drugs

[ramtops]

we have some catnip, which is was stored in the set of wicker drawers on my desk.

this morning, when I entered the study, I discovered chaos ... they'd managed to open the drawer, extract the catnip packet, extract the polythene bag from *inside* the packet, and strew catnip across the floor.

the house is full of crazed kittens ...

the catnip is now safely (?) inside a jam jar.

cats - what are they *for* ?

Comments

[numbat.livejournal.com]

Would it amuse you to learn that most species of feline have a preferred herb? In most cases, tigers and lions etc, the herb of choice is lavender though they don't appear to get stoned on it (thankfully). Snow leopards on the other hand appear to like rolling in substances like curry powder. Snow leopards are generally considered by those in the know to be rather strange.

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

So, would snow leopards (which I think are gorgeous, though I know that to cuddle one would mean insanity and death ... hmm, what a way to go) roll in something like helichrysum plants in the wild ... I'm thinking of the so-called 'curry plant' which has no culinary value that I know of but which smells fantastically of curry. (There's a plant in the garden across the road, and on hot summer days I can smell it very strongly.)

I'm delighted, though, with the thought of lavender-scented lions and tigers. Very genteel. But at the end of it all, what is the purpose of this rolling in/chewing scented plants.

[numbat.livejournal.com]

Indeed, cuddling a snow leopard is not to be recommended. If you ever visit I'm afraid the best I can arrange is for you to pat a cheetah.

As for the curry plant, well according to my references Helichrysum augustifolium is native to the Mediterranium and so somewhat out of the usual range for snow leopards so it seems unlikely that this is ancestral behaviour. And I should clarify that snow leopards often take an interest in the same scents as other species of cat. However it's also been observed that different species seem to like different ranges of scent. Some, such as mint, cinnamon, lavender, and Calvin Klein's Obsession are very popular, some, such as curry, are uncommon enough to be weird.

Why any cat is interested in the above is a question for which there is no good answer. Given how scent orientated all members of the cat clan are I think the best we can do is assume that, like us, they find certain scents pleasureable and like to coat themselves with these scents.

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

Why any cat is interested in the above is a question for which there is no good answer. Given how scent orientated all members of the cat clan are I think the best we can do is assume that, like us, they find certain scents pleasureable and like to coat themselves with these scents.

I know dogs seem to want to roll in the nastiest-smelling stuff they can find, so I can see precedents for wishing to change one's smell, maybe to deceive? But lavender, etc. is far more pleasant than rolling in something rotting and disgusting. And people wonder why I don't want a dog that much.

Patting a cheetah would be a fine thing, really ... I am a big fan of cheetahs, they're so beautiful to look at.

[numbat.livejournal.com]

Cheetahs are quite fascinating close up. They purr you know, with a rumble that dwarfs anything the domestic cat can muster. That, I have been told, is how you tell the big members of the cat clan from the small ones, big cats roar while small ones purr. (Hard to imagine a cheetah as small I know but these things a relative.) Cheetahs also communicate with each other with cries that sound more like exotic African bird than anything feline. They do so to avoid the attention of lions. It sounds very strange if one is so kind as to demonstrate,