Catnip is the common name for a perrenial herb of the mint family. One cannot observe catnip's remarkable and sudden, if transient, effect on cat behavior without suspecting that something chemical is afoot. In fact, the key to catnip-induced friskiness is a compound called nepetalactone. Nepetalactone is one of several related compounds known to initiate the classic catnip response sequence: sniffing, licking, and chewing, followed by head shaking, body and head rubbing, and then repeated head-over-heels rolling.






