Why do cats love catnip? | Hacker News Reader

Why do cats love catnip?

oa.mg

74 pointssgfgross61 comments

Have you seen cats on catnip? They're def getting a buzz. Feel like this is missing something.

Or it's just more nuanced than "why do people like weed"?

But it might be that they get a buzz as an evolutionary strategy, similar to why humans find sugar so appealing (it signifies caloric density). So the cats certainly get a high but maybe they get the high because of the insect repellent action of iridoids (per the article; I don't have any special knowledge of this).

That could be true. But it could be like weed where Human brains have receptors for Cannbanoids but they don't do much without the help of weed.

There are lots of cannabinoid receptors in the body and the body produces its own cannabinoids (e.g. Anandamide). There is no need for weed – when it comes to those receptors.

This makes me wonder about the people who seem immune to the effects of cannabis. If the problem is their receptors would that impair their ability to take advantage of Anandamide and the body's other cannabinoids as well and if so, what are the impacts?

No.

Their mutated receptors can reject THC while still accepting their own endocannabinoids.

Every time I have encountered one of these people, they try a single dab and suddenly it's myth-busted.

It seems pretty common for people to not have or notice any effects the first few times they try it, so some people may think they're one of the immune until they aren't, but I've met a few who do seem unaffected after many attempts. Some say they don't get that natural "runners high" either. It's all just subjective and anecdotal though. I haven't personally seen research on the subject yet.

I've gotten plenty high but never this elusive runners high people talk about. I guess it must be why some people like to run more than half a mile and I'm missing out!

I've only experienced Runner's High one time that I am aware of.

I was never a good runner. But in grade 7 and 8 we used to run a regular route for gym class. I always had to walk parts of it. But in grade 8, we had "The Great Race" and for whatever reason, I guess since it wasn't just my usual gym classmates, I got all competitive and managed to run the whole thing. I still lagged way too far to win, but I made it without stopping.

There was a point, a ways after the first point I would normally give up and walk a bit, that I suddenly felt "This is easy" and everything just flowed. So I just kept going and finished the race.

When it was over, it was a chore trying not to vomit.

That was a definite breakthrough stamina moment.

This is correct. I've heard about this a fair amount afterward, but when I first tried it in grade 7, I got absolutely nothing from it the first time. I smoked tobacco then, so I was plenty experienced with inhaling etc.

The lack of effect made me feel a bit cocky, so the next time I went in all bravado. I got super stoned and could barely stand or walk while I was adjusting to it. I was quite impressed and humbled immediately.

Nowadays I get runners high running for my stash. Kidding. The rest is true though.

I think THC lingers in your body for weeks and makes your body more susceptible to THC. So the first time often does nothing. But getting another dose for example two weeks later will result in noticeable effects.

We don't yet understand the endocannabinoid system in great detail, but all signs point to it having critical roles in a number of physiological processes including memory, mood, fertility, immune response, appetite etc.

Cannabinoid receptors 'don't do much' without the help of of some 19% THC sativa in the same way the dopaminergic system doesn't do much without the help of methamphetamine. However, that 'not much' is actually necessary for us to function.

> Study find cats rub and roll against these plants transferring compounds known as iridoids to their fur that repels mosquitoes

Interesting, but why only cats? Why don't other mammals have a similar reaction to these plants?

I think this explanation is likely correct, but some of the reasoning seems irrelevant (or only somewhat relevant?). If cats were attracted to some other component of the smell of (specifically) these plants, and engaged in the same behaviors, it would produce the same benefit. The fact that the chemical they are detecting actually is the active ingredient seems... almost coincidental?

Unless cats, over their evolution, encountered a larger range of iridiod producing plants?

Natural mosquito repellant and it helps with digestive problems. Our cat meows for it when his tummy hurts.

They are also attracted to the smell (outside cats always find it) and it clearly gives them a buzz of sorts.

The effect it gives seems to vary between cats, our cat gets calmer / drowzy / sleeps right after, but others seem to get more energetic.

The cat may not realize "hey I need this for mosquitos" just that it "feels good" and it relieves later problems, so the brain subconsciously seeks it out in the future.

For the plant, it benefits from the cross-pollination fuzzy faces provide.

It really is like weed for cats, it helps with many ailments and once you start using it the smell attracts you to it.

>The effect it gives seems to vary between cats, our cat gets calmer / drowzy / sleeps right after, but others seem to get more energetic.

The effect and also the desire. Of three cats at my home, one of them is wild for catnip and will run for the catnip before food, even when hungry. One of them will always go to the food first and then check out the catnip after. The third is entirely indifferent to catnip and will walk right past it.

Discussion from last week: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31748884

I have actually noticed a similar thing going on with olives. Our cat would go crazy over them, and I don't think it had anything to do with mosquitos.

My cat loved to rub green olives all over himself.

Growing up we had cats that loved to chase olives around the kitchen floor. They would also gnaw on decorations made of olive wood, so those had to be put away.

Our cat goes crazy for olives. He'll slurp up the juice from a can of olvies if we look the other way.

Sometimes I'm in a rush and don't shower out of the lap pool, I physically have to keep my cat away from chlorinated items. She comes up to me and will just start chewing on my chlorinated hair, it's crazy. FWIW, she couldn't care less about catnip.

As a child my cat would favour drinking water from our chlorinated pool rather than her water bowl. Interesting to read another anecdote about cats and chlorine. They say curiosity killed the cat, but maybe I’ll take the gamble and see if I can find an answer as to why!

