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Can cats use catnip?
Catnip – what is this plant? Why do some cats literally go crazy after smelling it, while others are completely indifferent to it? What effect does mint have on pets? Is she safe? You will find answers to all these questions in our article.
What is catnip?
Catnip is a perennial herb of the European-Central Asian species. It is found in Russia, Western and Central Asia, Central and Southern Europe, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Grows on forest edges, wastelands, along roads. Many grow unpretentious plants in the front gardens or at home.
The official name for catnip is catnip (Latin Népeta catária). Obviously, the plant owes its name to a striking effect on most cats: both domestic and wild. However, mainly catnip is used in areas far from the zoo industry: medicine, cooking and perfumery. Continue reading
Do cats need cereals?
Any cat is an obligate predator. This means that she needs a diet based on animal protein (up to 90%). A cat physiologically cannot stay healthy if there are too many components from plant foods in its diet. However, a certain proportion of carbohydrates should still be, and that’s why.
Carbohydrates perform the function of rapidly receiving energy, which a cat needs to break down animal protein. In other words, a small proportion of carbohydrates ensures the normal digestion of animal protein, from which the cat receives energy and building material for the whole organism.
In nature, cats (like other predators) make up for the need for fast carbohydrates through the contents of the stomachs of prey (rodents and birds eating cereals and plant foods). The most common cat prey in nature – the mouse – just feeds on cereals and plant foods. A mouse is a source of animal protein for a cat, but by eating it, the cat also receives a small portion of the grain of their rodent digestive tract. Continue reading
