If you give the cat a taste of valerian, he will start to somersault, jump, run, get mad, put his head under the stream of water, etc. In this state, cats just go crazy. This is understandable: ethyl alcohol, getting into the body of an animal, even in small quantities, negatively affects its nervous system. For cats, valerian is the same as a drug for humans.
Why does valerian harm cats?
The word "valerian" means tincture of valerian medicinal rhizomes in 70% ethyl alcohol. Even an insignificant amount of alcohol is enough to harm a cat's health once it gets into a cat's body. Although the tincture contains a little alcohol by human standards, this amount is quite enough for a cat: the weight of an adult animal is 50-80 times less than that of an adult male. It is easy to guess that one drop of this tincture is a whole glass for an animal!
A cat that is stunned by valerian is still half the trouble. The fact is that alcohol has a negative effect on the nervous system of the animal, gradually destroying it. Veterinarians are extremely negative about this kind of jokes with animals and strictly forbid giving valerian to your pet. Instead, they suggest purchasing a catnip-soaked stuffed animal for your cat.
How does the cat behave after taking valerian?
The mechanism of action of the tincture on a cat (and sometimes on a cat) is very complex. Scientists compare this to the effects of cocaine on humans. Unfortunately, cats and cats cannot tell about their feelings and about possible hallucinations resulting from taking valerian. However, scientists who have observed the behavior of stupefied cats claim that these animals experience a state of euphoria similar to that of humans.
Cats, drunk with this tincture, swing from side to side, roll on the floor, meow very loudly and uncharacteristically for them. Such animals have completely disturbed coordination of movement: they are not able to stand on their paws, they sometimes cannot fit even into the wide open door, fall from sofas, from tables, they cannot even reach a bowl of water.
Why do cats love valerian so much?
The fact is that valerian vapors (or drops licked by the cat from the table) cause certain biochemical processes in the animal's body: a certain amount of male hormones begins to be released in cats. When these hormones are released naturally (during mating), then cats are happy, and when their release is caused by a chemical, the animal only suffers, and does not enjoy.
Many cats behave unnaturally after taking valerian. There are cases when huge doses of valerian got into the body of cats: the animals experienced a nervous shock, vomited, irreversible processes of perception and even sudden death were observed in them.
