Why do cats love valerian and can you give it?

Almost every experienced cat breeder knows that representatives of the feline family are not indifferent to preparations made on the basis of a plant called valerian. For this reason, the famous medicinal perennial is called cat root, cat grass, or mountain grass. Valerian affects humans as a mild sedative and antispasmodic agent, but the essential components of the plant have a strong stimulating effect on domestic cats and cats.

The pharmaceutical industry produces valerian in tablets, drops, in the form of an alcoholic tincture, as well as as part of a soothing collection, where the raw material is presented in a crushed form for subsequent preparation of a decoction from it. Any of these dosage forms are of interest to the cat, therefore if you have a vial of valerian in your house, then sooner or later your pet will definitely get to it.

There are the following forms of release.

• Tincture Valerian is available in the form of drops for oral administration, the medicine is packaged in dark glass vials of 15, 25, 50 or 100 milliliters.At 80% of its volume, the drug consists of 70% ethyl alcohol, and the rest of it is dry powder of valerian root. In the composition of drops, the role of an active medicinal substance is performed by extracts of an essential plant mala, consisting of borneol and isovaleric acid, and plant alkaloids have an antispasmodic and calming effect: valerin, valepotriates and hotein.

• Pills valerian are produced for internal use, covered with a shell. There are usually 10 to 50 of them in a package. Each tablet contains 20 mg of a dense extract of valerian root. In addition to the active ingredient, the tablets contain magnesium carbonate, croscarmellose, potato starch, gelatin and calcium stearate. For cats, tablets are no less dangerous than tincture.

• Medicinal collection of dry herbs is a crushed raw material of valerian root and its aerial parts. Such a collection is packed in cardboard boxes or bags made of mica, usually the weight of the packaging of such a collection is small - 200-250 grams. If your furry pet finds such a bag, then he is unlikely to chew dry grass, and will not eat much of it. However, you can rest assured that the contents of the entire package will be scattered, and the cat will roll with great pleasure in chopped valerian.

Raw materials obtained from the root of medicinal valerian are used in the manufacture of sedatives that normalize the psychoemotional state of a person, help him fall asleep faster, reduce nervousness and irritability, relieve spasms, and improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The valerian root affects the body of domestic representatives of the feline family in exactly the opposite way, causing in animals excessive physical activity, euphoria and hallucinations, accompanied by inadequate behavioral reactions.

The state of intoxication in an animal lasts for a rather short period of time - from 5 to 15 minutes, and then a phase of deep and sound sleep begins... During sleep, cats relax all the smooth muscles, including the respiratory system, so veterinarians know of frequent cases when a fluffy pet, having fallen asleep, could no longer wake up.

The reason for inadequate behavioral changes after taking valerian for alcohol in domestic cats is that the smell of the plant is very similar to the animal's smell of urine from a female, which is ready to mate. Essential components affect the cerebral cortex of the animal, stimulating unconditioned reproduction reflexes in it, and since the aroma of valerian is similar to cat pheromones, the reaction to it in cats is similar. The situation is aggravated by alcohol intoxication, if the cat has taken inside a certain amount of alcoholic tincture, therefore, the manifestations of the excitement phase are expressed several times stronger.

This is usually the reaction to valerian in males. Females are more affected by the etheric substance nepetalactone, which is contained in valerian.... A similar substance is found in catnip, which is also called catnip. It is because of the smell of nepetalactone that cats and cats love both of these plants so much.

Nepetalactone causes euphoric hallucinations in cats, which are manifested by motor excitement, increased appetite, loud meows and inappropriate behavior. Excitation from nepetalactone also lasts no more than 15 minutes, and then the cat's brain becomes immune to the substance, but after about an hour and a half, the reaction of the brain neurons is restored and the effect of the effect on the brain of the substance is repeated again.

Alcoholic valerian is more dangerous for animals than the tablet form or dry herbal preparations. The dependence on alcohol in representatives of the feline family develops from the first intake, since there is no enzyme in their body that can break down alcoholic components. Ethyl alcohol has a toxic effect on the cat's liver, and also irritates the mucous membrane of the walls of the stomach and intestines.

Your pet may get peptic ulcers or cirrhosis if this drug is taken regularly. Fluffy pets very quickly become dependent on the drug, while their temper and behavior change significantly - the animal becomes nervous and aggressive.

If valerian tablets are available to a cat, then, most likely, everything he finds will be eaten by him. Excessive dosage will cause drug poisoning in the feline body. This is manifested by increased salivation, vomiting, foam can come from the animal's mouth, and in addition, convulsive syndrome can begin. This condition is dangerous because, with convulsions, the tongue of the animal can sink into its larynx and block the access of oxygen to the lungs.

