Okay, so I’ve always been curious about why my cat, Mittens, goes absolutely bonkers for silvervine. Like, way more than catnip. I decided to do a little digging and, well, a little experimenting of my own. Here’s what went down.
My Little Silvervine Experiment
First, I got my hands on some silvervine sticks and powder. I already had some catnip toys and dried catnip, so I was good to go for a comparison.
- Phase 1: The Introduction
I started with the catnip. Mittens sniffed it, rolled around a bit, and then got the zoomies for about five minutes. Pretty standard catnip response, you know?
Then, I presented the silvervine stick. Oh boy. It was like a switch flipped. Mittens immediately grabbed it, started licking and chewing it like crazy, and then proceeded to rub her entire face all over it. She was in kitty heaven!
- Phase 2: The Powder Power
Next up, the silvervine powder. I sprinkled a tiny bit on one of her favorite scratching posts. She went straight for it, sniffing intensely, and then started this adorable drool-y, happy purring thing. She was totally zoned out, rubbing and scratching and just generally blissed out.
- Phase 3: Let the drool begin
The drool was intense, more than catnip, just like her chewing sticks.
The Aftermath
After about 15-20 minutes, the intense effects wore off. Mittens was still a bit playful, but more relaxed than after catnip. She curled up for a nap, looking completely content. And, yeah, there was a little bit of drool on the scratching post. Worth it.
So, from my totally unscientific experiment, it’s clear that silvervine has a much stronger and, I’d say, more euphoric effect on Mittens than catnip. She enjoyed both, but the silvervine was the clear winner. It’s like kitty crack, but, you know, the safe kind. Now I get why she loses her mind over it!
