Most cats love catnip, including the six cats having a catnip party in the video above. But apparently catnip can make kitties a little jumpy!
Minnie, the cat in the lower left of the video, gives her sibling kitty a little love tap, setting off a chain reaction of scattering felines. Looks like the party’s over!
If you have a catnip party with your kitties, be sure to record it once in a while. You never know when you’ll capture a funny moment!
And if your cats aren’t into catnip, you may be interested to know that there are other plants that can have similar effects on felines. Here are a few to check out!
Plants That Cats May Prefer To Catnip
(Picture Credit: sdominick/Getty Images)
Did you know about 30 to 50 percent of cats don’t react to catnip at all? But they may react to one of these alternatives. Give them a try!
- Valerian: Valerian root and valerian leaves can cause a reaction in cats very similar to catnip, but it comes at a price – the plant is very stinky!
- Silver Vine: Also known as Actinidia polygama, this plant grows commonly in Japan and China. It’s the most popular cat treat in Asia, called matatabi.
- Acalypha Indica: Also known as cat grass or Indian nettle, this plant is very common in tropical countries. It’s a medicinal plant and sometimes eaten as a vegetable in West Africa.
- Cat Thyme: This plant doesn’t grow as fast as catnip, so you’ll have to plan ahead if you want to grow your own.
- Tartarian Honeysuckle Sawdust: Unlike catnip, this honeysuckle’s effects can be revived by dampening it. Just make sure that you use the sawdust shavings of honeysuckle, which you can buy at a pet store, and not the seeds or berries.
And even if your cat does have a reaction to catnip, the effect only lasts about five to 15 minutes. So it might be good to have some other plants in your arsenal of cat toys.