The alternative to catnip (KwayzeKatz Valerian Body Pillows)

Member Name: Tracy_1127

Product:	KwayzeKatz Valerian Body Pillows
Date:	23/03/09 (102 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: the smell but it's not terrible

It's a well known fact that not all cats respond to catnip. This is apparently hereditary. My two boys do respond to catnip very nicely thank you very much but I've been pondering valerian for a while now. The fact is that catnip lovers may or may not respond to valerian, just because a cat doesn't like catnip does not mean they will like valerian either so there are no guarantees. The chemicals in each plant that make cats giddy are different so they may or may not like either or both.

Although my two love catnip I have a friend who has a female cat that doesn't so I had 3 test subjects to try valerian out on!

The science bit.
The chemical in catnip that drives cats wild is called nepetalactone and the chemical in valerian that can produce the same effect is called actinidine so as you can see they are two completely different chemicals which can produce the same giddy effect. The fact the chemicals are different means if your feline baby doesn't like one they may like the other so if you have a cat who doesn't like catnip valerian is well worth a try.

I decided to buy my two some valerian toys so they could try them and see what they thought. I don't like them to miss out on anything! I searched online for valerian toys and found an ebay seller called catsgalore8 stocking valerian body pillows for £2.99 each so promptly bought a couple.

A couple of days later a package arrived, it was wrapped in a plastic bag but as soon as I brought it inside my two started sniffing the air and looking interested. I took the plastic bag off and found the pillows were wrapped in more plastic but obviously the scent was getting out as my two were very interested by this point.

The pillows are about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide and have various patterns on them involving cats. The material is cotton and they are padded with soft cotton-wool like material with little bits of dried valerian mixed in, I haven't opened one but you can feel the bits of herb in there. You can't choose the pattern you receive but I don't think that really matters much.

I got a whiff of the valerian myself, it smelt pungent and herby to me. My boys had now congregated round my feet with little bright eyes on and eager faces. I took a pillow in each hand and held them just above their heads wondering if the odd smell was just a mystery to them or if they were really going to react to these pillows like catnip.

Seconds later I had no pillows in my hand and one boy was merrily licking his (he does that with catnip toys too) and the other was rubbing his cheek along his and rolling around. For the next half hour they rubbed, threw, bit, licked and rolled around with their new toys until finally both fell asleep with their valerian pillows tucked under their chins. Success!

Over the next few days they regularly sought out the valerian toys and had another session with them and now, weeks later, they still go to them for a play even though the scent has faded.

My partner came home and asked why the living room smelt of "old socks" and apparently that's how alot of humans describe the smell from valerian! To me it just smelt pungent and didn't bother me at all but my partner wasn't keen!

So now I was faced with a problem. How to refresh these toys when I've yet to come across anyone selling valerian spray for this purpose? Simple, buy a valerian plant of course! So I purchased a valerian plant online for a couple of pounds and stuck it on the windowsill. The leaves can be plucked off and rubbed on the toys much the same as I do with catnip leaves. This gave me an idea for my friend's cat.

I posted her a leaf and told her to let her cat sniff it and if she seemed interested to rub it on her toys. She did just that and her cat who has never experienced "catnip giddiness" before had a wonderful time with this new exotic smell! Another success and my friend was really pleased as she always felt her cat was missing out by not reacting to catnip.

My two have not got bored of their valerian toys and moments ago one of them had a little rub on one of the bags. As with catnip if cats are exposed to it too often they will get bored of it so 2-3 times a week is enough for most cats. They also can become very possessive of their toys while under the influence so it's best to keep your fingers out of the way and once they've had a dose it will be 2 hours before they react to the scent in the same way.

Overall these toys are inexpensive, provide alot of fun for those who react to them and can easily be refreshed using fresh leaves. The only downside is the smell of valerian isn't very popular with human noses but I don't consider that to be enough of a downside to lose these pillows a star. Brilliant and if you have a cat that doesn't like catnip they are well worth a try.

Summary: An excellent addition to my boy's toy box!