Topic summary
Cat attractant
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Cat pheromone.
Cat attractants
Although they are not produced by the cat themselves, and therefore are not pheromones, cat attractants are semiochemicalodorants that have an effect on cat behavior and can be used for environmental enrichment. A cat presented with a cat attractant which includes catnip may roll in it, paw at it, or chew on the source of the smell. The effect is usually relatively short, lasting for only a few minutes after which the cats have a refractory period during which the response cannot be elicited. After 30 minutes to two hours, susceptible cats gain interest again. Various volatile chemicals, iridoidterpenes extracted from essential oils, are known to cause these behavioral effects in cats.