The Science Behind Why Cats Love Catnip
by Lori Dorn from Laughing Squid on (#76763)
An intoxicating TED-Ed by biology professorJaap de RoodeofEmory Universityexplains the scientific reasons why cats love both silver vine and catnip. According to a 2013 study, these herbs are rich in the happy-making compounds nepetalactol and nepetalactone, which also act as insect repellents.
In chemical terms, both nepetalactol and nepetalactone are classified as iridoids- a type of natural compound known to contain insect-repelling properties.So perhaps cats rubbing their faces in silvervine and catnip were applying an ancient form of bug spray.
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