Anyone who has seen a cat experience catnip knows that it makes them go a bit wild — they rub in it, roll on it, chew it, and lick it aggressively. It is widely accepted that this plant, and its Asian counterpart, silvervine, have intoxicative properties, but this might not be the only reason that cats rub on and chew the plants so enthusiastically. Researchers have found that when cats damage catnip, much higher amounts of strong insect repellents are released, indicating that the cats’ behavior protects them from pests.