Improving the olfactory and visual environment of full-time indoor cats

I have just bumped into something that I think is interesting and which is particularly pertinent today with so many full-time indoor cats. I believe that often these cats are under-stimulated. I'm not apportioning blame. I just think that you can't bring cats in from the outside and confine them to the inside and leave it at that. The human caregiver has more to do and here are two examples.

RELATED: The big flaw that is never admitted in keeping cats indoors full-time.

Olfactory

This tip applies more to shelter cats than to full-time indoor domestic cats in homes but I think it is relevant. It is called "olfactory enrichment". The experts believe that it is relatively underused in animal housing perhaps because humans have a relatively poor sense of smell compared to cats and other animals.

Catnip gives your cat pleasure. Image: Johnsons veterinary products.

We know that you can buy catnip spray. I think that if you use catnip spray from time to time to spray into the environment you will find that there will be an increasing amount of time that the cat in that home is active because they will be stimulated by the chemical, nepetalactone, which we know excites and stimulates domestic cats.

A study examined the effect of introducing four odours on the behaviour of six zoo-housed black-footed cats. These are small wild cats are known to be the most prolific hunters of all the cats as it happens. The odours that were introduced were nutmeg, catnip, body odour of prey (quail) and no artificial odour and control. They found that there was an increase in their activity with all of the genuine odours with nutmeg causing less of an effect than catnip or odour of prey. As mentioned, catnip is a known stimulant for cats. Although not all cats are affected similarly.

Visual

In a cat's life there are two forms of cat television. There is the human television or perhaps iPad through which you can show images which may help to stimulate your cat. I've seen many videos of cats watching television with great interest. I am sure that you can buy programs for a television designed for cats. You'll need a CD player attached to the TV if you can't access programs provided in the usual way.

Window box for indoor cats. Image in public domain.

Perhaps a better form of cat television is the humble window. Full-time indoor cats spend a lot of time at windows looking out. They can get an awful lot of enjoyment doing that. There should be access to a window or windows in the home of a full-time indoor cat. 

To improve the arrangement you can build or buy window boxes which are inserted into the window and which overhang on the outside of the house. The front of the window box should not be glazed but should be open to the elements with a grill. In this way the cat can both see and smell the outside.

Window box is a firm favorite. Image in the public domain.

I would have thought that such a construction would be a fundamental necessity for any full-time indoor cat or cats. I would have thought where there are more than one indoor cat you could build more than one window box arrangement. They are like mini-catios and you see a whole range of designs. How many households have them? I would say very few relative to the number of indoor cats.

They are actually decorative as well and improve the appearance and ambience of a house.

Is catnip good for cats and is it a drug?

Yes, is the answer to both questions in the title. Catnip is good for cats because it gives them a little bit of a buzz without apparently any downsides. It excites them and stimulates them but there appear to be no immediate negative side-effects and neither would it seem are there any long-term negative effects to the brain. 

This is unusual in the human world. All the drugs that humans take to alter their minds at least potentially cause damage to the brain. Even cannabis which is regarded as completely safe by millions of people is dangerous to certain individuals who are predisposed to psychotic episodes or mental health problems.

Crackhead ginger tabby cat slides into pile of catnip. Photo in public domain.

So, the mildest mind-altering drug for humans carries a risk despite what many people think. But catnip does not. If it did, we would have known by now although it is difficult to tell whether a domestic cat has mental health problems.

It is certainly a drug because it is mind altering just like cannabis. The chemical substance that actually has an effect on the brain triggering the production of endorphins and perhaps other chemicals in the brain, is called nepetalactone. Although, as I recall, even the best scientists don't know as yet how this chemical substance works on the brain to produce the response we see. What I mean is we don't know the exact chemistry of the process. I am sure that we could find out but it seems that people are not interested enough to do a full-blown study on it.

When a domestic cat rolls around in catnip the scientists call it "olfactory enrichment". Or olfactory stimulation. I guess you know, too, that tigers respond very positively to catnip. It is just another piece of evidence which supports how close the domestic cat is to their big cousins.

Nearly all domestic cats respond positively to olfactory enrichment. And about one in every three cats, in a study, responded to catnip. Another plant that causes a euphoric reaction is silvervine. Another name for silvervine is matatabi. 

Almost 80% of domestic cats in a study responded to silvervine and about 50% responded to another plant called Tatarian honeysuckle and the same percentage responded well to valerian root. Of the cats who did not respond to catnip almost 75% did respond to silvervine and about one in three responded to the honeysuckle. Both these are good alternatives to catnip.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a human version of catnip? It would be the saviour of millions of people. Alcohol ruins lives. Cannabis can damage the brain. All the other human drugs are addictive and can damage the brain and the lives of people who take them. But cats blissfully enjoy catnip and can do so for as long as often as they like it appears without any negative effects. Just plenty of olfactory enrichment and fun!

