Native to Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, catnip is now grown all over the world, including the United States. A lot of the behaviors you see in cats, such as purring, are associated with positive moods in cats, suggesting catnip sends them into a state of bliss,” certified cat behavior cat consultant Joey Lusvardi told The Spruce Pets .

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Catnip is generally thought to be safe for kittens, though ingesting too much of it can cause them to not feel great,” Lusvardi said.This article was written by Steven Asarch, a freelance writer for The Spruce Pets. He has firsthand experience working with different feline products and taking care of two rambunctious felines. When they go gaga for catnip, your cat is responding to an active ingredient called nepetalactone, a compound generated by the plant as an insect repellent. But you don't need to know the science to enjoy watching your cat react to catnip. While you can buy catnip alone, it's also a common component of cat toys. Our favorite wand toys let you swap out different lures, and while the Fat Cat Tadpole Wand can’t do that, it does come loaded with one of our favorite lures and a potent quantity of catnip. The Fat Cat Tadpole’s lure is six inches long, with ribbon streamers and a plush body your cat will want to sink their claws into. It’s also stuffed with organic catnip. And while the ten-inch wand is nothing special, we love the 25-inch long tether, which is a stretchy, ribbon knit that’s attractive to cats all on its own. The interactive fish toy comes with a short USB charging cable, and charging the fish motor is straightforward—once the red light goes out, you’re fully charged. It’ll keep flopping for as long as 40 minutes on a charge. When your cat smells nepetalactone their brain responds similarly to the human brain on opioids. However, since the response is limited to endogenous endorphins, it doesn't create dependence or withdrawals.

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Actinidia polygama, more commonly known as silver vine, is a popular alternative to catnip, which is sometimes marketed as even stronger or better. Native to China, Korea, and Japan, silver vine is a species of kiwi. While catnip is loaded with nepetalactone, silver vine features a very similar terpene called nepetalactol. Both are confirmed cat attractants. But why does nepetalactone trigger such a specific feline response? In other words, why would a plant insect repellent drive cats so wild? While scientists have yet to the actual biological mechanism of a cat's nepetalactone response, we do have a promising evolutionary theory, characterized in research published by the American Association for the Advance of Science. When cats rub against catnip, it spreads nepetalactone on a cat's face or body, repelling mosquitos. Thus, pleasurable reactions to catnip conferred an evolutionary advantage. Catnip contains a compound called nepetalactone,” Lusvardi said. “This substance and related substances are found in many plants and act as an insect repellent for the plant. It’s thought that cats respond to catnip because the behaviors they exhibit in response to catnip will cause nepetalactone to coat their fur, acting as a natural insect repellent.” These SmartyKat balls are nearly entirely made from compressed catnip. Blended with a little rice flour and water for cohesion, each ball is baked into a round shape, with a nearly two-inch diameter. The only downside is that if your cat gets too excited, these balls can get soggy and, eventually, a little crumbly. It’s best to only deploy these in rooms with easy-to-clean surfaces and minimal hard-to-reach spots, since these balls are easy to lose under furniture. Also, while many cats go absolutely nuts for these, there’s something about the compressed and baked catnip that a minority of cats reject, so your results may vary.

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This catnip-infused scratcher is aptly named The Original Scratch Lounge and it is designed to invite a cat inside to hang out, play, and fall asleep.