system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why do cats like catnip so much? What, chemically or biologically speaking, is happening to them?
gpt
Nepetalactone, which is the active chemical compound of catnip, enters through the nose and binds to receptors on olfactory epithelium (fancy name for smelling tissue in the nose). It is thought that nepetalactone mimics a cat pheromone, possibly feline facial pheromone or MMB (in cat urine).

Behavioral effects: rubbing against the plant, pawing, licking, and chewing the plant.

Consumption effects: drooling, sleepiness, randomly leaping about, and purring.


EDIT: additional facts, about 80% of cats react to catnip, and susceptibility to catnip is hereditary.