Valerian and Cats

Valerian is a herb (V. officinalis). Cats are attracted to it. The plant lives for more than two years and it is hardy. It is not written about that much today (2012) but in the past it was. For instance in 1658 at page 81 of Four-footed Beasts by Topsell he writes, "The root of the herb valerian (called Phu), is very like to the eye of a cat, and wheresoever it groweth, if cats come thereunto, they instantly dig it up for the love thereof, as I myself have seen in mine own garden, for it smelleth moreover like a cat".

Valerian - Photo by helen.2006 (Flickr)

The roots and leaves of valerian have a similar effect on cats as the much better known catnip. Valerian contains a chemical called actinidine. It has a similar effect on cats as the chemical nepetalactone, which is found in catnip.

Both are called "cat attractants" by the Wikipedia authors. We know what some cats do when they smell catnip. It's a kind of mild, safe, recreational drug for the domestic cat.

Associated: Unified Catnip Theory and The Cat Drugs of Catnip and Matatabi.

Why do cats like catnip?

Catnip

Catnip contains a chemical called nepetalactone that has an effect on the brain that gives the cat a high. Not all cats are affected.

Not all cats are attracted to catnip, a plant that looks like mint. Cats like catnip for the high it gives. This is probably similar to the kinds of high people get when using recreational drugs. It is not clear if cats can become addicted. It is said that they can. But I have never read about a drug addict cat. Have you?

It provokes certain behavior, such as sniffing it, chewing it and rubbing against it. After these behaviors the cat can lie and looked spaced out.

"Trips" last no more than one hour and it takes about a hour for cats to come down from the effects of the drug.

Catnip can act as a sedative for a cat when taken internally. Another drug Matatabi has a similar effect. It is found in Asia.

Read more about catnip.

Honeysuckle Cat Toys

Photo by samatt (Flickr)
Honeysuckle cat toys have similar properties to catnip toys and other play objects. If your cat does not like or is not turned on by catnip you might like to try honeysuckle. You can see them in some pet stores, in the USA at least.

Some people might be tempted to see if their cat likes honeysuckle but there are dangers because some varieties of honeysuckle are toxic to cats. Unless you are absolutely certain then don't go down that route. Ask what type of honeysuckle is used in products or sold and check that the vendor is aware of the hazards. Check the labeling etc.. And note that Japanese honeysuckle vine is toxic to cats.

Also if you produce a chunk of raw wood honeysuckle for your cat to play with it can be dangerous to a cat - think jagged edges and your cat might like to try and chew it. This has a very good chance of causing injury requiring a vet. If buying raw honeysuckle the advice is to place it in a thick cloth material to protect the cat.

An additional concern is that in order to bring out the smell of honeysuckle it is advised to moisten it. This can cause mold to grow on the honeysuckle and some mold is toxic to cats (e.g. bread mold called Aspergillus niger). See what I mean about the hidden dangers! The wood should be "lightly misted" using a water spray bottle.

In general it is said that cats respond less to honeysuckle than to catnip but as cats are individuals it is a nice potential alternative provided precautions are taken.

With the warnings etc. out of the way here are a couple honeysuckle cat toys from Amazon:





You can also buy Honeysuckle Spray for Cats (2 oz.) which can be used on, for example, a cat scratch post to encourage your cat to use it.

Enjoy honeysuckle cat toys but take care.



From honeysuckle cat toys to Home Page

Is Christmas Bad for Cats?

This sounds like Scrooge talking but is Christmas bad for cats? Seeing that I am like Scrooge, I'll say, "Yes". But it's not all bad.

First there's the food. We tend to give our cat bits of Christmas food; heavens there is usually too much of it and lots can go to waste, so why not give it to our cat? This is probably not a good idea unless it is in small doses. It is giving our cat an unbalanced diet for a start. Although a bit of turkey surely wouldn't go amiss.

Then there is the noise. Cats have great hearing, much better than ours. The extra noise generated can be very disturbing. Then there are the visitors. A lot of cats don't like strangers (to them). They tend to go and hide. That is the downside. Is there is any upside?

Well cats don't recognize Christmas so for them it is just a little more disturbance to their precious routine and they like routine particularly when they get older. But some disturbance is welcome and some presents are welcome too.

A particularly nice disturbance is wrapping up the presents; nice and messy and plenty of paper to rummage around in and make more messy. Then there is the string etc. All great fun. As to presents, some cats go crazy for catnip. Timmy, a stray cat I feed, found some that Helmi gave me and he just goes mad over it and then zonks out as if he had taken a sleeping pill.

