What Actually Happens to Your Cat on Catnip

Why do cats love catnip so much? What happens to their adorable little bodies when they get a whiff of the powerful stuff? Science has found a possible evolutionary answer to this adorable feline phenomenon! Join our host, Rose Bear Don't Walk, for an adorable kitty-centered episode of SciShow!

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[robburgess]

So, if I spray myself with catnip spray my cat will love me more and mosquitos will avoid me? Win-win!

[MauriceBiermans]

Mental note: do not bring nepetalectol mosquito repellant to a safari.

[juddotto]

I imagine a group of serious Japanese scientists gathered in a room watching cats play

[EdgyShooter]

"Steve, did you write a 30 page research proposal just so you could bring your cat to the lab"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm a serious scientist. Aren't I mister floofy?"

[SaiyanHeretic]

Cat in the thumbnail be like, "I don't have a catnip problem, I can stop whenever I want."

[chestersnap]

They actually know why cats show you their butt. Cats, like dogs, get a lot of sensory information from butts and also have scent glands there. They show you their butts as both a sign of trust and to say hello

[elliotburing]

“Super fun experiment”

Cat in mosquito test: DOES THIS REALLY LOOK LIKE IM HAVING FUN OVER HERE?

[StormyPeak]

I had a cat that lived 21 year. When my cat was around 19 years old, and having some tummy troubles, I was told, by my vet, that cat nip could help her. So, daily, I gave her a good pinch of cat nip to eat...and it did help keep her food from coming back up. Her name was Ashley, and she passed away in 2005. So I do know there is some real medical benefits to catnip.

[abbynormal]

It’s rough being a cat, at least that is what my cat meows about.

[MrBlitzpunk]

"why do they orient themselves to you backside first?"

I didn't know this was an universal thing lol

[Elirosai]

It's funny because I've already been using my cat's catnip spray as a wasp repellent because catnip is a cousin to mint and wasps hate the smell of mint.

[boxesofbones]

So what you're telling me is to plant silver vine in my yard to keep mosquitos away and attract neighborhood cats? I'm in.

[Ben-okgx]

Sure they’re not going to eat it right away, but they just want to know it’s there :)

[thNite]

Rose deserves a medal for saying "nepotalactol" so many times without slipping into "nepotalectal" which is what my brain incorrectly kept expecting to hear

[jeaniebird]

When I moved to my new place, there was a lot of wild catnip growing. My cat, Ozzie, hadn't really cared about dried catnip, but when I showed him the fresh stuff, he was instantly addicted.

He was high the _entire_ day. He was wide-eyed, with ears back, and and in an odd mood. I would hear him come inside, then he'd find me, give me one quick bite on the leg, then run off. He did this ALL day!

I was quite concerned. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't afford kitty rehab! But, I didn't have to. I'm so proud of my Ozzie, he got his habit under control all by himself!

The next day, he was only high about half the time, then even less the day after that and by day four, he had nipped his habit in bud!

He's such a cool cat, too. He's solid black but sometimes, when the sun is _just_ right, he looks dark brown with black tiger stripes! I think it's his superhero outfit, underneath.

[JeighNeither]

I love how she points out that the hypothesis is in it's early stages & that it requires scientific method over time, for us to be truly confident of it's assertions. Meanwhile the title of this video declares definitely "We had it all wrong about Catnip". 🤦‍♀️

[SuperManning]

My weird cat couldn’t be bothered to play with catnip. I even tried growing it myself and put him right beside it in the garden—he actually seems repelled by it. He was obviously raised by dogs

[-RTC-]

My gf never likes using catnip with our cats because it turns them into lunatics. Now I have some ammo to use against her. Thanks SciShow!

[agnosticgo]

The scientists in Japan really went all out in this study instead of just asking all the catgirls running around the country

[akewlen]

"This compound directly activated a reward system in the feline brain.". Ok, so the cat is high af. I had it right already.