Those of you that follow Fox Valley Cat Clinic on facbook may already know about my unscientific study. If not, this is your chance to be a part of my research. :)Having never heard of this response before, I thought I would experiment on my menagerie as well as ask others to report their results of similar celery leaf experimentation at home.
The results? So far, no other cats are interested in celery leaves.
Please feel free to test this out at home and report back to me. Perhaps our test group is not large enough...?
Dr. Maureen Flatley
One of my cats gets this reaction to bag balm and chlorox anywhere spray?! Strange!
ReplyDeleteReally -I would love to know what is in chlorox anywhere spray that would interest a cat - I will have to try bag balm on my own kitties and check out the ingredients -thanks for sharing!
DeleteI have a 14 year old cat that loves to eat celery leaf's. Apparently its good for some kind of arthritis in the cat. I also had a cat that lived to 18 years and 3 months that loved to eat Rose Pedals. She went crazy over those. I could not keep any flowers in the house at all.
DeleteSorry, I forgot to add that it does not make her go crazy at all. She is a 14lb cat that is extremely lazy and hardly plays at all since my other cat passed.
DeleteMy cat also goes crazy over celery leaves. He tore into the grocery bag when I brought it home the other day. No, he wasn't going after the precooked chicken, but the celery!! I took it out of the bag, put a stalk down, leaves and all and he proceeded to roll all over it while he rubbed his face on the leaves! He also likes to eat the leaves. Just a minute ago I got some from the fridge and put it down next to him. He got up quickly and devoured the leaves! It is so strange!
DeleteMy cat goes mad for celery that has gone to seed, she rubs her face all over it, rubs herself and rolls in it and her tail twitches like it does when she sees a bird, crazy....
DeleteCame home from the grocery store with fresh celery in the bag and my daughters cat that we're watching for the summer went crazy for the celery..in the bag,rubbing her face against it,running all over the house afterward.She loved it!!
DeleteMy 15 year old female cat normally comes in the garden, walks around then leaves. This year I grew celery for the first time. She stayed in there with me for an hour today! Of course she stayed by the celery. She would put her face in the plant then roll on the dirt and make cute little sounds. I couldn't imagine why. That prompted me to google and I came across this!
DeleteMy 17-year-old female cat (who passed away last summer) always loved celery leaves and behaved similarly to the cats in these other posts. She preferred them to catnip leaves. I was always curious about what made her love them so much. On the other hand, my 9-year-old male cat is indifferent to celery leaves, but he really enjoys catnip....rolling, rubbing, and "chirping" when it give him some.
DeleteHave you ever heard of this before?.......
My 85-pound doberman pinscher couldn't care less about greens, but LOVES bananas, and prefers them to any other food. Go figure!
I just found your page when I was looking up about cats and celery leaves. I have two cats, my oldest one loves celery leaves and reacts the same way that cats do with catnip but the younger one appears to pay no interest.
DeleteAlso interesting to note is the oldest one doesn't react as excitable with catnip as she does with the celery.
Just this morning I had a celery stalk in my bag to go to work for a salad for lunch. My cat was all over it like catnip. She's always been that way if there is a cutting board I've sliced celery on. This morning when I took the bag to leave, she ran straight to her catnip toys. Celery definitely equals catnip to my cat! That's how I found this page, I too wanted to see if it was safe for her.
DeleteI just finished chopping celery, and I found my 9 year old cat rubbing her face on the cutting board, twitching, and purring loudly.
DeleteMy two cats had the same reaction to the celery when I got it home from the store. Rubbing it and trying to eat it
DeleteI brought celery home from the store and my 2 year old kitty wanted it. he didn't treat it as catnip, so I give him a small a little stalk with the leaves attached. He played with it for several hours and ate the leaves. Every time I open the refrigerator he is looking at the celery. He is so funny!!! I just gave him more leaves and he ate them.... I've watched him and evidently the celery is not bothering his digestive system. I have had many, many cats and this is the first that have done the celery thing. Too funny!!! His name is Tippy and I love him so much....
DeleteMy six year old female Siamese cat "'goes crazy" at the smell of fresh cut celery on my hands. I was chopping it to add to the turkey stuffing and even though I washed my hands there was still a strong smell present. The cat was mesmerized by the smell of my hand, rolled around on the table beside me, and eventually tackled and bit my hand in a playful manner. These are the same behaviors she exhibits in the presence of catnip. The only difference is that the playful biting is more extreme with the celery.
DeleteSteve Johnson
Grand Forks, ND
Both my cats love to sniff / roll in celery root peel. Instead of going in the compost when im preparing it i put it on the floor for them.
DeleteDr. Flatley... magic: https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/downloads/msds/anywhere/cloroxanywherehardsurfacedailysanitizingsprayjw2014-08-03.pdf Hope this helps! Stumbled onto this page after we figured out that our big tabby boy is VERY interested in a bag of ground celery seed :)
DeleteMy cat loves celery leaves. Every time I pulled it kit of fridge, she would be there. So today I put a leaf on floor and she rolled all over and played like crazy. Better than catnip
DeleteMy cat only eats wet and dry food, he is not fond of human food,but when it comes to celery he goes crazy, every time I open the fridge he gets excited and I know it's because he is expecting a celery leaf. It seems he really likes this and starts acting calm and somewhat drugged when he eats them. Is this bad for them????? It's like a treat for him...
DeleteJust discovered that my cats do like the celery leaves by rubbing on them and eating them one is 3 and the other is 7 it was so interesting watching them
DeleteCat dislikes catnip, but loves celery. Also goes crazy for blueberry poptarts.
DeleteLast night my husband was cutting up celery and about an hour later we were in bed and our cat Minxy came on the bed and was losing his mind! Rubbing all over my husbands hands (which is very rare - he's a very docile cat and barely reacts much to catnip) and licking him all over. We brought in our other cat Milo, who is very lovey but seemed to care less. So interesting!
