Perhaps it is not surprising...

We are plagued by visits from she who shall be called "The Black and White Cat". Perhaps you think this too impersonal? Well, one of our neighbors, who happens to be a member of her family, said "I just call her the little cat" when I asked about her name. The neighbor's partner told our other neighbor ""I call her crybaby because she meows all the time." In any case, The Black and White Cat is almost always in our back yard.

I have been wondering why our backyard is so popular. Several other cats frequent our backyard as well. It is largish, with lots of grass and trees, but not dissimilar from the yards around us.

Then it occurred to me: Our backyard is full of this:



What is it?

A variety of Nepeta or Catmint, also called catnip. It isn't the same variety as "true catnip" (Nepeta Cataria L.) but does have plenty of nepetalactone none the less.

In addition to its well known effect on cats, nepetalactone is also apparently an insect repellent, though how large its effect is seems to be a matter of some debate.

I love this plant. It grows like crazy, flowers for months (the variety I have anyway), tolerates hot sun and lack of water, and I find its bushy overgrown appearance very attractive. The cats do occasionally roll in it, but it is hardy enough to withstand their attentions. Only recently did it occur to me that the cats may be attracted by the catmint.

I am now wondering if I am effectively an enabler. If I embrace the role, perhaps I should be piping Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb into the back yard to give the cats a fuller altered state college-like experience.