BAD TRIP: One of our newsroom employees
recently discovered that the “”high”” catnip induces in some cats
isn’t worth the after-effects.[neWLine]

This employee purchased a cat bed over the weekend that came
with a free package of catnip. She sprinkled a bit of the “”weed””
on the sidewalk, wherein her cat and two neighborhood cats joined
in the rolling and giddiness the chemical produces in
felines.[neWLine]

Later that night, her cat became extremely lethargic, and the
next day experienced bouts of diarrhea and vomiting. The cat
wouldn’t touch food or water the entire day. The other cats,
however, were fine, prowling for food and a scratch under the chin
as usual.[neWLine]

The affected cat’s owner sent a quick e-mail to the maker of the
cat bed and catnip and also did a quick check of Internet sites
about possible allergic reactions to catnip.[neWLine]

What she found was that only about 20 to 30 percent of
cats have any pleasurable reactions to catnip while others have no
reaction, and a few experience a bad reaction in the manner
described above.[neWLine]

The spokesperson for the bed and catnip sent a return e-mail the
next day confirming that some cats do react negatively to the
catnip and recommended contacting a veterinarian if symptoms
persisted.[neWLine]

The story ended well.[neWLine]

The cat recovered well and made up for a day of enforced dieting
by eating heartily after his “”bad trip.”” We’re wondering if any
of our readers have had similar experiences with their
felines.[neWLine][neWLine]

TODAY’S QUOTE: “”The men and women arriving in flag-draped
caskets do not deserve the disrespect of arriving in the dark
confines of secrecy,”” said Jonathan Evans, chief warrant officer,
U.S. Army, 2004.