Had the same experience many years ago when I used to swim regularly. The cat would not only love to lick and chew chlorinated hair, but also heavily snuzz my discarded towel.

I had a few cats that simply went into ecstasy when I had hands with residues of bleach, not the perfumed one, just ordinary bleach, they would endlessly self-stroke against my hands, purring loudly.

Other cats simply ignored that smell.

My cat loves the end of a carrot, like the greenish part you cut off and discard.

Our cat also loves olives & pickles. The vinegar I suppose?

I would think that cats' fur would already protect them from mosquitos pretty well. They should also test on fleas - maybe repelling fleas is a bigger reason why cats do this?

How much catnip would be needed for me to receive the same benefit from rolling in it? I currently have 5 separate plants growing for my fur baby's use, but now I'm thinking I'll need more for myself

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catnip#As_an_insect_repellent

> Nepetalactone is a mosquito and fly repellent. Oil isolated from catnip by steam distillation is a repellent against insects, in particular mosquitoes, cockroaches, and termites. Research suggests that, while a more effective spatial repellant than DEET, when compared with SS220 or DEET, it is not so effective as a repellent as it is when used on the skin of humans.

The research for the spatial repellant aspect is: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010828075659.h...

And for the skin based one: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16119554/

See, there you go ruining a perfectly bad joke with science.

However, I'm now inclined to get that copper/brass distiller I've always wanted. I was going to make my own essential oils, but now I'll just use it as mosquito defense for my back patio

You know it has a really strong smell, right? You're going to repel more than just mosquitoes but then again if you publicly share your life with a fur baby it may not make any difference that you might notice.

Also, it might be in the mint family but it makes terrible juleps. Do not recommend.

It sounds like there's a story to that last line and now I'm curious.

Weed has a really strong smell too, and it is a good litmus test in that it repels uptight peeps away and attracts like minded people.

I'm not uptight - live and let live - but I absolutely cannot stand the stench. It's revolting to me. Oddly, I smoked it a bit in high school. But back then it had a much fainter, sweeter smell. Nowadays it smells like a skunk died on top of a bed of rotting cabbage sitting in the sun for 3 days. It makes me retch.

But have at it if that's your thing!

I'll be waaaay over there. Upwind -----------> :)

Smells so much like burning hair I wonder if dealers cut weed with hair sometimes :D

I live across the street from a college dorm. People go outside to smoke, and sometimes the pressure in my building pulls in air from outside. It's absolutely miserable to have your house smell like weed.

I'm all for legalization and everything, just ... do that somewhere that doesn't affect me. It's funny because they're obviously forced to smoke outside to increase the indoor air quality for their dorm-mates, but then it ruins mine in exchange. Oh externalities.

The stuff they have at stores now, when it is being burned, reminds me of antiquity like an old book with some remnants of potpourri in there. It resembles a very faint incense aroma.

If I was at a bar and someone smelled like cat nip because they rolled in it, I would buy them a beer for sure. It also might mean I'm at DEF CON.

Also, it might be in the mint family but it makes terrible juleps.

Where I grew up in Indiana, the stuff was a weed (yes, our cats were constantly high all summer). That's how I found out that it not only makes for a nasty tasting tea, it also will not get humans intoxicated.

(OTOH, maybe it needs decarbonization like cannabis. You try it first, I already took one for the team.)

^Decarboxylation

Late reply, but thanks for the correction. Autocorrect was no help, so I just winged it, and that's the result.

That would only change your mosquito problem into a cat problem ...

Not a problem.

> I would think that cats' fur would already protect them from mosquitos pretty well.

While camping in Big Basin during a really bad year for mosquitoes, my neighbor campsite had a pet Husky. Whenever they let the dog out of the tent dozens of mosquitoes would quickly converge on its face and nose. It looked like something out of a horror movie.

I'd assume cats have similarly vulnerable areas on their head where the fur is thin to nonexistent. And that's an especially irritating region to have covered in itchy bites.

I've had three cats none of which really cared for catnip

Try a different catnip. Some catnip we bought was fully ignored while other brands were basically slammed out of our hands on sight.

No clue why, maybe some outlets sell fakes or there are different kinds?

Some cats respond to Valerian root instead.

Also, there's definitely some potency or freshness qualities of catnip.

I'd tried it with my cat and thought for years she didn't respond, but I ended up with a small sachet and she went bonkers, but I don't know what the difference was.

>Also, there's definitely some potency or freshness qualities of catnip.

My cats (7 of them) looooove the dried, store-bought catnip, but have very little interest in the fresh stuff out of my garden. Thought I might try drying some of the stuff from the garden as a kind of clinical test to see if the store bought stuff is somehow different from what I'm growing.

There may not have been any. There's some evidence that catnip response is not just context-sensitive in that the same cat a few days apart might respond differently, but also that catnip insensitivity might change over the span of a few years. Like most things about catnip, any reason for this is a mystery.

Some cats prefer fresh catnip over the dried stuff sold in stores

> about one-third of cats are not affected by catnip.[6][7][26][34] The behavior is hereditary.[35]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catnip#Effect_on_felines

squares

Instead of people loving to get high on weed, it's cats loving to get high on catnip. It's the cats having a drug-like effect.

Brb, lining my windows with catnip.

I didn't knew I needed to read this :D

Why? Simple, it's called "cat" nip, that's why they love it!

Ok, ok... Bad joke...

Because it gets them high.

Disclosure, I didn't click on the article, but that's their fault for the headline being dumb.

But the headline looks very straightforward and non-clickbaity, doesn't it? I didn't see why it would be considered dumb.

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