CATNIP - for bugs and more

[Dr. Christina]

Reach now for the catnip!



A new study shows that catnip and one of its specific chemicals repel mosquitoes!! It also documents how cats interact with catnip and some of the physiology behind their behaviors.

• Catnip is Nepeta cataria
• The active molecule that most strongly affects cats is nepetolactone
• A peptide hormone known to cause pleasure in cats is stimulated by catnip
• Cats rub and roll on tissues impregnated with the nepetolactone and they do not just roll after smelling it (great scientific design to show this). This means they are consciously coating their bodies with it.
• Nepetolactone repels mosquitoes – in the lab and on cats!!
• No studies done yet using it on dogs or people or horses, not to see if it repels other bugs.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Wow, awe-some find Dr. Christina! Thanks so much for sharing it.

These authors did a huge amount of work on this study:

The characteristic response of domestic cats to plant iridoids allows them to gain chemical defense against mosquitoes | Science Advances