A research study covered recently in Wired shows that 3 plants can cause similar reactions in some cats to catnip. They are Silver vine (Actinidia polygama), Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), and Valerian (Valeriana officinalis).
Most cat owners will know Valerian as "kitty valium" and that vets recommend it as a natural way to sedate kitties that have anxiety issues.
From the study results: "Nearly all domestic cats responded positively to olfactory enrichment. In agreement with previous studies, one out of every three cats did not respond to catnip. Almost 80% of the domestic cats responded to silver vine and about 50% to Tatarian honeysuckle and valerian root. Although cats predominantly responded to fruit galls of the silver vine plant, some also responded positively to its wood. Of the cats that did not respond to catnip, almost 75% did respond to silver vine and about one out of three to Tatarian honeysuckle. Unlike domestic cats, tigers were either not interested in silver vine or responded disapprovingly."
Best quote in the Wired article: "Cats love novelty, and spending part of their day blissed out on plant matter might help them cope with the sensation of living with a hairless, erratic ape."
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