DeleteMy wife brought home celery to make some soup,cat rolled all over it. After cleanup,the cat kept going onto counter where she had cut up the celery,she rolled around sniffed and scratched the counter. Got mad at me every time I took her off the counter
DeleteWell, it's 2019 now, so my info is a bit late I guess.
DeleteI have 2 cats; brothers. One is absolutely crazy about celery seed powder. Rubbing in, twirling on the floor and of course lick all the powder that I gave him. Kind of addicted as well as he asks for it every day. This cat also eats celery leaves in the garden, so no more celery in the garden. His brother doesn't give a thing about celery. That's it.
Coming home with some fresh celery, my cat suddenly went bonkers. Treating it as if it were catnip, as you described. Chewing on the leaves, rolling around,pretty much obsessed!
DeleteBack in the late 70s, early 80s my cat went nuts over celery. She would jump up on the kitchen counter & rub on it,eat the leaves & purr like crazy. She acted the same with catnip.
DeleteI googled "cats and celery leaves" bc every time I bring celery home from the grocery, my 10 year old cat jumps on the counter and goes crazy.....just like it's catnip!!! Very interesting to me!
ReplyDeleteMy cat just did this. I had a bag of celery with one carrot and she went crazy, rubbing up on it, flipping over, basically weird cat stuff.
ReplyDeleteA cat I used to have was like this with celery leaves. She would roll around in them and be deliriously happy and talkative and continue to rub herself on the leaves until they were completely flattened and wilted. Then she'd walk away like nothing had ever happened.
ReplyDeleteI have a Persian and this past Thanksgiving was sooo amused at how she went crazy over the celery! This morning she was rolling on the counter as if she still smelled the celery from a week ago. I put a few more leaves out and she proceeded to roll and love the celery leaves. My black and white cat on the other hand, sat there looking at her as if she was crazy :) I guess it is an acquired taste!
ReplyDeleteLol my younger cat goes berserk. My older cat is scared of the leaves lol.
DeleteI've just google Cats & Celery coz my cat has just got "high" rubbing her face in it & purring loudly! I never knew about this until the celery accidentally fell out of my shopping bag & the cat started going crazy like she does with catnip! weird!!!
DeleteJust chopped up some celery for soup, then went for a quiet bit of reading ... hand got scratched, nipped and generally tortured by our two tomcats in a frenzy. Celery aroma is nor gone, replaced by disinfectant and healing cream ...
ReplyDeleteNote: Our cats have zero reaction to catnip. And I found this blog looking for an answer on why my hand now hurts. I got the answer. My hand still hurts ...
My cat loves it too :)
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't roll around she just eats it eagerly
ReplyDeleteMy cat also goes nuts over celery. Recently I bought a pack of celery seeds to plant in my garden. She fished the packet out of my purse and rubbed her face all over it, flipping over and rubbing her back on the packet as well. She got all loopy and was quite displeased when I took the seed packet away.
ReplyDeleteTwo of my cats (sisters) had the same reaction to celery leaves. Both of them had a similar reaction to the green top of a strawberry. One of the cats had a similar reaction to one of the ingredients in poultry seasoning. I think the herb in poultry seasoning that attracted her was thyme.
ReplyDeleteMy cat reacts to celery in a similar way.
ReplyDeleteTwo of my four cats enjoy the celery almost as much as my mint tea bags. My melon eater will pull the bag out of the crisper if I let him. Extremely funny to watch.
ReplyDeleteMy 2 year old cat absolutely loves celery. Every time i bring some home and put it on the bench she quickly jumps up and rubs and roles all over it, i don't think she has ever eaten it yet, but i haven't really given her a chance to. She just rubs, roles and meows when i try and take it away.....
ReplyDeleteI just brought celery home, cut it up and while Tosca was not bothering me while I was at the kitchen table with the stuff... once I got up to my room the smell of carrot and celery was still on me. Then, taking a bit of celery leaf out, she began to roll on it. See, she doesn't usually bite me or rub my leg that much... she's not a biter unless really ticked off which is rare... so I was wondering what was up. Turns out it was the celery.
ReplyDeleteWe have two older cats. One is 16 years old and the other is 14 and they both seem to react the same ways as catnip. One gets playful and crazy, and the other gets sleepy at rubbing and chewing. Same reactions that they get with catnip.
ReplyDeleteMy cat looooooves celery almost more than catnip! I thought she was the only one!
ReplyDeleteI just came home from the grocery putting everything away when I noticed my cat rubbing his head all over the bag the celery is in. At this moment his head is resting on this bag (celery still in it. I hope it's safe, I have noticed anyone stating it wasn't.
ReplyDeleteBoth of my cats (brother and sister) have the same reaction to celery leaves as they do to catnip! They rub their faces on it, lick, and bite the celery!
ReplyDeletemy younger cat has no reaction to celery but the older cat has a field day rubbing his head on the celery - whether it has leaves on it or not -- then he pees on the bag (yes he is neutered) - mind you this cat has more quirks and is more vocal than all the other cats I've ever had put together!!
ReplyDeleteMy 8 year old cat who is also neutered had his first whiff of a celery root which was still in the grocery bag. Then he urinated all over the bag. He never urinates outside of the litter box except for the one time I gave him fresh catnip leaves. So it is definitely a stimulant for him.
Deletemy cat did that today..i have a bearded dragon and I was feeding him celry leaves and I left them on the florr and she came in here and started rolling all over and around them sniffing at them then rolling on them
ReplyDeleteone of my cats loves celery - we had a bunch delivered and they had been put on the ground - and she snuggled up to it - rubbing herself in the leaves and licking them....she only reacts this way to cat nip.....the other cat has shown no interest.
ReplyDeleteI have two cats (brothers) three yrs. old gave them celery leaves they sniffed it took there paw and scratched it out of their way and walked off ...
ReplyDeleteI have a cat that goes wild for the smell of celery and had another that would roll all over it given half a chance Nice to know it is not harmful.
