EFFECTS OF CATNIP

Purpose: To determine the effect of catnip on cats.

Materials: 2 cats

Cat Nip

5 cat toys (balls) - 2 with catnip inside; 3 without

1 cat nip mouse

1 Scratch Pad

Procedure: 1. I sat with my cat and the toy balls. The balls were bounced one at a

time, allowing time for the cat to do what she pleased with them. I

watched her actions toward which ones she was more active with

and which ones she did not care for.

2. I then recorded the data.

3. I presented my cat with a scratching pad that we had purchased for

her. I let her explore it and observed her actions.

4. After letting her have her way with it for a while, I repeated step 2.

Only this time, catnip was sprinkled throughout the scratch pad. I

observed her actions.

5. I then recorded the data.

6. After putting away the scratching pad, catnip was sprinkled in a small area on the carpet, couch, and the cat's bed.

7. Observations were taken, and data was recorded.

8. Catnip was also presented to a second cat, and observations were taken.

Analysis: When playing with the balls, she would chase all of them. The catnip balls, however, she had more interest in. With these, she would play with more, bat around with her paw, and even fetch the balls. She would pick them up in her mouth, walk toward me with the ball, and drop the ball in my hat that was lying upside-down next to me on the floor. Also, she was much more hyper and excited after playing with the catnip balls. After leaving her to record my data, she continued to play. She brought the catnip ball to me in the next room, as if she was saying, "please play with me!"

I presented my cat with a scratching pad made from cardboard. At first, she hesitated to use it; not knowing what it was. After exploring it and trying to figure it out, she sniffed it a little, and then just walked away, with no interest whatsoever. After catnip was sprinkled throughout the inside of the pad, I brought her back over and placed her in front of her. This time, she felt the presence of the catnip. She sniffed around, crawled on, and started scratching away. After scratching, she decided that she wanted to stay there, and she sat on the pad for another half-hour.

Phipps/3

After seeing the results of the first two experiments, I decided to conduct one more. I took a little catnip and sprinkled a small amount in a small area on my carpet, couch, and the cat's bed. I later found my cat sniffing around those areas and scratching around. It also made her very hyper.

Wanting a second opinion, catnip was presented to a cat belonging to a friend of mine. The catnip did not have the same effect on her as it did my cat. She did not care for it at all. I have done research and found out that catnip doesn't affect 40-50% of cats.

Conclusions: From the information I have gathered from my experiment and other sources as well, I have come to the conclusion that catnip has a different effect on different cats. The ones who are affected are affected greatly. Cats are aroused by the catnip, and you could say that the get "high" off of it.