Your Cat’s Oddest Behaviors, Explained

Catnip Makes Them Feel Extreme Joy

To humans, catnip doesn’t look like anything special, it’s just a leafy plant that is related to mint. That doesn’t mean cats don’t go crazy over sniffing it, though. Catnip contains nepetalactone, which is an oil that stimulates sensors in cats’ noses.

This reaction gives around 70 percent of cats a feeling of extreme joy and even, in some cases, hallucinogenic experiences. Your cat may run around, roll, salivate, and make weird noises under the influence of catnip, of which only lasts about ten minutes. Even big jungle cats such as lions and tigers have shown reactions to the leaf.