ReplyDeleteWe had two cats. One responded to cat nip and had no reaction to celery....the other, vice versa. The celery lover is in kidney failure and has lost her appetite but we found her rolling around on an empty baggie that used to contain celery.
ReplyDeleteUsually she just rubs her face in the leaves and rolls around. There's not a lot of vocalization.
My cat likes sitting next to celery leaves and eating them but doesn't go crazy or roll around in it. She doesn't respond to catnip smells.
ReplyDeleteAlso, she'll be 13 years old next Feb
DeleteI recently cut up celery root, and despite washing my hands, could not get the smell from them. My cat proceeded to lick my hands for about 5 minutes afterwards. She also acts like that over rosemary. She sometimes reacts to catnip, but not very often.
ReplyDeleteSo funny! After reading others comments, I too found myself on this page after my female domestic was begging at my feet while I was chopping celery. After pawing at me for a while I offered her a piece. She was very interested in it and began rubbing her cheeks against my hand holding the celery stalk. This went on for a good 5 minutes until she plopped down on the ground, rolling over as she does with catnip. I definitely think there's something to this cat and celery relationship...
ReplyDeleteWhen my cat racted to celery as though it were catnip, I thought she was just her unique self. Now that I see others have the same reaction, I'll save all the leaf bits for her.
ReplyDeleteI have 3 cats, my oldest cats goes crazy every time I bring Celery home from the grocery store. He rolls around and rubs his face on the bag and try's to bite the bag. My other cats could care a less about the Celery. He only does this with Celery. Very weird.
ReplyDeleteOne of our cats does the same thing. He rolls all over them & then seems "high", He also likes baby carrots & tops of strawberries. The other cat isn't as interested in celery leaves, but plays with them a little.
ReplyDeleteMy kitty reacts to celery. When I bring in the groceries, she goes straight for the bag with the celery and starts rolling all over it.
ReplyDeleteWe have a 3 year old tuxedo cat and she practically begs when we cut celery, then proceeds to play and eat the leaves. She also likes Arugula leaves. I'm considering making her a salad one day...
ReplyDelete12 year old male loves celery leaves. Rubbing face and doing body rolls. He does not get the aggressive behavior towards other cats as he does with catnip.
ReplyDeleteMy 8 year old cat became suddenly interested in the salad we were eating. We snapped and threw down a stick of celery and he responded as he would with catnip. So we googled it and found this page.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter took out celery from the fridge to prepare and she let her 2 year old cat sniff it. He flipped on his back, started rubbing himself all over it and started chewing on the leaves. We enjoyed his behavior, the things cats do. I then googled it and found this page.
ReplyDeleteI have two cats, one won't leave me alone if I go near the kitchen since I put the celery in the fridge. He sticks his head in each time for a bite and is unwilling to move even if I go to shut the door on him (of course, I don't actually shut it on him, I have to pick up that stubborn cat and move him). The other cat is uninterested. I googled "cat eats celery" to see if it is harmful and came upon this site.
ReplyDeleteMy cat has always reacted to celery this way. In fact, I found this blog because I was curious if other cats did the same. She can smell it as soon as I bring it home and jumps on whichever counter or table the bag is on. In the past, I have scooted her away. Tonight I ripped off a leaf and threw it on the floor. She rolled and acted silly, and became vocal (she seldom meows).
ReplyDeleteAll four of my cats attack the grocery bag when I buy celery. I chop up the leaves and put them on a plate. They eat the leaves, rub their necks on the plate, roll around on the flour. It does not seem to have any other after effects. I think it is better then catnip for them.
ReplyDeleteI got a "cutting celery" or "leaf celery" plant for my yard. I was psyched to get it sized up and start taking stalks for cooking. I've noticed, though, that my cat is also really psyched about it. She definitely acts like it's catnip. Which is great, except if she kills it. I just did a search on the internet-- "cutting celery cats"-- and found this first, so I figured I'd weigh in. She is adorable, of course.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about celery, but my cat goes goofy over celery seed. If I sprinkle a little on the carpet he rolls on it, licks at it, and acts just as if it were catnip.
ReplyDeleteI have three cats, two females and a male. The two girls want nothing to do with it. The male eats the leaves, but he doesn't get any effects.
ReplyDeleteYep. I finally had to google to see if anyone elses cat loves celery. My cat starting doing the rubbing all over with a bag of spinach today. I had it on the counter ready to throw away because it was getting old, and when spinach gets moist in the bag it has a very strong odor. She always goes nuts with celery. I just posted a video of her today on facebook asking if anyone elses cat does what she was doing to spinach today and everyone said it was the noise of the bag. I knew that couldn't be because she does it with celery out of the bag.
ReplyDeleteOne of my kitties goes crazy over celery/celery leaves! She likes to watch me cook (she's on the floor, not the counter!), so last winter when I made homemade beef stew, I noticed both times that even after washing my hands, she would sniff my hands when I pet her, and would start acting silly as if I had given her catnip. At the time, I didn't know it was the celery; in fact, I thought maybe it was the scent the onions had left on my hands. Well, today...I figured it out! I had just finished cutting up some celery, and washed my hands. I had to blow my nose, and could still smell the celery. When I reached down to pet her, she immediately got silly; rubbing her head all over both of my hands, rolling around, etc. So, I googled it, and found this blog!
ReplyDeleteI hope a study is being done on this and that the celery is safe for cats to eat. I noticed in the comments that it seems most of the cats reported are "older", which I found interesting because today, for the very first time, my two old girls went nuts for the celery I brought home. My cats are 16 and 15 years old, they both enjoy an occasional dip in the "nip", but have never shown an interest in any other herb or vegetable. One comment also mentioned arthritis aches may be relieved by celery and both of my cats have achy days (like today - storm front coming in; I feel it too). Anyway, they are both munching leaves. One other thing I noticed, it makes them drool - yet neither has tooth or gum issues. I would love to know what's going on.
ReplyDeleteMy cat is crazy for celery, she's only 3 years old.
