#1. Cats love catnip simply because it makes them feel good.
Image credit: Manuel Almagro Rivas
Catnip contains an organic compound called nepetalactone, which gets into the cat's system through the nasal passages.
#3. The leaves, stem and pods of the catnip plant have nepetalactone filled in them.
#4. So, when the plant is crushed or chewed this compound comes out of the microscopic bulbs.
#5. The dry leaves of plants also release nepetalactone when the cats rubs it with her/his body.
Image credit: Honest Seeds Co
#6. On smelling the nepetalactone its molecules bind to the olfactory receptors in the cat's nose and send signals to her/his brain to go crazy.
#7. The exact reason behind the response of cats to catnip has not been discovered till now.
#8. But, many scientists believe that cats respond to the nepetalactone in the same way as they react to a pheromone.
#9. However, not all cats are catnip responsive. About 30% of the pet cats don't respond to catnip at all.
#10. Also the response of old cats and kittens is weaker than that of adult cats.