Pet Nutrition & Health Blog

What is Catnip?

What is Catnip?

We all know that cats love catnip, but why? And what exactly is catnip? Cats are attracted to the organic compound present in catnip called Nepetalactone, which is part of the mint family of plants. Cats breathe in the vapors and experience almost a euphoric feeling in some cases. Eighty percent of cats have the gene that makes them susceptible to the effects of catnip, although it usually doesn't develop until a cat is around six months old.