We have all heard of catnip. Many of us have given it to our own kitties. Our own kitties enjoy the indulgence in catnip. But do all cats respond to catnip? The answer is some do and some don’t. I had a cat who was addicted to catnip but my current cat ignores it. Some veterinarians think that catnip is preferred by male cats. Other veterinarians think that a cat needs a certain gene to appreciate catnip. So we know that many house cats like catnip but what about big cats? Do they enjoy catnip? One zoo decided to find out what happens when you give catnip to big cats. It was interesting to see how the big cats responded. Did they respond like our furry housemates or did they have totally different reactions? Let us learn about catnip and what a typical response is. Studies show cats usually do not react to catnip till they are about six to 8 weeks of age. Some cats don’t respond till they are 3 months of age if they respond at all.
Catnip is a member of the perennial herb family. Its scientific name is Nepeta cataria and it has been around forever. Catnip has been used by mankind as well. The herb has been used in tea, juice, smoked and chewed by the two legged mammals. I guess when my cat put her catnip toy in the water dish she was making catnip tea. The typical response to catnip from house cats are sniffing, licking and chewing, chin and cheek rubbing, head rubbing and rolling over. The full cycle lasts about 15 minutes and some cats may vocalize.
But what about big cats? Will they respond they same way? A zoo decided to find out. In the 1970s zoologists gave smooth rocks that had been sprayed with catnip extract to big cats. They chose 33 different big cats to see what they would do. The results were interesting. The lions and jaguars reacted the most strongly to the catnip even at low doses. Zoologists observed the reaction was the same among the male and females. The tigers, bobcats, and cougars reacted less strongly and the cheetahs didn’t respond at all.
Now how did the big cats that liked the catnip respond? They responded just like our furry housemates. The only difference was house cats enjoy catnip for about fifteen minutes whereas the big cats enjoyed for an hour. The zoologists did note that after a break both the big cats and the house cats will return to indulge themselves in more catnip. Watch the video below of some big cats indulging in some catnip. Big Cat rescue did their own study by putting catnip in paper bags.
