Why does my brothers cat like mint?

One of my brothers cats hate the smell of mint. The other goes loopy for it. The effects of the smell are like a drug to him and he drooles, tries to rub against your mouth if you are eating one. I have never seen a cat react like this to the smell of mint and wondered if there is any particular reason for it.

Why does my brothers cat like mint?
Many cats enjoy mint because of certain chemical compounds contained within the plants and may respond to other members of the mint family because of some heretofore unrecognized compounds. Catnip, even though cats go crazy and some even seem drugged around catnip it's not a drug. It's actually an herb that belongs to the mint family. When the leaves are broken it releases a certain chemical that most cats respond to.

All cats respond differently to catnip. Some of them walk away cuz they couldn't care less, but others go ape. The cats that do go crazy are responding to the active ingredient in catnip called Nepetalactone. The reaction to this chemical is caused by the organ that operates a cat's five senses (touch, smell, sight, sound and taste.)

(Nepeta cataria), a member of the mint family, contains citral, geraniol, citronellol, nerol, limonene, and nepetalactone in its essential oil. The nepetalactone is what makes cats loopy -- they can respond to concentrations approaching 1 part per billion. Dittany of Crete and cat thyme, also in the mint family, have a similar effect on cats. There are a number of other plants in different families that cause these behaviors as well, including kiwi vine, alder root fungus, fly honeysuckle, Tartarian honeysuckle, buckbean, baby blue eyes, and garden valerian. Kiwi vine and valerian contain actinidine and dihydroactinidiolide rather than nepetalactone and buckbean contains mitsugashiwalactone, but these affect cats just the same.
Reply:cats are odd mine loves malteasers but hates cream
Reply:You mean a mint, as in a sweet you eat, I think. In that case, who knows? Cats have definite ideas of their own, and that one has clearly fallen for mints - perhaps it reminds him of catnip, over which a lot of cats go bananas.



Ours has a passion for chips, for some reason, though he doesn't get any 'cos they're bad for him. Doesn't stop him begging frantically though.
Reply:some cats go crazy and different things, my cat goes crazy for ham, my mums cat goes crazy at chicken and he growls at chicken. There funny animals but i love them.
Reply:Different cats like different things.
Reply:yep. some cats finds out that those mint are like catnips. i like the smell of mint too. i dun think my cat love the smell..
Reply:Even though cats go crazy and some even seem drugged around catnip it's not a drug. It's actually an herb that belongs to the mint family. When the leaves are broken it releases a certain chemical that most cats respond to.

All cats respond differently to catnip. Some of them walk away cuz they couldn't care less, but others go ape. The cats that do go crazy are responding to the active ingredient in catnip called Nepetalactone. The reaction to this chemical is caused by the organ that operates a cat's five senses (touch, smell, sight, sound and taste.)
Reply:Aaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!

That pretty cute!!!
Reply:I would like a pet lamb,just like that! And one that loves rose%26gt;%26gt;
Reply:hey- one of my cats like cheese and bread. its a mistery why i suppose
Reply:Catnip is in the mint family and contains the chemical nepetalactone. It's likely that other plants in the mint family contain trace amounts of this chemical and that's why the cat's reaction is similar to how a cat would react to catnip.