Just what catnip does to cats is a mystery, though not all are born with the gene to appreciate it. However, mine love it and joyfully abandon their customary dignity for an encounter with this mint family member.
Research has proven that all felines – from the wild mountain lion to the domestic tabby – are attracted to this species with results that are often strange and hilarious.
Undisturbed, this herb grows to two to three feet and nearly as wide, becomes highly branched and forms a concentrated root clump that divides – and reseeds – well. Best to cut it back before it goes to seed.
Felines are the only animals affected by catnip, though they do not seem to acquire a taste for it until around three months old. What causes the silly, wild, drunken, even amorous behavior is the chemical compound nepetalactone taken in through the cat’s olfactory nerves. They will frequently rub their faces – or throw their entire bodies – on the plant. They will chew it, eat it, embrace it or buffet it about in a determined effort to release the essential oil from the microscopic bulbs contained therein.
When it comes to humans, catnip has a history of use as both beverage and medicine. In fact, before the English got so choosy with the importation of fine Eastern tea, it was a favorite among the tea-loving residents of the British Isles.
A cup of catnip tea is an age-old remedy thought to calm the nerves, as well as a remedy for colic, minor aches and pains in the gums and teeth, indigestion and many other ailments, though not authorized as such by formal medicine. It is a known insect repellent, but before actually rubbing it on your skin, apply it to a small patch of skin to see whether it creates irritation.
Catnip may be cut and dried, then crumbled up and sewn into cat toys; nice gifts for fellow cat people.
If you like seeing your cat act silly (don’t worry; it is a harmless “high” that wears off in an hour or so and leaves no lasting toxicity), direct sow catnip in a sunny spot in your garden. This plant is almost carefree – it is a member of the mint family after all – and does not need much water.
There are probably 75 other Nepeta species, most grown as ornamentals. Some of the showier ones include N. grandiflora, larger and most lush than true catnip with dark green leaves and dark blue, almost purple flowers.
N. x faassenii is a much smaller hybrid and is almost a ground cover. It has grayish-green flowers and light purple flowers.
Another species grown widely as an ornamental is N. racemosa. The cultivar ‘Walker’s Low’ has appeared on the Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year list for its beauty.
