We all heard about the love of cats for valerian. For some, it was enough to watch a couple of funny videos on the Internet with crazy cats, while others started to experience the funny action of valerian on their own pets. But before putting experiments on animals, it is worthwhile to understand the question: is valerian harmful to cats?
What is valerian?
This drug can be freely bought at the pharmacy, and most often there are 3 of its types: Valerian grass, tincture and tablets.
Valerian itself is a perennial herb. The Latin name comes from lat. valere - to be healthy. However, this applies only to representatives of the human species. Valerian has a calming effect on a person; its extract is used to produce a variety of sedatives that effectively help overcome insomnia.
Not the first generation uses the beneficial properties of a natural sedative. It is believed that valerian was used for these purposes long before the development of modern pharmacology.
The highest content of active substance is observed in the roots of the plant, from which the extract is obtained. Although this drug is of plant origin, which is not synthesized artificially at the factory, the tablets still contain ¾ synthetic excipients, which will be important in talking about whether valerian is harmful to cats.
Why are cats and cats so attracted to valerian?
There are several versions why feline representatives like the aroma of this drug so much. One of them is popular and most reliable: the smell of valerian reminds sexually mature animals a similar aroma of pheromones secreted by cats during estrus. This excites the areas of the brain responsible for reproduction, which is manifested in violent, sometimes inappropriate behavior of animals.
It is known that wild cats search for valerian root on their own and use it, but not in order to obtain a narcotic effect, but to relieve pain associated with digestive problems.
Cat and cat: who likes more?
Which of the cat representatives is most attracted to the smell of valerian? In fact, according to the theory of the similarity of the smell of the extract with pheromones, the greatest effect is observed in animals whose reproductive and hormonal systems work more actively.
To study this issue, an experiment was conducted during which an unmistakable regularity was revealed: valerian does not attract kittens of both sexes in any form. This is because animals that have not reached puberty are not aware of the existence of pheromones, their brain is not yet able to recognize such a signal. Therefore, they have nothing to associate the smell of valerian with. In this case, the question of whether valerian is dangerous for kittens disappears by itself.
As for adult animals, castrated cats are also indifferent to the extract. But young, sexually mature cats and cats, which have not been castrated and sterilized, react very actively. It's time to figure out whether it’s harmful for the cat to give valerian.
Valerian action on feline
Despite the fact that in human pharmacology valerian is used as a sedative, the effect on cats and cats is absolutely opposite. Often due to lack of awareness, people give their pets this medication in case of transportation, hoping that they will be able to calm the animal and help him fall asleep. However, on a small dose, cats, on the contrary, become more agitated. With an overdose, you can cause a long deep sleep or even death.
Is valerian harmful to cats in small doses, how does their behavior change?
Animals become more agitated than usual. They can arrange a pogrom in the house, run and jump, attack a non-existent enemy, which is explained by ordinary hallucinations. The nature of your pet changes beyond recognition. An early calm and cute cat can prove to be an incredible rowdy. Not only furniture and interior elements will suffer, but also family members. The effect will last from several minutes to an hour, after which a tired animal will fall into sleep, restoring strength. In this description, one can easily draw an analogy with the behavior of drug addicts.
In addition to all this, in the tincture of valerian, ethanol occupies most of the volume. The body of cats is not able to process alcohol. For this reason, animals become addicted literally "from the first glass." In addition, if you overdo it with a dose or indulge a cat too often with alcohol, his liver may not be able to cope at all. You will have to resort to the help of veterinarians and expensive treatment.
Is valerian dangerous for cats in heat?
When your cat begins a period of sexual arousal and readiness for mating, her sensitivity greatly increases. A natural impulse for many owners would be to give the cat some relaxing tinctures, which is fundamentally the wrong decision. And without that, a strong tension is worsened by an invigorating extract, a pet can tolerate such manipulations extremely poorly.
Even if it is not possible to provide her with a cat for mating, it is better to wait out this moment without any medication. From valerian cat will become even more active, and nightly "meowing" will not let you fall asleep. If you do not plan to breed kittens, it is better to carry out the sterilization procedure in general.
It is also worthwhile to figure out whether valerian is harmful to neutered cats. As mentioned earlier, this drug is most interesting in animals with maximum sexual activity. Since neutered cats are not interested in mating, for them the smell of valerian is even unpleasant and does not attract at all, although there are exceptions everywhere. In any case, it is not worth giving the cats an extract on their own.
As for kittens, their body is most sensitive to toxic substances, so giving valerian is dangerous for their life.
Speaking about how valerian is harmful to cats, it is worth remembering that not only the extract itself, but also ethyl alcohol is dangerous in tincture of valerian. The situation is even worse with pills. In addition to the active substance, the pills include auxiliary synthetic chemical compounds that can affect the animal's body in a completely unpredictable way.
The danger to your pet is that this drug is highly addictive. If a cat can get to a vial of valerian or pills, he is unlikely to leave them alone. Your pet will turn into a relentless beggar who will not calm down until you provide him with the desired "dose".
Cripples or heals?
Veterinarians still can not agree on whether valerian is harmful to cats. In large quantities, it has an irreparable effect on the nervous system, but in a small dosage it can be a real medicine.
Doctors often prescribe valerian for animals to treat heart failure, spasms of the gastrointestinal tract or eliminate other problems with the digestive system.
It is important to remember that only an experienced doctor can calculate the right dosage. On the question of whether valerian is harmful to cats, the opinion of all veterinarians is the same - giving valerian to a cat on its own is unacceptable. If necessary, consult a specialist.
Safe ways to use valerian
Adhering to the advice of veterinarians, you can still check the reaction of your pet to this interesting substance. It is important to be careful not to overdo the quantity. The maximum that you can do to please a cat is to grease a plate or a floor with 1-2 drops and observe. If you are the owner of a young uncastrated cat, then he will most likely lick this place and rub it with his whole body.
A valerian can even help you train your cat in a claw-brush.
For this, it is also necessary to lubricate the surface with a couple of drops of tincture. After such a procedure, the claw-tip will become your pet's favorite toy. So you protect your furniture from regular attacks of sharp claws of the animal.