---
title: "All About Catnip"
id: "199715"
type: "post"
slug: "all-about-catnip"
published_at: "2020-08-24T05:28:17+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-02-27T19:11:35+00:00"
url: "https://www.petlandfairfield.com/all-about-catnip/"
markdown_url: "https://www.petlandfairfield.com/all-about-catnip.md"
excerpt: "Does your fur baby love catnip? Well, here’s why! Cat owners respond with laughter when they see their cat’s reaction to catnip, an herb in the mint family. Their normally lazy feline rubs her nose and cheeks in the catnip,..."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Tips &amp; Tricks"
---

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# All About Catnip

August 24, 2020 ·  3 min read ·  [Carley Kuehner](https://www.petlandfairfield.com/author/cosmick/)

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## Does your fur baby love catnip? Well, here’s why!

Cat owners respond with laughter when they see their cat’s reaction to catnip, an herb in the mint family. Their normally lazy feline rubs her nose and cheeks in the catnip, rolls around on the ground, leaps around like a kitten, and then in roughly 10 minutes falls asleep. Most cats enjoying catnip also vocalize more than usual, but not all cats are equally respondent.

Some people question the ethics of giving what appears to have the effect of a recreational drug in human use to an animal. But is it really the same? What exactly is going on when our cats act silly around this “magic” cat herb?

There are many varieties of what is commonly known as the catnip plant (*Nepeta cataria* and other *Nepeta species*). They are all members of the mint family *Lamiaceae* that also includes such herbs as rosemary, sage, oregano, and basil. Catnip contains tannins, volatile oils, acids, and sterols. Although not native to North America, they were imported from Europe, Asia, and Africa and are now commonly seen in herb gardens. The plants also grow widely as weeds. The volatile oil nepetalactone found in the stems and leaves of the catnip plant is the component that cats react to. It is nonaddictive and completely harmless to cats. Domestic cats as well as their wild cousins seem to love the smell.

They look high–are they? Jim Simon, a professor of plant biology and co-director of the Center for Sensory Sciences and Innovation at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, says no. The behaviors exhibited by cats when they smell catnip are those common to queens in season (females in heat.) The response to catnip is hereditary. Seventy to 80 percent of cats, both male and female, act this way when exposed to the plant. Kittens under the age of 6 months (when they reach sexual maturity), however, do not react to catnip. If it induced a high like marijuana does in humans, age would have no bearing on it.

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It’s not only nepetalactone in catnip that stimulates a response, says Simon. Other compounds are similar in molecular structure, but not as strong. The odor of nepetalactone binds to receptors in their noses and the resulting behavior may appear euphoric.

According to Dr. Bruce Kornreich, an associate director for education and outreach with the Feline Health Center at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York, these other compounds affect neurotransmitters, “resulting in inhibition of central nervous system activity.”

A study published in[Science Direct](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376635717301766?via=ihub)
 says that virtually 100% of cats respond to catnip, although the reaction in some is passive, seen in the sphinx-like posture they exhibit. Whatever their response, it’s definitely a pure pleasure for the cat that smells catnip. Check out your local Petland for a variety of fun catnip treats!

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         Petland Fairfield   926 Google reviews   Write a review                 Posted on Google        Kayln Johnson     Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I had been looking for months for a english bulldog with no luck unfortunately. As I was online I found this place. I was browsing through their pictures of available animals and applied to meet a dachshund puppy
The next morning David called me to set up an appointment to meet her, he was super friendly and helpful. My family and I decided to go to Fairfield Petland and meet the puppy. As we were there looking at all the animals we saw a 13 week old female bulldog. Lisa the manger saw us looking at her and asked if we would like to meet her, of course we said yes. Celeste another wonderful employee went and got her and set us up in a room and we fell inlove instantly!!! Celeste, Lisa, David were truly gems they explained everything that they offer explain everything about the puppy even showed us for generations of her family, all vet records, and so much more!! Needless to say Nova is the new addition to our family we absolutely love her much and couldn't be happier!!! Thank you so much Petland and thank you again to the three wonderful individuals( Lisa, Celeste, David) that made our family whole with our new fur baby!!! ❤️ 🐶❤️🐾         Posted on Google        Kevin Mabrey     Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I had visited shelter after shelter looking for a small dog to adopt. No luck. I visited Petland with no intention of purchasing. Youseff greeted me and at first, I was rather standoffish with him expecting a sales pitch, etc. He read me immediately and knew not to push it. He kept me interested and asked the right questions and told me the important aspects of adopting from Petland. Youseff is the diamond in the rough! He was very kind, understanding, patient, and all around a great person! If every retail location could have a young man like Youseff, they’d be dang LUCKY! Keep the great attitude, kid!!! You’re awesome at what you do!!! Cocoa and I thank you and commend you!         Posted on Google        Natalie Burlingham     Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. A massive thank you to Lisa and David!

After a terrible experience at a nearby bird store, I arrived at Pet Land in low spirits but by the end of our visit I couldn't have been happier. My grandmother was looking to purchase a new bird and had a few questions about what she should be taking home. Lisa was extremely helpful in the process of helping her not only pick a bird that would be good for the companionship she was looking for but also took the time to help her pick toys, bedding, food, and anything else she needed. While Lisa was helping my grandmother, David was so kind in helping get me the information I needed to help her get her new friend set up. We had a fairly large purchase that would not fit in my car and David not only went out of his way to help me attempt to get everything loaded but when it didn't work he took the time to walk me through how to rebuild our new bird cage and then took everything apart and loaded it up. One thing that stood out to me was that as I was outside loading the car Lisa had noticed my grandmother looking a little tired and went out of her way to go get her a chair so she could rest while waiting. Happy to say the bird is doing well in its new home and we all could not be thankful enough for the kind service provided by Lisa and David!         Posted on Google        Jarryd Stump     Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. When we stopped in a week ago we had just lost 2 of our guinea pigs we had gotten from 2 other petlands in a couple of months. Celeste came over and asked if we had an questions and when I told her what happened she went and got Lisa. Lisa started asking us a bunch of questions and come to find out we weren't told everything or were mislead when we got our other 2. They have a program that if you do will guarantee your guinea pigs for up to 6 months instead of the normal 7 days. I think the other 2 petlands were trying to make a quick sale. Lisa gave us so much info that we ended up buying 2 male guinea pigs. Lisa and Celeste were so helpful! Plus they work with a local small animal vet that will give you your pets first visit free if you buy from this petland! Go in and see Lisa and Celeste for all your pet needs! Thank you again!         Posted on Google        Collie b     Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I drove an hour and a half for their last two bunnies and they reserved them for me. Lisa and Ellen were amazing and super helpful about getting me not only the bunnies, but the supplies for them as well. My family feels complete with these two lovely bunnies.              
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