Catnip and climbing Actinidia are both known to induce pleasure in cats. However, when researchers from Iwate and Nagoya Universities in Japan gave cats a free choice between fresh specimens of both plants, most preferred climbing Actinidia.
Why this is the case is still unclear. One theory is that fresh catnip smells so strongly that cats don't want to rub and roll in it. It's also the dried leaves that are most often used in cat toys.
The researchers believe that the results can be used to develop better stimulating toys for cats and improve understanding of how chemical signals affect their behavior.
The study is published in the Journal of Chemical Ecology.