DeleteI just discovered this today by accident. My wife and I just got home and were putting away groceries when our cat started going nuts over the celery in one bag. I've had cats my whole life and never heard of this.
ReplyDeleteI just realized this with my cat. I brought home a stalk of celery and she put her face on it when I opened the refrigerator door. She ate some of the leaves when I took it out to cook with. So strange...
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I left celery out on the table and the leaves were hanging over the edge a little bit. I left the kitchen for a few minutes only to come back and find my cat nipping at the leaves. So, of course I threw some leaves down on the floor and he went crazy, as if it were catnip. My family and I were quite entertained for a good 20 minutes. It was hysterical.
ReplyDeleteI left a plastic bag of washed and trimmed celery on my desk and two of my cats have been loving on it for the past hour, my girl Annie more so than Joseph, but he was the first to discover it and did his best to tuck it under his body and lay on it. Since Annie gets her way, she joined in and he left and now she can't leave it alone. This is the first time I've ever seen this behavior, which is what prompted me to google cats and celery. I always have celery in the house but this is the first time I brought an entire bag of cleaned celery into the living area so its probably the first time they've had the opportunity to be enticed. I haven't given Annie any she can eat, so far she's just inhaling through the bag.
ReplyDeleteTwo of our four cats rub nd roll on our fresh celery when I bring it home
ReplyDeleteMy bengal cat sniffs the celery and sort of bites at it and then starts to rub on everything. He goes nuts! It does have a catnip effect.
ReplyDeleteMy cat goes absolutely crazy for celery...even more than catnip. Was quite a shock to discover
ReplyDeleteI have 2 cats, one likes cat nip and one does not. One day I went bought celery and when I got home I really had to run to the washroom. I was gone for maybe a minute and I came back to find my cat, the one who likes catnip, rolling on the counter ontop of my celery.
ReplyDeleteI had a left over celery bag with dried leaves left out on the counter for a while and while eating dinner tonight my cat jumped up on the counter and started rubbing against it so I got some more leaves off some left over celery in the fridge put it on a plate for her and she ended up rolling around in it and mewling
ReplyDeleteIt is a thing. My 5 year old male cat discovered fresh celery this week and he certainly thinks it is the "cat's meow"!~
ReplyDeleteI just found this out today. My cat had a reaction to celery. It was a stock of celery, not the leaves. He didn't have as strong of a reaction as he has with catnit, but it was a reaction. He was rolling around on his back, etc.
ReplyDeleteMy cat goes crazy for celery leaves and celery seed.... she also seems to love bleach, a lot.. there is also a mystery herbal tea mix that a friend left at my house that my cat goes nuts for.
ReplyDeleteMy male Pixie Bob cat is obsessed with celery of any kind. We first noticed it when he found the celery salt in the spice rack, he went crazy for it. No celery stalks or plants are safe with him around lol
ReplyDeleteI don't know about celery but last night my husband and I put bag balm on our hands. My cat went crazy. She gets a little excited over catnip but nothing like this. Purring, rubbing and rolling around. She licked some. Is this at all harmful to my cat?
ReplyDeleteToday I was chopping up celery for a soup and when I went to pet my cat she started sniffing my hand then went to playfully bite it and was rolling around. Then she went to the table where I was cutting it and acted as though she were going to bury it then started rolling around again and having the cat crazies! I never knew celery had that effect on cats! One of my other cats would go nuts over A&D ointment. I would sleep with it on my hands in winter to combat dry skin and once she got a whiff of it she'd go nuts! Other cats I've had would like olives!
ReplyDeleteI've just found your site because having just chopped up some celery, my cat has gone completely silly over the smell left on my hand. Similar to the cat above, biting me gently, rubbing her face on my hand and rolling around on the floor! Must be something in it - literally!
ReplyDeleteMy dear cat used to adore celery. I would bring back a few sticks from the shops and she would get into the grocery bag, rolling on it, purring, and generally acting ecstatic and then a bit jumpy, almost aggressive afterwards, just as others have described. I have to say, we were sometimes helpless with laughter watching the extreme abandon with which she would 'make love' to it...
ReplyDeleteHello. I have a large black maine coon male. He loves celery. It is like nirvana juice to him and he goes crazy. He lays on it and rubs his face all over it and rolls around in it and chews it but never eats it. He just wants to smell like it. I think anyway. He also likes to sniff flowers that my wife brings in the house. Being a life-long cat owner I've never seen a cat act this way with celery but Shadow is like celery insane.
ReplyDeleteI just read that celery root is good for kidney disease in humans and was wondering if that also counts for cats.
ReplyDeleteMy 9-month kitten LOVES celery… she steals the scraps from my pet rabbit and tosses it around like her catnip toys.
ReplyDeleteI just "googled" cats and celeriac and found this...
ReplyDeleteYesterday I bought a celeriac (round root vegetable) and left it in a bag on the floor and my cats tried to crawl in the bag and when crazy for it, rolling around like it was catnip.
I LOVE it when I discover something totally NEW that I never knew before!!
Now I want to try out regular celery too....
I got here the same way and I am pleased to find others with experience of this phenomenon! Our cat was really interested in a celeriac I had out on the counter one day while cooking, sitting close to it and rubbing. Last night, over 16 hours ago I was cooking with celeriac and put the peelings on the counter. Just a few minutes ago, he found the spot the peelings had been sitting in and laid down to rub his cheeks on that spot of the counter. It is like the catnip response I have seen in other cats but for him celeriac is more of a happy drug while catnip can make him feisty.
DeleteWe just brought home celery for the first time since getting our cat. She started rubbing her head all over the bag and biting at it. We put it in the fridge and for a minute or two she was still acting strangely. She's never had catnip. She's about 15 months old. I'd like to see a reason for why this is!
ReplyDeleteMy cat is currently sniffing, biting, and rubbing against my hands as I type because I just handled celery. She doesn't react much to cat nip, but has always had this odd reaction around celery.
