How to offer your catnip plush the first time, what a response looks like, and how to dry and seal it between sessions.
Have you watched a cat find catnip: a long sniff, then a cheek rub, then a roll onto its back? Many cats answer the scent of dried catnip leaf with their whole body. Your MoriCat catnip plush puts that scent in a soft body your cat can hold, with the leaf mixed right into the stuffing. Set it down close to your cat, step back, and see what yours does.
What Is This Toy
A soft plush with dried catnip leaf (Nepeta cataria) mixed loose through polyester stuffing, with no pouch inside. It comes in small, medium, large and long designs, and the amount of catnip goes with the size. A small plush holds 2 g, a medium 3 to 4 g and a large 5 g. Shell fabric varies by design: fluffy, brushed or short plush, sherpa, or a printed fabric.
Best Suitable For
- Cats that bat and carry. The small sizes are the ones to swat, carry off and lick.
- Players that hug and kick. Large and long designs give front paws a body to hold and kick.
- Senior cats. Soft enough for slow, gentle batting and hugging, at the pace your cat sets.
- Homes with several cats. One plush for each cat, so no one in the house has to wait for a turn.
Why It Works
We fill each plush by hand, with catnip we buy as whole leaves and large leaf pieces; the leaf is air-dried at room temperature. The leaf is mixed through the stuffing rather than packed in one pouch, so the scent comes from the whole plush your cat holds. Research found cats take an interest in cloth scented with catnip.
How to Use
We recommend catnip play for cats 6 months and older, with you in the room. A good rhythm is 10 to 15 minutes at a time, once or twice a week.
- Let your cat come over. Lay the plush on the floor a short way from your cat and step back. A shy cat gets the same start.
- End within 15 minutes. Pick the plush up after 10 to 15 minutes, or earlier if your cat wanders off and stops playing.
- Dry it, then seal it. Saliva leaves it damp, so air it out of the sun, and once it feels dry to your hand, bag it.
What a response looks like
Up close, a response often includes licking and chewing the plush, with a shake of the head. Some cats rub their chin along it too, and some kick it with their back legs. Each cat puts these moves together a little differently, so your cat's version is the one to watch for.
If your cat isn't interested
Seal it away and try again on another day. Not every cat responds: a 2017 study tested 100 cats, and 68% reacted to dried catnip, while about one in three cats did not.
After two tries on different days, catnip may simply not be your cat's thing. Silvervine is a different plant, and it is worth a try.
Play doesn't need scent either. Veterinary guidelines for cats (AAFP and ISFM, 2013) recommend games that let a cat act out the hunt. A feather wand drawn slowly along the floor is one of them.
Keep It Sealed
Once the plush is dry, it goes back in a closed bag. Catnip's scent drifts off into the air, so keeping the air out helps it last longer.
Small and medium sizes come in a zip-lock bag you can close again, so that bag is worth keeping. Large and long designs arrive heat-sealed instead. Once that bag is open it can't close again, so your own airtight bag or container takes over. Room temperature, out of direct sun, is the place for it; the fridge and freezer are not.
Care
The plush can't go in the wash, and with the leaf mixed through the stuffing it can't be refilled either. If the surface needs it, wipe it with a slightly damp cloth. Once it looks worn, damaged or dirty, it's time for a new one.
Safety
- For pet use only.
- Not suitable for children!
- Supervised play recommended.
- No toy is indestructible.
- Do not allow your pet to continue using a toy that is damaged, broken, or has parts missing.
- If your pet swallows small parts, contact a veterinarian immediately.
- Keep away from heat sources and open flames.
- Dispose of the product and packaging materials in accordance with local standards and regulations.
Whether your cat rolls with it on the first sniff or walks away twice, its nose has the final say.