With increased nervous excitability, the brain and the entire central nervous system of the animal's body suffer greatly. In the cerebral cortex at this time, foci of excitation and inhibition occur in a chaotic manner, which can lead to prolonged loss of consciousness or stroke.

It often happens that an animal has reflex cessation of breathing. After such an excessive test, the nervous system is inhibited, and the cat falls into a long sleep. In a dream, the state of the central nervous system is stabilized, the centers of excitation fade, and the neurotransmitter receptors of the brain come to a balanced state.

As for the benefits, then Valerian can still be used for good purposes, but it is not at all necessary to give it to a cat or cat for internal use. For example, this tool can be used to train an animal to sleep in a designated area. To do this, a few drops of valerian must be dropped on the cat's bed, and he will happily sleep there. If you have a problem how to train your pet to the litter box, then in this case, you can use a few drops of the medicine.

In the same way, you can train your cat to sharpen its claws not on furniture, but to use a scratching post for this.

The effect of valerian on cats from the use of tincture is more pronounced. If the drug was accidentally spilled or the cat was able to get to it himself, then a puddle with alcohol drops will cause the animal's strongest interest.

Most likely, the cat or cat will begin to lick the tincture and wallow in it, and you will notice that the pet really likes it. After using the drug, the reaction in the animal will become very inadequate. - the cat will be excited, he will have physical activity, the cat will run or jump, in addition, the pet may meow loudly or make heart-rending sounds.

This disinhibition effect on the cat's brain is influenced not only by the extract of valerian, but also the alcohol that is part of the drug. The animal does not adequately perceive reality for 5-15 minutes and is in an altered mental and emotional state. At the same time, cats react in such a way that begin to intensively mark the territory, and females can roll on the floor in a state of euphoria.

Adult sexually mature cats are very fond of the smell of valerian, and if at this moment you try to take a bottle of medicine from your pet or try to drive the animal away from a puddle with the drug, then you will unexpectedly meet very fierce and aggressive resistance from your furry friend. There is nothing surprising in this, because the effect of valerian essential oils is such that animals literally go crazy.

Under the influence of intoxicating ingredients, your pet cat can seriously injure you with its claws or teeth, without realizing what is happening.

Some cat and cat owners believe that it will be okay if you give a pet valerian to drink to calm it down. But don't underestimate the power of these medications. The most dangerous of them is tincture - getting used to it begins after a single use. Your pet will walk around the house, meow heart-rendingly and look for this remedy, especially if he smells it somewhere nearby.

The tablet form of the medicine is less dangerous, but it all depends on the dosage that the animal eats. However, even at low doses, cats develop inadequate dependence, and soon you will not recognize your beloved pet. All his attention will be given only to finding Valerian, and nothing else will be of interest to him.

Sometimes, on very rare occasions, your veterinarian may prescribe valerian for your pet, but only in the form of a decoction of low concentration... Such a decoction can be prescribed for spasms of the gastrointestinal tract, for skin problems in the form of eczema, and also as a sedative. In this case, only a specialist can correctly calculate the dosage of the drug; it is not recommended to do this on your own.

And yet, most veterinarians believe that drugs with valerian do not bring any benefit to cats and cats, and in order not to cause irreparable harm to your furry friend, these drugs should always be kept out of the reach of the pet and, of course, you should not give these funds to your pet purposefully.

Mishandling valerian medications may cause your pet to lose coordination in movements, dysfunction in the front or hind limbs, and impairment of vision or hearing. All these manifestations are the consequences of hemorrhages in the brain of an animal, which often occur under the influence of valerian.

If the animal was able to survive a stroke, then the recovery period for it can take many months or even years, and a positive result may not come. After such difficult tests, the feline nervous system can often malfunction, and in addition, against this background, the beginning of an imbalance of the endocrine system is possible.

In addition to a stroke, under the influence of the stimulating effect of essential oils, an animal may experience a malfunction of the heart, and in the worst case scenario, a cat may develop a heart attack. With strong nervous overexcitation from large doses of the drug in adult cats, acute heart failure often occurs, which in a fairly short period of time can be fatal.

Often, after poisoning with drugs with valerian, malfunctioning of such important organs as the liver and kidneys begins. And all these changes can occur after a single dose of valerian. It should be understood that how disastrous the consequences for your pet's body can be if such situations are repeated repeatedly.

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