What is contained in the herb “Inhabitant” that won't stop attracting cats?
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A kind of herb, the catnip is known for attracting cats, and is sometimes called “Western Matabi” or “Cat Mint”. The science media Live Science explains why cats react to catnip.
Does Catnip Really Make Cats 'High'? | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/does-catnip-get-cats-high.html
Dog mint is a plant belonging to the genus Lamiaceae that grows naturally all over the world including Japan. Inhabitant, which has been used as a medicinal herb for a long time, is also known as a herb that has a great effect on cats. To do.
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Dog mint contains a substance called ' nepetalactone '. According to Bruce Kornreich, who works at the Feline Health Center at Cornell University's School of Veterinary Medicine, nepetalactone binds to receptors in the cat's nose, affects neurotransmitters, and blocks central nervous system activity. Nepetalactone is the cause of the drunk behavior of cats sniffing catnip.
The cat reacting to nepetalactone is like a human being who feels euphoric with drugs, and appears to be surrounded by euphoria. However, “I don't know exactly what's happening in the brain of a cat that took Nepetalactone,” as Cornreiich said, Nepetalactone acts like cannabis and morphine for the cat. It is not proved whether or not.
However, previous studies have shown that administration of a compound such as naloxone that blocks opioid receptors in the central nervous system to cats suppresses the action of nepetalactone, so cats respond to nepetalactone. It has been suggested that opioid receptors are involved in the mechanism.
In addition, until now, it was thought that 'about one third of cats do not react to nepetalactone, so not all cats are affected by nepetalactone.' But at first glance, Corn Reich points out that most cats may be reacting to nepetalactone, even if nothing seems to happen.
In a study published in 2017, 60 domestic cats were investigated for responses to catnip. As a result, about 20% of the cats showed an active response to lying down or crying out against dog mint, and the remaining 80% of the cats are passive that `` energetic with a sphinx-like posture '' Turned out to show a positive reaction. “The results of this study suggest that most cats are affected in some way by catnip,” Kornreiich argued.
by NadineDoerle
Research has shown that feline animals such as lions, leopards, and jaguars also respond to nepetalactone. However, we know that only the tiger is unaffected for some reason.
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