ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Cats get high – Catnip and the psychoactive herbs used by cats

Updated on April 21, 2015

Catnip

Nepeta cataria
Nepeta cataria | Source

Cat psychoactives

It is not just people that willingly intoxicate themselves with various drugs and herbal substances to alter their minds because many animal species will do this too.

One of the most commonly displayed examples of this behaviour is found in cats that will happily get “stoned” by various herbs, with Catnip being the one many people know about.

But what are the other psychoactive herbs that cats get intoxicated by and why do these plants have this effect? What herbs do cats use to “get high?”

How cats get high with Catnip explained

Catnip or Catmint

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is, as we have already noted, the most well-known psychoactive herb used as a recreational drug by cats. This plant in the Lamiaceae family, which also includes Mint and Sage, is a short-lived perennial herb that comes originally from southern and eastern Europe, parts of Asia and China, but is now grown in many parts of the world and is naturalised in some of these.

Catnip is also known as Catmint and is a popular garden plant. It forms large clumps and has aromatic foliage and pale purple or pinkish flowers.

Catnip attracts cats because of the nepetalactone it contains, and the animals detect it through their noses. This substance causes cats to roll around on the floor, to paw at the air, to rub against the plant, to make sounds of pleasure and to lose interest in doing anything else while under the power of the herb.

Not all cats react to the plant though. It is not just domestic cats that are affected by Catnip, because it has been shown to cause a reaction in wild cats species, including some of the big cats such as tigers and leopards.

Catnip has become marketed via the pet industry as something to use to keep your cat happy. There are cat toys that contain catnip.

Catnip has an effect on humans too and if smoked as a “joint” it is said to cause relaxation and a mild feeling of being “stoned.” It is probably better left growing in the garden or as a herb to delight your pet with though!

Cat getting high on Valerian

Valerian

Source

Valerian

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is another herb that has a strange effect on cats and they react to it in a similar way to catnip if exposed to the root of the plant. Valerian can be used medicinally for humans because it acts as a tranquiliser and mild sedative, so is useful in cases of anxiety and insomnia.

Valerian is widely available in health stores and from suppliers of herbal supplements.

Valerian is also known as All-Heal and Garden Heliotrope, as well as Phew, Phu and Fu. These latter names are because of the powerful smell given off by the roots of the plant. Many people find this an unpleasant smell, although the herb has found a use in the perfumery industry.

Valerian is easy enough to grow in gardens and being a perennial it should come up each year, after resting overwinter as creeping rootstock. Valerian grows best in a damp and rich soil but likes plenty of sunshine.

Valerian is found growing wild in woods, in ditches and in grassy places in many parts of Europe and in many countries within the northern hemisphere. Because of its use as a medicinal herb Valerian has become cultivated on herb farms and in herb gardens worldwide.

Valerian flowers in summer bearing umbels of pale pink or pinkish-white flowers on tall stems that can grow to over 1 metre in height. The aromatic roots are harvested in the fall, when they are dried out, broken up into smaller pieces and then stored.

Kiwi Fruit

Home-grown Kiwi Fruit
Home-grown Kiwi Fruit | Source

Silver Vine

Actinidia polygama
Actinidia polygama | Source

Kiwi Fruit and Silver Vine

Kiwi Fruit (Actinidia spp) roots and bruised stems cause cats to become “high” too. The Kiwi Fruit grows as a hardy but deciduous vine, and cats delight in scratching around the roots of Kiwi Fruit vines. The smell of the plant will cause them to roll about in ecstasy.

The Kiwi Fruit plant contains actinidine, and this acts like nepetalactone on our feline friends.

Actinidia polygama is closely related to the Kiwi Fruit but is known as Silver Vine due to the colouring of its leaves. It is also called “Cat Powder” because of its effect on these animals. Silver Vine has edible fruit too.

Acalypha indica

Source

Indian Acalypha

The Indian Acalypha or Indian Nettle (Acalypha indica) is yet another plant that will get cats high, to such an extent that the plant is known as Pokok Kucing Galak ("Excited Cat Tree") in Malay.

Indian Acalypha has green flowers that form catkins.

It is a weed that comes from South and tropical Africa, as well as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and various other countries. It has also spread in places where it has been introduced.

Indian Acalypha is cooked as a green vegetable in some parts of Africa and has been used as a medicinal herb, thought to have rejuvenating effects on the body.

It certainly has a stimulating effect on cats!



© 2015 Steve Andrews

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)