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So this package arrived yesterday.It had TOYS. I could smell it!
After, like, an eternity, Mommy finally got around to opening it. (Seriouslies, is there a Mommy Upgrade Kit somewheres? The service around this place is unacceptable. But I digress.)
SCORE! Look at what we got!
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| These are just three of seven different toys offered by Vitakraft |
I immediately decided to investigate the Busy Bee Wand Toy (before Maxie grabbed it).
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| "BUG!" |
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| "I love how it glitters. You're mine, Mister Bee. All MINE." |
Silvervine has been around in Asia and the Pacific Rim for years, but until recently your humans had to know someone overseas if you were going to get your paws on any!
According to a recent study by the University of Illinois, Silvervine yields a stronger response and increased playtime in cats, as compared to catnip. And the study showed 3 out of 4 cats preferred Silvervine over catnip and engaged with it 2.5 times longer.
Allie agrees. The package of silvervine refills came with a complimentary white mouse.
Sprinkle a bit of silvervine on him and survey says:
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| "Hmmm, what's this I smell?" |
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| "Mousie, I think this is the start of a lovely relationship." |
Our human did a little bit of additional hunting and found two other studies independent of Vitakraft that reinforce the fact that we kitties really go for silvervine. Here are their links:
Ashland University, May, 2014 and one published in the American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. (Both supported Vitakraft's claim that Silvervine had a more enriching effect on cats than catnip.)
She found the Ashland University study results fascinating. It used a control, rabbit fur, and lavender in addition to catnip in its study. The investigation found that silvervine caused cats to both be more playful and to sit longer.
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| Playful. You know. Like this and stuff. |
"There was an increased frequency of sitting and playing when silver vine was used. The increase in sitting was most likely because the cats would sit and watch the other cats that were interacting with the cloth , waiting for their turn or just observing what was happening. Cats are naturally curious animals and so the sitting was most likely them satisfying their curiosity as to what was happening."
But back to the important stuff. The TOYS.
The third toy we received was the plastic Perky Bird and it had a jingly ball inside.
But hey, that doesn't mean somekitty out there wouldn't really enjoy knocking this birdie around. As you know, cats have very specific tastes. Ours just happen to run more toward the squishy toys, and the ones that fly.
So all of this is nice and all, but what's the big headline here?
Well, in 2014, online specialty pet stores in the U.S. did began to offer Silvervine toys for sale. BUT. You couldn't find them on the shelves locally anywhere.
Thanks to Vitakraft, now you can.
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| Maxie's pretty jazzed about that, too. As you can tell. |
Vitakraft sent us two complete sets of their Purrk! Playfuls toys, and so it was decided the second set would go to Great Plains SPCA to help enrich the cats living there.
But someone disagreed with that....
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| "NO, Mother. This package is mine. All MINE." |
Giveaway Time!
Thankfully, no one has to risk life and limb wrestling that second set of toys away from Little Miss Selfish. You can enter to win one of your very own!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway ends Tuesday, December 30 at 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time. Open only to residents of the lower 48 U.S. states. Must be 18+ to enter. Winners can only win once across all blogs participating. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected.
What do you think? Would these toys help with a good New Year's Resolution?
• More playtime
• More human interaction
• More enrichment
• More active cats = healthier weight!
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