Shadowing Practice: Why does catnip make cats go crazy? - Jaap de Roode - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Of the many bewildering behaviors cats display, one of the strangest is their obsession with a specific species of plant.
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Of the many bewildering behaviors cats display, one of the strangest is their obsession with a specific species of plant.
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After just one whiff, even the most stoic cat can start pawing, drooling, biting, and wriggling in a state of pure feline euphoria.
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So, why do cats go crazy for catnip?
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This is the question cat behavior expert Masao Miyazaki and chemist Toshio Nishikawa set out to answer in 2013.
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Along with their research teams from Iwate and Nagoya University, they began by studying silvervine— a plant that sparks a similar response to catnip.
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First, the researchers painstakingly extracted chemical compounds from the plant and dribbled various combinations of them onto filter papers.
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Then they brought in some cats and studied which compounds they were drawn to.
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Overwhelmingly, their feline testers pounced on the papers containing nepetalactol.
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And when Miyazaki and his student Reiko Uenoyama ran blood tests on the cats who’d interacted with nepetalactol, they found their systems were flooded with endorphins.
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These hormones block pain signals, relieve stress, and generally create a happy, calming effect.
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And catnip triggers the same endorphin rush with a similar chemical called nepetalactone, and it’s this flood of happy hormones that gives catnip and silvervine their signature drug-like response.
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These compounds don't just trigger this effect in small cats.
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When the researchers brought nepetalactol-treated filter papers to a few zoos, leopards, lynxes, and jaguars all dove face first into the compound.
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This was big news.
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If all these different cat species reacted to nepetalactol in the same way, the response was very likely a shared evolutionary trait— potentially something important to cat survival that stretched back millions of years.
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When the silvervine researchers presented their work at a conference, one evolutionary biologist raised a compelling theory.
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In chemical terms, both nepetalactol and nepetalactone are classified as an iridoid— a type of natural compound known to contain insect-repelling properties.
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So perhaps cats rubbing their faces in silvervine and catnip were applying an ancient form of bug spray.
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To test this, researchers set up cages of mosquitoes that cats could stick their heads into.
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And sure enough, the cats that had been treated with nepetalactol got fewer mosquito bites than the cats in the control group.
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The same effect was true for the scientists who’d volunteered their arms in solidarity with their feline subjects.
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These mosquito-repelling properties are currently our best explanation for why cats love silvervine and catnip.
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But researchers still had one more question: in their state of euphoria, cats tend to vigorously bite, lick, and rub against these plants.
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But do cats really need to go this crazy to get their bug repelling effects?
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To investigate rubbing, they provided cats with filter papers treated with microscopic amounts of nepetalactol.
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And sure enough, even these tiny doses made the papers irresistible, suggesting that microscopic amounts of bug repellent can be transferred by rubbing alone.
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As for biting and licking, the researchers found that when cats damage the plant, the leaves actually produce more mosquito-repellent chemicals.
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So your cat isn’t just ripping open their bags of catnip to be annoying, their evolutionary instincts are just trying to get even more of that bug protection.
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Cats are far from the only animal to use natural plants for purposes like this.
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Apes swallow scratchy and hairy leaves to dislodge parasites from their guts.
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Sheep munch on tannin-rich plants to kill intestinal worms, and monarch butterflies use toxic milkweed to kill parasites that normally impair their flight.
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Just like cats’ ability to find mosquito repellent, these behaviors can help humans identify useful plants and ingredients in the natural world.
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So, the next time you see your feline friend on catnip binge, don’t worry— it’s only medicinal.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will explore the fascinating relationship between cats and catnip, as discussed in the engaging video titled "Why does catnip make cats go crazy?" by Jaap de Roode. You will practice your English speaking skills by learning vocabulary related to animal behavior and nature. This lesson will help you enhance your IELTS speaking practice and improve your overall English speaking practice through shadowing techniques. By mimicking the presenter’s tone and pace, you will gain confidence in your spoken English abilities.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Feline euphoria: An intense state of happiness or excitement typically seen in cats.
  • Nepetalactol: A chemical compound found in silvervine that induces a euphoric response in cats.
  • Endorphins: Hormones that relieve stress and pain, contributing to feelings of happiness.
  • Iridoid: A type of natural compound with insect-repelling properties.
  • Bug spray: A substance used to repel insects.
  • Evolutionary trait: A characteristic that has evolved over time to aid survival.
  • Parasite: An organism that lives on or in another organism and benefits at the host's expense.

Practice Tips

To make the most of your learning experience while watching this video, consider using a shadowing app to follow along with the presenter’s speech. First, play the video at a slower speed to fully grasp the content and vocabulary used. As you listen, pause after each sentence to repeat aloud. Focus on mimicking not just the words but also the tone and intonation, emulating the speaker's enthusiasm. This method is particularly beneficial for improving your sentence structure and pronunciation.

For an added challenge, try summarizing what you learned after each segment of the video. This reflection can greatly enhance your comprehension skills and prepare you for the IELTS speaking practice. Remember, you are here to learn English with YouTube, so make your practice sessions interactive! Engage with the material by asking yourself questions about the content, and don’t hesitate to discuss your insights with others. Doing so will help reinforce your learning and make your English speaking practice more effective.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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