Description
A soft bear plush cat toy filled with air-dried Silvervine leaf: a different scent from catnip for your cat to explore.
Creamy beige and round, with a little blue-and-white striped hat, yellow inner ears, an embroidered face and rosy cheeks, in curly, nubby pile that's fluffy to the touch.
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A second option for cats who ignore catnip — Silvervine is a different plant from catnip. At our markets, some cats that ignore catnip respond to our Silvervine toys.
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The plant part researchers studied — A 2023 study identified dried Silvervine leaf as a suitable scent-enrichment material for cats, and found that drying it at room temperature enhanced cats' response. Ours is air-dried at ambient temperature.
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You know how much herb is inside — 2 g of dried Silvervine leaf from North America, mostly whole leaves. Silvervine only, with no catnip mixed in.
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Hand-filled with the newest harvest — At MoriCat, we fill each toy by hand in small batches with the newest available harvest, and seal it promptly after filling. Our own freshness standard for Silvervine is 12 months. Past that, we discount the stock and say so.
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Soft stuffing, no sticks — The leaf is blended into the polyester-fibre stuffing inside a teddy sherpa fleece shell. No sticks and no separate pouch.
Details
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Size: approx. 4–6 cm
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Herb: dried Silvervine leaf (Actinidia polygama), 2 g
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Shell: teddy sherpa fleece
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Stuffing: polyester fibre
Care & safety
- For cats 6 months and older
- Supervised play recommended
- Not washable
- The herb is blended into the stuffing and is not refillable
- Comes in a resealable clear bag. The compounds that give Silvervine its scent are volatile, a bit like the aroma of tea leaves, so putting the toy back in the bag and sealing it between play sessions helps the scent last longer.
Questions
What's the difference between Silvervine and catnip?
They're different plants: Silvervine is Actinidia polygama, catnip is Nepeta cataria. Silvervine's main active compound is nepetalactol (Uenoyama et al., 2021, Science Advances). We've noticed some cats show fresh interest when owners switch between the two.
My cat ignores catnip. Will this work?
No herb works for every cat, and we won't promise otherwise. At our markets, some cats that ignore catnip respond to our Silvervine toys.
Is there research behind this?
Yes, on the leaf itself (Uenoyama et al., 2023, iScience). Those studies tested Silvervine leaf, not any particular toy, including ours.
Can my cat play with it alone?
We recommend supervised play.
Can I wash or refill it?
No. It isn't washable, and the herb is blended into the stuffing, so it can't be refilled.
Is it a good gift?
Yes, Silvervine toys work as a gift for cat owners.
Not every cat responds to every herb, and that's okay. If yours turns out to be a catnip cat after all, or neither, we'd still love to hear how it went.
Learn more about Silvervine.
