I found the above video so entertaining that I thought I would share it with you on my blog. Though not all cats respond to catnip (about 50 to 70 percent respond), the ones who do are hilarious to watch as they roll around, lick, chew, and rub up against the catnip as well as whatever surface the catnip has touched. There is a substance in the catnip plant known as nepetalactone which causes an intense, euphoric reaction.

I purchased a catnip plant in May, and it has quadrupled in size since I purchased it. Despite the fact that I was aware that Nepeta cataria is in the Mint family of plants, I was surprised by how strongly it smelled like mint. I also figured that my cats would enjoy the fresh catnip since dried catnip loses its potency over time. One day in late June, I decided to give all four of my cats a sprig of catnip to see who would respond to the fresh leaves. Two of my cats couldn’t care less about the catnip, while the other two went absolutely nuts. I have posted videos of the two cats in my household who are catnip responders for your enjoyment.

Shima has always been a responder, but this was the first time she had experienced fresh catnip leaves, and she loved the experience.