Finally a useful study !!
Yep, catlovers, the American Chemical Society has studied catnip and cat litter: video at the end of the post. When we found it in the press, we put heads, hands and paws to work so that you don't miss any detail ...
Catnip - THE CAT DRUG
Surely you've heard of the famous Catnip or Cat Mint, which is a plant called Nepeta Cataria, from the mint family (well, Catnip is the dry version).
If you have a garden, you can plant or sow it to "make" your own Catnip and make your cat happy… But don't be surprised if it compulsively rolls over the plant and destroys it. The reason is a chemical compound, called nepetalactone, which produces in 70% of - adult- cats a kind of frenzy. This state of "transient insanity" can last anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour, and - unlike human drugs - has no harmful effects on your cat.
* Our tip: Nepetalactone is a volatile substance. So catnip toys lose their interest over time. If not in use, keep them in an airtight container and they will last longer.
Science now explains that the effect is produced by a coupling of nepetalactone to receptors in the cat's nose, triggering a neurological response similar to sex pheromones. That would explain, in my opinion, why young kittens do not react to Catnip. Science also tells us that the effect of sensitivity to Nepeta is hereditary and has also been observed in big cats.
With all this, scientists still don't know WHY cats react in such a curious way to nepeta…. psst! ... cat secrets !!
LITTER BOX SECRETS
Have you ever wondered why cat pee does smell so strong?
Also for that science has an answer: It's felinine, a compound that breaks down into a sulfur named MMB, which male cats use as a pheromone to signal their sexual disposition. In addition, bacteria in cat feces convert uric acid into ammonia, which gives urine its odor.
* Our advice: Do not clean with ammonia, because you can find the unpleasant surprise that your cat marks on top of it.
The good news is that cat litter absorbs the bad odor using clay minerals, which are known as Fuller's Earth. These minerals were originally used to clean floor oils in factories and function as a light deodorant.
Among cat litter we find, in addition to the clays, silica gels to absorb urine, clumping calcium betonite to make cleaning easier, and (in some) artificial fragrances to cover up bad odors, although most cats do not like them.
This time, with my Team G delighted by the positive study (or perhaps in a "high" state of catnip), it has fallen to the human to write the post. Til next!