How Silver Vine Affects Cats: Olga’s Experience With Hallucinogens
Hi, I’m Christopher! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my silly Russian Blue cat, Olga.
Indoor cats don’t live very exciting lives when their owners aren’t around to entertain them. They can play with toys and interactive games, tear up the furniture, and nibble on houseplants, but they prefer interacting with their owners to the alternatives. Although I work from home, Olga’s playtime schedule doesn’t always align with mine.
When I’m finished with work and dinner, she’s usually conked out on the couch and doesn’t want to chase a paper ball or run around the house. I don’t buy new treats or toys because I haven’t had much luck in the past, and Olga is an incredibly opinionated feline.
Catnip’s Effects
She likes catnip toys, but she gets tired of them quickly. She undoubtedly enjoys the euphoria of catnip, and I’m unsure why, but she prefers to roll around on the kitchen floor rather than the carpet when she’s hallucinating. Perhaps the vinyl comforts her when she sees colorful patterns and fantasizes about flightless birds.
I haven’t given her catnip in a while, but I did something out of character last week and bought her a bag of silver vine (Actinidia polygama) sticks. I was skeptical that they would affect her since she’s a freak of nature, and like most cat owners, I believe my cat is stranger than everyone else’s.
Prepping the Silver Vine
The instructions on the silver vine bag said to remove the bark before giving it to your cat, which I thought was odd since every picture on the company’s website had cats chewing on sticks with bark. Removing the bark is supposed to make the silver vine more aromatic and appealing to cats, and I think they only kept the bark on because it looked better in the photos.
Silver vine has a dark brown bark, but the interior is lighter and less photogenic. I peeled the bark off with a potato peeler, and when I dumped it in the trash can, Olga ran over and started sniffing the floor around it. I called her over to the living room and held out the stick. She sniffed it for a few seconds and tried to knock it out of my hand.
Olga’s Mystical Journey
When I threw it out in the hallway, she ran to it, and for the next 20 or 30 minutes, she rolled around on the floor, chewed on the stick, and acted like a happy drunk. Unlike catnip, the silver vine kept her glued to the floor. After she stretched out, she didn’t want to get up.
When I tossed the stick across the room, she scooted toward it by using her front legs as carpet paddles. I’ve never seen a lazy cat move so fast while lying down. Silver vine doesn’t affect all cats, and I was concerned Olga wouldn’t like it, but it turned her into a comical fool and allowed me to make an amusing film:
This article is a part of Christopher and Olga's series.
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Christopher Bays is a writer and editor with a soft spot for cats of all shapes and sizes. He enjoys researching and caring for Olga, an adopted Russian Blue mix who is always by his side while working. In his free time, Christopher enjoys gardening, writing short stories, listening to music, and hiking.
