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Just why pets transform from lounge lovers to land speed record holders probably isn’t what you expect. Here’s the reason for that mad minute that often occurs in the evening...
It’s been dubbed circle work, the witching hour or even the crazies. But the most surprising cause of the mad minute is found far away from their brain in their colon. Yes, their bowels trigger the whole thing. In fact, the mad minute goes by another even more brilliant name; Poo Phoria.
Recent research suggests that rather than it being a sign of relief or an instinctive desire to escape a scent that might attract predators, there is actually a medical explanation.
The act of toileting (or even needing to go) actually stimulates the VAGUS nerve (found in the colon) which sends a signal to the brain leading to a feeling of exhilaration and a natural ‘high’. And that high is exactly what transforms your cat or dog into the wide eyed, ballistic ball of fluff flying around your house. It makes sense then that you can even use early signs of poo-phoria to predict when toilet time might be approaching.
Poo-phoria is now the term you never knew you needed in life...
