Substance abuse, then and now

Baby stops by a pot of catnip on the kitchen counter this morning for a quickie after breakfast.

Remember when having a spot of catnip was just one more way of enjoying being a cat?  Now Tufts University's Animal Behavior Clinic's otherwise excellent and informative Catnip publication is preaching to feline associates that you must not allow your object of worship to abuse the weed:

Like anything special, it should be offered for a little while, then put away for a few days so that it remains a special treat.

Ridiculous. As a catnip-management specialist, we recommend keeping a fresh pot of the herb near your computer or other work area, ready to delight both you and your puddy whenever she or he drops by for a visit. Take-home fun facts from the article (not available online):

Catnip isn't just for puddies.  Big cats -- lions, leopards and bobcats -- like it too.  The catnip response lasts for 5 to 15 minutes. About 30 per cent of cats don't respond (it's in the genes). The active ingredient is nepeta-lactone, an oil the plant uses to repel certain leaf-eating insects. They're not sure, but the structure of the active ingredient is similar to that of LSD and may act upon the feline brain in a manner similar to spacing out on LSD for humans.  And yet, "The good news is that catnip is safe and not addictive to cats."

Dentist/murderer Ralph Bellamy (left) joins patient/sleuth Errol Flynn for a pre-denouement smoke between gentlemen in the 1941 classic "Footsteps in the Dark."

Catnip magazine's preaching about so-called catnip abuse calls to mind, by contrast, the astonishing scene pictured above from "Footsteps in the Dark," a most entertaining and stylish film-noirish movie we caught in the wee hours on TCM this morning. Errol Flynn, a smashing, dashing ladykiller forerunner of our own era's Kevin Klein, was paired with Brenda Marshall (who?), a gorgeous and sweet dead-ringer for Geena Davis. Hi jinks and high humor all around. Ralph Bellamy and William Frawley and a couple of other character actors who survived the great winnowing process of movies transitioning to TV were in there, too. So much better than reruns of Geraldo on FOX.

Update:  Carnival of the Cats #61 is up at Chief Barker Laurence Simon's.

Comments

[Laurence Simon]

Edloe already abuses food. She doesn't have time for both catnip and food I think.

[goomp]

I caught "Footsteps in the Dark" the other morning also. A B movie made in 1941 before Errol became a super star. I think most cats can handle Catnip but some may over indulge as humans may with various mood affecting substances.

[Sissy Willis]

Much more fun before they think they're the cat's pajamas. All downhill after that.