“The whole scene was as unexpected as it was hilarious.”
A Reddit user named Nathaniel, employed at a mental health facility in the UK, shared an amusing story from his workplace. The hospital features a serene wellness garden where patients can stroll, unwind, or tend to plants.
However, one recent event turned the garden into an unexpected scene of chaos. While carrying out his usual tasks around the grounds, Nathaniel discovered that the greenhouse had been broken into. The doors were closed, so the intruder must have slipped in through a skylight on the roof.
To Nathaniel’s surprise, the culprit was a cat, and it seemed to have one goal in mind: a binge on some patient-grown catnip. “It was as strange as it was amusing,” Nathaniel said in an interview with The Dodo. “I’ve never seen this cat before. We occasionally get a few strays, but nothing like this.”
Catnip contains a chemical called nepetalactone, which induces a euphoric, almost manic state in cats when they rub, sniff, or consume it.
Clearly under the herb’s spell, the cat was having a blast. Rather than interrupting its fun, Nathaniel opted to let the feline enjoy its catnip high. He simply ensured the cat could make an exit safely by leaving the greenhouse doors ajar.
“I just wanted to make sure he could get out without trouble,” Nathaniel remarked. “He was absolutely charming.”