Catnip toys are some of the best ones to get for your cat. When you give a cat a catnip toy, you most likely will see them play with it, roll with it, chew at it, paw at it, rub it, and more. They go nuts over the stuff  for a few minutes and then typically lose interest, but give them a few hours and they will be right back at it! It is a great source of fun for cats, but what is it? This plant is a perennial herb of the mint family. It is native to Europe and is an import to the United States and other countries.

We humans do not understand fully why cats love catnip so much. It has no real scent to us, but to cats, this is a herb that will trigger an intense reaction. However, this reaction only happens in a few cats. It is an inherited trait– this is why it only lasts for a few minutes at a time. During those few minutes, cats become acclimated to it, and then the cat loses interest. However, after a break of a few hours, the cat’s brain resets itself, and the cat once again will be able to react to the catnip. Studies have found that catnip contains a chemical nepetalactone that somehow triggers a cat’s brain. This is because it somehow triggers a stereotypical pattern in cats that are sensitive to the chemical. Even big cats like tigers can be sensitive to catnip! Cats that are not typically affected by catnip are very old cats, or younger kittens.

Catnip toys are typically great gifts to give to your cat. If you have not already seen a cat get extremely excited about catnip, you should buy a toy or plain catnip. A lot of toys allow you to restuff your catnip toys–which could save you a lot of money. The only thing is that your cat probably will destroy that toy, so you may have to buy a new toy anyway!