This post contains affiliate links*
Silvervine is a plant native to the mountainous regions of eastern Asia. It has been used in Asia for centuries as a preventative health aid. In Japan and China, it has also been used as a cat stimulant. Cats react to silvervine similarly to how they do to catnip, with behaviors like rolling, chin and cheek rubbing, meowing, drooling and licking. Unlike catnip, which only affects about 50% of all cats, all cats appear to react to silvervine. Effects generally last from 5-30 minutes.
We previously had silvervine stuffed toys that both Allegra and Ruby enjoyed, but I haven’t gotten any new ones since then. I was intrigued when Raw Paws offered to send us some of their new Matabi Silvervine Chew Sticks.
Natural Matabi Silvervine Chew Sticks
I’m not sure why they labeled the package Catnip Sticks because the sticks contain 100% silvervine. Silvervine has two cat attractants, as opposed to catnip, which has only one. The sticks are free from perservatives and additives and are fully digestible and safe for cats and kittens of all ages.
The sticks are marketed as supporting dental health by scraping away tartar and plaque build up. I believe that’s probably an exaggerated claim, as is the case with most hard dental treats that purport to improve dental health, Most cats won’t chew hard treats long enough to derive any dental benefits.
That said, I was curious to see how Allegra would react to the sticks. She loves to chase drinking straws and Q-tips, so I had a feeling she would love these.
Putting the Silvervine Chew Sticks to the test
Allegra was immediately intrigued as soon as I started to cut open the package. She must have smelled the silvervine, because she started dancing around my feet the way she does when she gets excited about something.
You can see in the video below that she had fun with the stick!
She tried to lift the stick with her mouth a couple of times, but I have yet to see her chew on it. However, she absolutely loves to chase it all over the house (and watch me retrieve it from under furniture….)
The Matabi Silvervine Chew Sticks are available from Raw Paws Pet Food.
Special Discount for Conscious Cat readers:
20% off your entire order!
Use code CONCAT20 at checkout. Discount is valid July 9 through 16, 2020.
*FTC Disclosure: The Conscious Cat is an affiliate partner of Raw Paws. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either used or would use ourselves.
