For many cats, a mere whiff of catnip can send them into a licking, rolling, plant-shredding frenzy. Masao Miyazaki, a biologist at Iwate University in Morioka, Japan, and his colleagues analyzed the ...

Catnip is one plant that has a special ability to send some cats into a euphoric frenzy. The secret behind catnip's effect lies in a chemical compound called nepetalactone. This oil resides in the ...

Dear Dr. Fox: I followed your advice about giving catnip to my three cats, and visited your website archives to learn more. Two of them love it! I grow my own in my yard, sun dry the herb and give ...

A woman planting herbs in a garden - O2o Creative/Getty Images Beloved by felines and surprisingly useful to humans, catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a fast-growing herb that is easy to propagate from ...

If you’ve ever wondered, ‘Can kittens have catnip?’ you’re not alone. The plant is known for its strange effects on felines – like rolling around, vocalizing, and relaxation – so it’s understandable ...

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A whiff of catnip can make mosquitoes buzz off, and now researchers know why. So researchers exposed mosquitoes and fruit flies to catnip and monitored the insects’ behavior. Fruit flies were less ...

Catnip, otherwise known as Nepeta cataria, is a fragrant perennial herb belonging to the mint family. Its aromatic grey-green ...

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Nottingham Trent University There are many valid theories to explain the global appeal of cats, including our obsession with watching ...

Catnip turns fearsome felines into drooling balls of fluff. But how? This week, Science with Sam explains why cats love catnip If your cat turns from an elegant hunter into a drooling ball of fluff at ...