Once you browse Cats on Catnip, it’s pretty clear why the page got its name.
The memes are delightfully chaotic, hilarious, and a little wild—just like a kitty after a taste of the magical herb.
As a cat owner myself, it’s always fun to watch them enjoy it.
But have you ever wondered: Why does catnip get cats “high”? Is “high” even the right word? What is catnip, anyway? Let’s break it down, with some help from PetMD.
First, the basics.
Catnip, or Nepeta cataria, is a member of the mint family. It’s easy to grow in North America and has light-green leaves with lavender flowers.
People have used catnip leaves to brew tea, and the flowers are sometimes used to help relieve coughs. It’s even a natural ingredient in some bug sprays.
But for cats, the magic only happens if they smell it.
Cats have an extra scent organ called the vomeronasal gland on the roof of their mouth, which collects scents and sends signals to the brain (it’s why cats sometimes make a silly “stinky face” when they sniff something). Catnip’s effects travel through this pathway.
According to researchers, catnip works through the body’s internal opioid system.
When a cat smells catnip, a compound called nepetalactone interacts with certain cells in their upper airway, triggering the release of endorphins (natural opioids) in the body.
This is why the experience feels good to them.
Interestingly, cats given naloxone—an opioid “antidote”—won’t react to catnip, which supports this theory.
Eating catnip alone doesn’t do much, though some cats chew on it, possibly to release more nepetalactone from the leaves.
And despite the rumors, catnip isn’t causing LSD-like hallucinations in your cat (and there’s no way to prove that anyway). But it is a safe, cheap, and fun way to give your cat a short burst of joy.
Cats usually start to feel the effects of catnip within seconds, with the “high” lasting around 10 minutes, sometimes stretching to 15. After that, cats need about 1–2 hours before they can feel the effects again.
Cats don’t all react the same way, either.
Some get playful, zoom around, roll, or flip over in excitement. Others get mellow, lounging in a happy daze.
A few may even get a bit feisty or overstimulated. One of my cats, for instance, would be fine as long as you didn’t touch her, but if you tried to pet her mid-catnip session, she’d bite!
