Anyone who owns cats knows what happens during an encounter with catnip: They sniff it first, rub against it like crazy, taste it with a cursory lick and then some cats will even consume it. The reason why cats go wild for catnip can be summed up in one word: "nepetalactone.” This is an essential oil found in the leaves and stem of the catnip plant that when crushed affects many cats like a drug.

Catnip stimulates many cats, but if consumed, it has the opposite effect and works as a sedative.

Seductive catnip

Classified as Nepeta cataria, catnip is a perennial herb in the mint family that goes by an assortment of names including “catmint.” A catnip plant can grow up to three feet high, and its hairlike gray-colored leaves and stems make it easy to spot in the wild.