ReplyDeleteI just cut up 2 stalks of celery for some soup. When I sat down, my male short hair ran up and was rubbing his head and face all over my hands. A moment later, my stand-offish female calico runs up and does the same, except she also wants to bite my hands (not fun). A moment later, the male also tried to give my hand a nip. They are both acting very excited and I've decided to sit still and let them calm down before something unfortunate happens! lol
ReplyDeleteMy cats just spilled celery salt on the dishwasher and I cleaned it up right away, but they're still rolling all over that spot to the point where two have now rolled OFF the counter because they were so lost in their bliss.
ReplyDeleteMy cat seems to love the celery leaves. He starts rolling around and rubbing up against the leaves. If I have handled the leaves he will rub against my hands.
ReplyDeleteOne of my cats loves celery seed and like the other poster's cat seems to be in bliss when he plays with it. He hasn't had celery leaves yet, that's next on the list. He'll scratch at the bag of seeds and growl at his sister when she goes near him while he plays with it. On the other hand, he'll eat catnip, but doesn't get crazy like his sister.
ReplyDeleteMy cat went nuts over celery seeds - noted him acting strangely around my spice rack - found he was specifically interested in the celery seed - poured some out where he promply sniffed/sneezed ate and rolled in the seeds - this then became a regular thing - was a lovely reaction.
ReplyDeleteMy cat loves celery leaves. She'll sit for hours and lick the leaves and rub her face on them. Afterwards, she acts very excited and runs around the house.
ReplyDeleteMy cat just went absolutely nuts over a piece of celery I dropped on the floor while I was preparing to make soup. She rubbed all over it the way she does catnip. I thought it was so weird I decided to google it and found this discussion. I didn't have any leaves - just the actual celery. She even picked it up and tossed it around a little. She's almost 16 so this was quite remarkable for her.
ReplyDeleteMy female cat goes bonkers for celery. I noticed it the first time when I had made a stir fry and before cleaning up, sat down to dinner. A few minutes in, Lola was on the counter rubbing her face all over it, falling over, tail flicking, etc. Much like a catnip response. Today I had been snacking on some celery stalks and went to let her. She smelled my fingers and her eyes went wide, ears back and soon began rubbing her face all over my fingers. I tossed a piece of celery on the floor and man, pure bliss.
ReplyDeleteMy female cat goes bonkers for celery. I noticed it the first time when I had made a stir fry and before cleaning up, sat down to dinner. A few minutes in, Lola was on the counter rubbing her face all over it, falling over, tail flicking, etc. Much like a catnip response. Today I had been snacking on some celery stalks and went to let her. She smelled my fingers and her eyes went wide, ears back and soon began rubbing her face all over my fingers. I tossed a piece of celery on the floor and man, pure bliss.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteToday we threw celery leaves on our patio floor for a local rabbit that visits us for treats almost daily. To our surprise, our cat started rolling in it, behavior like catnip. Just googled cats and celery and here we are on your blog...Thanks
ReplyDeleteDuring Easter my cat went up on the table to eat the celery from the veggie tray. I've never seen her go after food before- she was chewing on the leaves and pulled a piece onto the floor to rub her face and neck on it. so cute!
ReplyDeleteWe have an old cat that was a stray no one claimed and came to live with us about 9 years ago. She has always loved cat nip and has never reacted to celery...until last night. I woke up this morning to what felt like sugar all over my kitchen floor. I turned on the lights to find my bulk bag of celery seed had been used for entertainment for a lengthy period of time during the night!
ReplyDeleteSo I googled cats and celery... apparently it can be just the seeds too?
i WANTED TO GIVE MY CAT CELERY SEED EXTRACT FOR ARTHRITIS AND SAW LIMONENE IS IN CELERY I ALSO SAW THAT D-LIMONENE WAS BANNED FROM PET DIPS BECAUSE IT CAUSED DEATH TO PETS THAT WERE DIPPED IN TO IT
DeleteIS LIMONENE AND D-LIMONENE THE SAME AND IS IT SAFE TO GIVE MY CAT THE CELERY SEED EXTRACT
My cat responds better to celery leaves than catnip. Just licks catnip, but totally crazy with the smallest celery leaf.
ReplyDeleteMy cat loves celery, it does not seem to give her the same effect as catnip but she acts the same towards it. Rubbing it, we will take a stalk and put it on our bed and she will roll in it and snuggle with it. She never eats it though but she will put it in her mouth.
ReplyDeleteMy cat does. And one of my clients cats too.
ReplyDeleteR Bourque, DVM
My cat goes crazy for celery leaves. Rubbing up against them and squishing them with the sides of her mouth. More of a reaction than cat nip.
ReplyDeletemy cat went absolutely nuts over celery, the reaction was much greater than with nip. she would take the bag, roll on it until we gave her a leaf, and then, she would start chewing, rubbing her face, and rolling, and by the time she stopped she would just lay around in a daze. She also had a weakness for wintergreen muscle rub. Sniffing at the skin, and sometimes, taking a tiny lick. she had serious mental impairment after that as well.
ReplyDeleteI had some rubbery celery I threw outside for the rabbits. The next day I went out with my 2 cats and one kept rolling around and rubbing his face in it. It was a good 45 mins, i couldn't get him away. Now tonight I was eating celery and he kept trying to steal it off my plate. When I set my empty plate on my lap, he was rubbing his face on the plate and then just laid there with his head on the plate
ReplyDeleteOne of my cats goes silly over a variety of vegetables (including celery ). He jumps on the bench while I'm preparing vegetables for a meal, or rolls through the pile of vegetable scraps destined for the compost as if this was catnip. He goes totally crazy and I am very curious to know whether this is a behavioural thong, or if there is something in the vegetables that triggers this response.
ReplyDeleteYes!! My cat LOVES celery! She responds to it like catnip!! She rolls around on it, rubs on it, throws it up and plays with it. It's hilarious!! I'm so glad others' cats do this, too, because I thought my cat was crazy!!