Here he is after a bout of catnip:



So, is Christmas bad for cats? Nah, not really, provided we are sensible and don't give out cats too much left overs.

See

• Homemade Cat Food
• Grain Free Cat Food
• Cat Food Recipe

Growing catnip

Growing seeds (these are tomato seeds) photo Lucy Crosbie.

Growing catnip from seed is easy and buying the seeds is easy too. A quick search of the internet tells me that in the USA you can buy catnip seed from Roguelands Seed Company. Seed are of course ideal for sending in the post, small, light and durable, so I'd buy online. RoguelandsUSD and GBP so they must ship abroad. Their catnip seeds sell at $1.99 or £1.08 per packet. There must be many outlets in most countries. Or you can go to a garden center. They are probably more likely to stock it in the spring but see below.

Make sure that you buy common catnip Nepenta cataria (as opposed to the ornamental variety).

Catnip is a perennial herb and part of the mint family of plants. A perennial plant is one which lives for more than 2 years and it does this buy growing back from its roots in the spring, having died the the previous winter. An annual plant is one which seeds itself annually and regenerates that way.

Trees are also perennials. So they can have short lives of a few years or extraordinarily long lives of many thousands of years in extreme cases.

Catnip grows to a maximum of about 2-3 feet. The leaves are fragrant and mint like in appearance. Catnip is an herbaceous perennial (not woody).

As catnip is found in Europe and the Mediterranean regions (and is a weed in America) it doesn't mind dry conditions or wetter conditions. In fact you are not to cosset a perennial too much and growing catnip is easy. The don't need much attention in the growing season and they are happy in poor ground. They are hardy plants.

If you buy catnip pre-grown in a container, then plant it as you would any other containerized plant. Dig a hole deep enough to take the plant and the compost and water well once planted.

For seeds, the simple answer is, you'll find out how to do it on the back of the packet! You can grow seeds indoors or out. You should sow perennial seeds in the autumn to see them grow in the following spring. If you sow them in the spring you are likely to see them the following spring. However, apparently if they are planted about 2 months before the last frost they'll come up that year.

Use fresh compost, either specialist compost for seeds (sterile compost) or multipurpose but ensure the pots are clean - hygiene is important. You moisten the mix slightly and then press in the seed. Add more compost to cover it and then keep warm and covered with plastic. Anywhere that it warm in the home will do. A fridge works by heat exchange so the back of a fridge is warm as the fridge fluid passes through cooling pipes there. These pipes give off heat so the top of a fridge is a decent spot. Or you can buy a heated propagator. This is like a little incubator providing a cover for the plants and heating from below. You only want the best quality catnip for your cat now don't you.....!

Once the seeds come through the compost sun is required for the catnip to grow. Keep the compost moist and then plant outside when the plants are sufficiently mature. Once the growing catnip is about a foot in height it can be picked. The cut stems are then left to dry out in a suitably dry and airy place. Once dry you can break off the leaves and crush them to make the catnip for placing in a suitable container for your cat to play with.

Of course your cat probably will play in or around the catnip that is growing in the garden if you planted them there. You can see growing catnip in the garden in the top link above.

For more information you can visit any garden center and as I said information should be on the packet.

---

- Links -

what catnip looks like
cats on drugs

---

As catnip is a common weed in the USA try tracking it down and pick it!


Growing catnip to what catnip looks like

What does catnip look like

To the question what does catnip look like? This is the answer:


Cat with head in catnip - photo copyright ChageAUS reproduced under a creative commons license.

Here's another picture of the plant:


Catnip photo copyright Jim Somerville (creative commons license)

The effect!! :--


The effect of catnip on a cat. As the photographer ( copyright bonsaibutterfly) says not all cats enjoy the same effect. Photo reproduced under creative commons license.

Catnip is then a plant. A pretty ordinary looking plant in fact. It's "real" name is "Nepeta". This plant can be found in Europe, Asia and Africa. It is a common weed in North America. The plant produces small white, pink, blue or lilac flowers.

The plant can be broken down by steam distillation to produce an oil that is used in insect repellent (mosquitoes, cockroaches and termites, apparently).

As for cats, catnip contains a chemical called Nepetalactone (an organic compound) which is picked up in vapour form by the cat's nose. Basically it is a chemical that has an effect on the brain of about 75% of cats. It would seem that the susceptibility to being affected by catnip is inherited.

So, now I know the answer to the question, "What does catnip look like?". And what it does and how it does it. See more by clicking on this link.

What does catnip look like to cats on drugs