Sphynx cat eating catnip is a shocker. Photo: Andrew Marttila

It makes you look carefully; a stange combination of a hairless cat and a tongue covered in catnip. In my experience domestic cats don’t really eat catnip when it is loose as we see in the photo. They lick it up and spit it out. This behavior is part of a package of odd behaviors caused by catnip. Cats may at first play with a catnip toy as if it is prey. Then they might rub against it ecstatically and behave like a female cat in heat. Many cats drool and lick the catnip. Bleach can have a similar reaction sometimes (see article below).

I have written a lot about catnip so I won’t repeat myself here. I have written too much I am sure. Here are some pages if you are interested:

Cats roll around on silvervine (matatabi) to protect themselves from mosquitoes

Most cat caregivers know that domestic cats get a non-addictive high from silvervine and catnip. Silvervine is also called matatabi ...
Read More

What is the best and least stressful way to take a feral cat to the vet?

I think this is a very good question. What if you see an injured feral cat and you want to ...
Read More

Why do some cats not react to catnip?

We don't know why some cats don't react to catnip! That's the complete and unhelpful answer. The experts think that ...
Read More

Mice produce lactones which act like catnip on cats

Professor Benjamin Hart from the University of California's School of Veterinary Medicine claims that mice produce lactones which act like ...
Read More

How catnip works as an ancient and natural mosquito repellent

I had no idea but that well-known domestic cat 'psychedelic drug' called catnip is also an insect and mosquito repellent ...
Read More

Domestic cats use catnip and silver vine to protect against mosquitoes?

There is a proposition online in the news media that the similar chemicals in catnip and silver vine, nepetalactol and ...
Read More

Is catnip okay for kittens?

Yes, catnip is okay for kittens but Dr Desmond Morris writes in his book Cat World that, "Young kittens do ...
Read More

Do cats like the smell of mint?

Do cats like the smell of mint is the question and the answer appears to be yes but there is ...
Read More