Catnip in History

Author: Professor Fluffy, Chair, History Department, Felinia University

Did you know that catnip was first discovered by the cats of ancient Egypt? They found it useful during boring human religious services. Even though cats were the main attraction in the temples and it was nice to get treats (offerings), the priests talked too much. A little nip kept the temple cats on their toes for when platters of Nile trout came their way.

Later, Persian cats put Cyrus the Great into power so that he would conquer all the lands that produced the best nip. Later, Xerxes was assisted in conquering the Greeks by the cats of Sparta who were tired of catnip shortages. They were greatly rewarded for their efforts and even today, Persian cats are held in high esteem as extremely intelligent, though not very loyal.

Fast forward to the Russian Revolution when those Russian Blues backed the wrong side and managed to flee to the countryside when the Bolsheviks took over. However, today they are making a comeback and even feature prominently in Hollywood movies ("Cats and Dogs");