Ever Wonder…

How does catnip work?

Written byJef Akst

| 1 min read

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Catnip is widely known for its ability to get cats high. Give a cat a toy laced with the stuff, and she will start rolling around on the floor and bouncing off the walls—literally. But what is catnip, what does it do to our cats, and why doesn’t it have any effect on dogs?

What is catnip?

It’s as natural as drugs get—catnip is a plant. More specifically, it’s about 250 species of perennial herbs in the mint family.

How does catnip work?

Catnip’s behavior-altering qualities stem from an essential oil called nepetalactone found in the leaves and stem of the plant. Cats inhale the nepetalactone, which essentially acts as an artificial feline pheromone, private veterinarian Ramona Turner wrote in Scientific American. Within the cat’s ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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