ReplyDeleteSimilar experience here. I was cutting celery in the kitchen and my cat went nuts afterwards! She started rubbing on my hands and she isn't usually that affectionate!
ReplyDeleteMy cats are 9-years old and I just discovered today that they like celery...so I Googled about it and found your post. lol
ReplyDeletePic here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154122033622284&id=510032283
Our female, Picky-Picky, loves celery leaves. The two males, nothing.
ReplyDeleteWe had Buffalo Wings for dinner last night and I put whole plate of chopped celery hearts with leaf tops still on top on dining table.When I brought the platter of wings in here is our 6 year old female tortie lying on her side and rubbing her cheeks and face all over the celery.She was flipping around and exposing her belly while flailing her paws also.She was acting just like catnip and still was excited for good 15 mins. after.We put leaves down on floor and she still was rubbing her cheeks on that also.Funny as hell but had to rewash all the celery to get cat hair off!
ReplyDeleteI have a old orange tabby- 8 years old. My cat loves to run its face on celery and roll over it. She even comes into the kitchen when I start cutting it! She acts like she is in love and almost in a trance when input it on the floor! It was so funny this past time I had to video it so people would believe me!
ReplyDeleteI just chopped up some celery to snack on. My cat climbed onto my lap when I was finished and basically started making out with my hands, which I hadn't washed since cutting the celery. I've never seen him do this before! He was nuzzling right into my hand and went all crazy after. So hilarious!
ReplyDeleteMy cat can smell celery from the other room. My one cat Harley will lay on top of me licking my hands and my clothes if she even sent it. So I give them some leaves to play with and they roll around in it so I think there is something to it having some kind of mysterious effect. In addition I think she just likes the water on the outside of the leaves but there is definitely a fascination with the celery leaves
ReplyDeleteMy male cat goes absolutely bonkers when I leave a new bunch of celery (still in the bag) on the counter when we return from grocery shopping...he grabs it, rolls with it, buries his head in it, etc. Stronger reaction than even catnip!
ReplyDeleteI had a female Tuxedo named SOX that loved to roll and play in celery but she had very little reaction to catnip.
ReplyDeleteMy two year old cat just experienced this response with a celery leaf. She was chewing on one that fell on the floor and was going crazy over it. She was rolling everywhere, claws out, obsessed with the leaf. She acts the same way when she has catnip. It is was so strange.
ReplyDeleteI just googled cats and celery root because my 2 year old female Bella went bonkers after I had cut it up. She kept chewing and licking my hands and is acting just like the other cats do with catnip. I wonder what it is in celery that causes that kind of reaction?
ReplyDeleteMy cat is rolling around in celery trimmings (just made soup) as I write! Just thought I would do a search to see if anyone else's cat reacted similarly and found you all. How fun!
ReplyDeleteThis is old, but I was curious about this too. Our old cat who passed away last year went crazy over celery leaves. We found out one day when we found her rolling around on the plastic bag filled with celery scraps! Our other cat doesn't have an interest and neither does out new kitten it seems. None of our cats seem to be affected by catnip.
ReplyDeleteI was just cutting up celery for some tuna fish and a piece of celery stalks. Not the leaves fell on the floor. My cat was rolling around ontop of the celery and acting like she word do with catnip. The celery leaves did not make her go crazy. Only the stalk
ReplyDeleteI have three cats. Oldest 6, and youngest 1 were not bothered at all. The middle however 2 is in love with celery leaves. I only just found this out. It's cool, and celery is cheaper than catnip anyday.
ReplyDeleteOnly one of my cats likes Celery, but she loves the smell. Only will eat a tiny bit, but will even go crazy sell the napkin I used to dry off the stalks. It's not really like catnip. More like she just intensely loves the smell.
ReplyDeleteAs a side-note, this cat also likes fresh thyme. She would nibble on it regularly, while my other cat would leave it alone. Both cats seem to have normal relations to most houseplants in that they'll try to eat anything they can reach.
My cat, who has zero interest in cat nip, freaks out when I cut celery! He rubs all over it. Sniffs it. Licks it. Attempts to eat it but doesn't. My other cat who LOVES cat nip has zero interest in celery. Hmmmmm...
ReplyDeleteI brought some celery home tonight and cut it up along with some onion to dress up my chicken salad. When I sat down on the couch, my male 15 1/2 year old went nuts - licking my hand and then trying to gnaw on it - just like he does when playing with his catnip hot links. So I Googled cats and celery, which is how I landed here. This blew me away - I've never seen him act like that. I didn't think I'd be able to get him to back off. I went and got his Kitty Kickstix and let him take out the remainder of his aggression on it.
ReplyDeleteI have two adopted feral cats (mother and daughter) who have mellowed nicely into chubby house cats. They will savagely slaughter rodents, insects, birds, garden snakes (once, a small jackrabbit) and pretty much anything else that crosses the threshold into my yard, then drag the bleeding, dismembered carcass into my house, through the dog door, to play with, and tear to pieces. Aside from being bloodthirsty thril killers, they're sweet kitties. Anyway, I found this thread as looking for information on cats and cilantro, because both girls absolutely LOVE to roll around in it, eat it and play with it. I discovered this one day while cooking, when I realize both cats were inside the shopping bag with the cilantro playing. It definitely makes them "high" in a way similar to catnip -- berbalizing, purring, pouncing, running, rolling around and just generally acting goofy. It seems to make them happy and playful without the manic edge (hangover?) they appear to get from catnip. I have never seen them react to anything other than catnip like this. Today I left a few sprigs of cilantro on their scratching pad, and a little catnip on the cat tree next to it. They went immediately to the cilantro and ignored the catnip altogether. Maybe because the cilantro was fresh, and the catnip was dried? I dunno, and I can't find anything about cilantro having this effect on felines anywhere on the net. If it was one of them, I would assume it was a unique taste or anomaly, but both of them enthusiastically dive on it like whenever I take cilantro out of the fridge, so I'm wondering if it appeals to them in a way similar to catnip. I did find a couple of sites indicating cilantro is non-toxic to cats, so I give it to them about once a week, and they seem to love it. Anybody else ever see anything like this?
