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Here's today's feel-good story:
Known for giving an adrenaline-like rush to cats, catnip has been discovered to have distinct benefits.
Japanese researchers have found that when cats consume catnip, strong insect repellants are released which indicates that the behavior is protecting them from bugs.
Researcher Masao Miyazaki explains: “Even in the famous musical Cats there are scenes where you see a cat intoxicate another cat using catnip powder,” he says. “We found that physical damage of silvervine by cats promoted the immediate emission of total iridoids, which was 10-fold higher than from intact leaves.”