Catnip I believe is a type of minty herb. One of my neighbors from a few years back actually grew them in her garden, and her cats would rub against them all the time. My cats start to “giggle” when they get their paws on them! :-)

The thing in catnip which attracts cats is an essential oil. I planted catnip in my herb garden several years ago, and I sometimes see cats rolling around by it! Not often though because my dogs probably scare them off- but once in a while. The funny thing is that it started to smell more minty, and the peppermint that was growing on the opposite end of the garden smells more musky! Either they’re hybridizing or somehow the scents are rubbing off on each other.