ReplyDeleteMy 13 year old cat has ALWAYS gone crazy with celery. He LOVES it. He flings it around. Rolls on it. Meows. His eyes get wide. He reacts more to a celery stalk with leaves on it than catnip.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea my cat would react like this. I don't normally have celery around but I'm trying to eat healthy so i sat down for a snack and my cat rubbed my hand like it was the lost treasure. I googled to see if it may be in the same family as cat nip and saw this unscientific research and thought I'd add my results. I got up and gave him a stalk with leaves and he rolled around for a bit and sneezed a lot! Of course the leaves were still wet! Lol! I'll dry it out some, but I think it's safe to say that one of my two cats is a fan!
ReplyDeleteI have a 7 year old male cat that loves celery. Digs it out of the bag and rubs on it every time I buy it. He eats the leaves also. My 11 year old female cat couldn't care less about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is old but my cat loves celery and carrots. She rolls over the carrots and rub against them. I used to have a celery plant on my garden and She slept on the plant. She also likes to sleep between the fennel that grows near my place. She's into all sorts of drugs hahahah
ReplyDeleteI came home from the store today with lots of produce. I had the kids unloading my car and I was putting things away from the table where they were putting the groceries. Naturally with all the commotion my cats were into everything.
ReplyDeleteThe older cat was hunkered down and oddly postured. I assumed the other cat had taken a swipe at her but the second cat just looked at me confused. Then I wondered if the older cat was peeing on the table? Her fur was twitching and she seemed to have found some release.
But no, it was the celery in its produce bag. She was animatedly affectionate with the celery bag. As my teenage daughter put it, "Maybe we should give her some privacy."
One of our three cats - a 4 year old male DSH - is a celery fiend. He was sleeping in the window as I brought in the shopping today. A few minutes later, he sat bolt upright with a little meow and raced to the kitchen. He honed in on the shopping bag with the celery and proceeded to rub his face all over it.
ReplyDeleteIf allowed to do this to his heart's content, he continues for about 5 minutes, sometimes sneezes once or twice, and then goes on about the business of his day with no obviously altered behavior.
My car Kiki loves celery and goes nut's for it. This is good for her because after feeding she feels a bit down. She has a kidney decease so eating isn't always easy for her. After feeing we give a bit of celery and she lightens up in seconds!
ReplyDeleteExcellent and helpful post… I am so glad to left comment on this. This has been a so interesting ..I appreciate your effort..
ReplyDeleteboop beep bop
ReplyDeleteI was looking for an explanation of my 13year old male cat's reaction to celery and I have found it!! Every single time I start to cut up vegetables now, even if I don't have any celery, he comes and harasses me until I sit on the ground and rub his head and face with the end of a stalk with the leaves still on!! I eat veges every day so it has become a daily ritual!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to have found this post. Was cutting celery today and then pet my cat, and she went nuts like it was catnip. She was purring loudly and play biting me, rolling around. It was hilarious! She was even playful toward our other cat, who she hates typically. Did you ever do a study on this?
ReplyDeleteBoth of my male cats go crazy for celery!
ReplyDeleteBoth my cats, female and male react to celery as if it was catnip. Catnip on the other hand does nothing to them.
ReplyDeleteI have 2 cats. They both like catnip, but my younger cat also loves fresh celery leaves and just went nuts over the aroma of my stew that have a lot of celery in it. I buy celery a lot. He can have the leaves! 😂
ReplyDeleteI have two cats--a lynx point and a black tabby, Sagan and Tyson, respectively. Both love catnip, Sagan more than Tyson. They are indoor cats, but I let them out to the backyard when I'm out there. They think the grow box is fascinating!
ReplyDeleteI recently learned to re-grow celery from stumps. After a number of failures, I planted two that were catching on and beginning to grow. Unfortunately, Tyson found one of them irresistible. By the time I noticed, he had dug it out and pulled apart every piece of it. I'm not sure what he consumed, but he was rolling on it like catnip. I found this article looking to see if celery was toxic. Apparently not.
I usually throw out the leafy bits from the stalks I buy because they are bitter. But if the astrophysikitties like them, I'll hand them over.
My 15 year old Norwegian Forest Cat loves fresh celery leaves. If I'm not fast emouth, he will actually pull a whole stalk down on the floor to nibble at the leaves and roll all over it.
ReplyDeleteMy cat is going crazy over celery. We always leave the groceries on the floor as we unpack the car and she found the celery bag. She is rolling around it, nuzzling it, and showing her belly. She acts like its catnip. So we looked up on the internet if it is related to catnip and found your post.
ReplyDeleteHello! I was just having some hotdogs for lunch. Sometimes I like to season my hotdogs with Celery Salt. One of my cats just went bizerk when she smelled it. Then after finishing the hotdogs, I put my plate down and she jumped on the coffee table and rolled all over my plate. I googled if cats like celery and it landed me on this page. So, just wanted to report that celery salt works also! (and it's good on Hotdogs).
ReplyDeleteOne of my cats goes crazy for celery leaves. I can't leave celery on the counter without watching it like a hawk. She treats it just like catnip - rolling and rubbing on it and going crazy. She is also the cat that is most affected by catnip. My other cat likes it but not as much. The reason I am here is because I started researching it
ReplyDeleteI have two cats and they both react to celery leaves as if it was catnip to the point that they fight over it!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy cat loves celery he makes out with it (rolling around on it and getting the smell on himself) and chews on I now he is sleeping on it. He does the same thing to strswberried. And does the same thing with bleach. Does anyone have a clue why the bleach? And also what's with licking of bike spokes?
ReplyDeleteMy cat rubs all over fresh celery. Never saw anything like it before.
ReplyDeleteI just noticed my cat going crazy rubbing against the celeriac. I've never seen her doing this before
ReplyDeleteMy 11 year old girl cat Rose loves celery leaves. Acts crazier over that than catnip
ReplyDeleteMy girl cat loves the smell of celery!
