Actinidia polygama, more commonly known as silver vine, is a popular alternative to catnip, which is sometimes marketed as even stronger or better. Native to China, Korea, and Japan, silver vine is a species of kiwi. While catnip is loaded with nepetalactone, silver vine features a very similar terpene called nepetalactol. Both are confirmed cat attractants. While scientists have yet to the actual biological mechanism of a cat's nepetalactone response, we do have a promising evolutionary theory, characterized in research published by the American Association for the Advance of Science. When cats rub against catnip, it spreads nepetalactone on a cat's face or body, repelling mosquitos. Thus, pleasurable reactions to catnip conferred an evolutionary advantage. There’s also a new version of the Potaroma Flopping Fish Toy that includes a remote for turning on or off the fish’s flopping. We’re excited to try it out for ourselves, and very curious about the multiple buyers describing interference from their TV remote controls. In comparative studies, silver vine both attracted a larger percentage of cats tested and produced more intense responses. About 80 percent of cats responded to silver vine, including three-quarters of the cats that were immune to the charms of catnip!

Catnip Roller - Etsy UK Catnip Roller - Etsy UK

The interactive fish toy comes with a short USB charging cable, and charging the fish motor is straightforward—once the red light goes out, you’re fully charged. It’ll keep flopping for as long as 40 minutes on a charge. Uenoyama R, Miyazaki T, Hurst JL, et al. The characteristic response of domestic cats to plant iridoids allows them to gain chemical defense against mosquitoes. Sci Adv. 2021;7(4):eabd9135. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abd9135 Native to Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, catnip is now grown all over the world, including the United States. Only about two-thirds of cats react to the active cat attractant component in catnip, called nepetalactone. Nepetalactone belongs to a class of more than 30,000 natural compounds known as terpenes, which are produced by plants to serve a variety of functions, including ecological interactions like fighting off plant diseases, creating bitter tastes to ward off animals, and attracting pollinators. Essential oils are made up primarily of terpenes. Nepetalactone is a specialized terpene that keeps certain species of insects away from the plant.The Potaroma Electric Flopping Fish has a little motor inside that creates a surprisingly realistic flopping motion. When we tested it, we found that cats could absolutely not resist the urge to stop the flop. The Flopping Fish also comes with a blend of silver vine and catnip in a sachet, which can be inserted into the zippered compartment alongside the motor, making the flopping fish even more attractive. These SmartyKat balls are nearly entirely made from compressed catnip. Blended with a little rice flour and water for cohesion, each ball is baked into a round shape, with a nearly two-inch diameter. The only downside is that if your cat gets too excited, these balls can get soggy and, eventually, a little crumbly. It’s best to only deploy these in rooms with easy-to-clean surfaces and minimal hard-to-reach spots, since these balls are easy to lose under furniture. Also, while many cats go absolutely nuts for these, there’s something about the compressed and baked catnip that a minority of cats reject, so your results may vary. But why does nepetalactone trigger such a specific feline response? In other words, why would a plant insect repellent drive cats so wild?

WoLover Catnip Wall Ball Toys – Rotatable Cat Snack Edible

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Catnip is generally thought to be safe for kittens, though ingesting too much of it can cause them to not feel great,” Lusvardi said.