Interesting effect of valerian root on my cats

I just unpacked some valerian root I had purchased (the smell is so rank I cannot believe some people actually put it in sleep/dream pillows) and was filling my jar.

All five of my cats came running into the kitchen, jumping on the counters and trying to get at it. It was absolutely my own personal comedy moment - I tried to make them get down, but they were insistent on getting at it. I had to finally go into the bathroom and close the door to put it from the bag into the jar, and then throw the bag away outside in the trashcan to keep two of the most persistent from raiding the kitchen garbage can.

I know it has sedative and CNS calming effects and have no idea of what the dosage for a seven pound cat would be, so I dare not let them have any. (I always give them some dried catmint when I unpack it, but it doesn't incite near the reaction that this did.)

Anyoe else had cats take on so about this herb?

Sounds like the way they react to catnip. Maybe the cats know something about it we dont?

one of my cats goes absolutely crackers whenever i get camomile or eyebright out. lol

i was opening a package from my friend who sells herbs and the first thing that came straight out was the catnip/catmint, and i thought that everything wlse would be ok......wrong!

when i went back into the living room he had ripped open a bag of eyebright and was rolling about merrily and purring like a tiger!

he knows that when i go to a certain drawer in my merchants chest, then fun is about to happen......lol

I have seen cats do this with valerian often.. Its also brilliant for making you sleep. I sort of wish I had some...

I used to have a slightly valerian addicted cat - he found a bottle I had and used to try to get drops out. Most cats react strongly to valerian, but like you, I've never been sure of the safe dose so I don't normally give it to them (not that I've had any for years - valerian I mean ).

By the way, valerian is very commonly used here as a mild sleep-inducer. I haven't used it for a long time (I used to use it when flying because at one time I was quite phobic), but it was interesting to come to Czech and find that it's much more commonly used than, say, sleeping tablets. I'm sure that's a good thing.