ReplyDeleteOur cat is on the table now rubbing her face on the celery, and acting as if it's catnip. This is the first time I have seen this reaction to celery, and we are dying laughing at her!
ReplyDeleteHey just googled why my Bengal cat reacts to fresh celery like cat nip and this came up! My Bengal cat goes CRAZY for celery! He rubs on it and rolls around like it’s catnip. It’s quite funny and I was wondering why he is doing that.
ReplyDeleteone of our cats loves to rub celery leaves.
ReplyDeletei an standing here watching my cat go crazy for the celery leaves that i threw into the bin...don't use celery often so never noticed this behaviour before. He's been rubbing himself all over the bin...just toppled it over rubbing himself...on his back...all over the leaves, so strange. He is 11 years old, blue grey, chinchilla persian.
ReplyDeleteMy cat just went crazy over celery seed. He was clawing the counter and rolling his head in the scent. Glad to know it’s a normal reaction for cats.
ReplyDeletemy cat went craaazy and rolled around in celery seeds
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for such an informative piece of information :)
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Just discovered my "picky" cat loves celery leaves! I was feeding my bearded dragon and I placed the bowl with left over leaves on the floor while i tore up the leaves in the tank. My cat who was sitting next to me starts chopping away at them! I couldn't believe it. Not only that, this dude then starts rubbing his face all over them and rolling like it's catnip! I was so confused haha
ReplyDeleteI found this site while googling cats and celery b/c one of mine just went wild over it -- rubbing his face all over it and then grabbing a leafy end off the table, carrying it off and rolling in it. He is, of course, ignoring the two new cat toys I brought home for him.
ReplyDelete--Anon in Ann Arbor
My cat loves celery leaves. I planted celery and set it outside and my cat buried her head in the center of the leaves before she began eating the leaves. I pulled some of the leaves off a land put them on the ground and she rolled all over them. My cat also loves peas.
ReplyDeleteJust found out by accident because it was in a box of produce on the floor one of our kitties LOVES celery and rolls around on it and rubs her face on it like crazy!! The other one not so much. I found this page because it was such an intense reaction, I was like, what the heck???
ReplyDeleteYep!! We recently introduced our 2 mellow foster cats to catnip. One loves it and does all the normal weird rolling around stuff, the other, meh.
ReplyDeleteThen I noticed the catnip lover has been really into a particular plastic bag - behaving in the same way! She NEVER does this kind of behavior otherwise.
Thank you so much for posting this!! I was eating celery and my 1 yr old Maine Coon Cat showed interest in it. I offered her a leaf and she sniffed and ate it. I was wondered if it was safe for her to eat so I Googled it and found your interesting, informative, and encouraging post herewith. Thank you again. 🐱
ReplyDeleteI have never had a cat react to celery before. I just chopped a bunch of it and put it in my pot roast, then sat down on the couch to relax. My cat sat down in my lap and started sniffing, then licking, then bit the heck out of me and hung on. Didn't draw blood or anything but was a little more aggressive than normal. Then did more licking. I did a sniff test myself and could smell the celery. Then I Googled it. My cat does one other weird thing I've never seen before. She has a strong gag reflex at the sound of crinkling plastic. I Googled that too. It's a thing.
ReplyDeleteI've just planted celery in my garden for the first time. The cat goes crazy for it, rolling around in it and rubbing her face on it. She doesn't eat it though. She also has no reaction at all to catnip.
ReplyDeleteI put the cutoff root end of celery stalk in water for re- rooting. My cats drink this water over the new york city tap water which has chlorine and fluoride in it . The celery must change the water quality
ReplyDeleteMy cat loves celery. After I cut it up, he licks all over my hand. No biting. He loves his catnip, too
ReplyDeleteSo.... I found this site/ feed after googling "does celery have an effect on cats'? I was actually very relieved to find this and learn i am not crazy!!!
ReplyDeleteI was cooking some stew that required A LOT of freshly chopped celery. Needless to say I had heavy celery scent on my hands afterward. My cat, my first ever cat that I have had about 6 months and is so laid back, was sitting on my bed. I sat down next to her and it she went from 0 to 100 in 2 secs. Literally. She used her paws to hold my hand or pull it to her, hand her claws in my hand , it seem to keep my hand to her. She was ramming her head into my other hand that i was keeping near to grab her in case she bit me. I was actually worried that she was going to hurt me. She didnt, but boy was she biting and digging in my hands and doing it more forcefully than ive ever seen. It was just pure oddness..... celery, who would have known.
I'm here cause one of cats just had a mild catnip effect to celery salt!! So weird.
ReplyDeleteWe discovered last night that our cat also thinks celery is as great as catnip!
ReplyDeleteMy cat goes crazy with celery seed when I am trying to fill my capsules. Lol
ReplyDeleteHi. Not sure this will find its way to you but here goes. I was using celery seed the other day and then later when I was brushing my cat (10) she was all over my palms (I had crushed the seeds by rubbing them in my hands). Days later After reading this I put a few leaves in front of her. While she was curious there was not nearly close to the same response.
ReplyDeleteI left a fresh bag of celery on the kitchen counter and returning to the kitchen my cat was rolling on it and tearing the bag to get to it that was 3 months aga and just now some fell on the floor as I’m cooking and Dixie the cat was rolling on I moving her paws back and forth like scratching a post etc being so darn cute and silly then hunched over it wide eyed.
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ReplyDeleteWe had one cat who certainly responded to celery tops (leaves) as if in a cat euphoria similar to catnip. Haven't been able to reproduce the same response with the other cats in our home, but celery leaves certainly excited one older (not elderly) kitty of ours. Took me completely by surprise!
Our dog (lab) likes celery stalks. She had one this evening and our tabby cats went crazy over the spot where the dog was eating the celery (on a small carpet pad). They had a response about the same as catnip….rolling on it, licking the spot, running their paws on it…pretty intense.
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