa10716f5f5b1c1cd4305f4a","name":"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/499d1e8b14a7de6bac4e3b17dedd8fd319df69ba3b365c22bf4502a847aff6bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/499d1e8b14a7de6bac4e3b17dedd8fd319df69ba3b365c22bf4502a847aff6bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/499d1e8b14a7de6bac4e3b17dedd8fd319df69ba3b365c22bf4502a847aff6bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/author\/beyond\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=994"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2664,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/994\/revisions\/2664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}