Description

A Library of Scents to Enrich Your Cat.

 How it Works

In this kit are 13 herbs chosen to be cat-safe and to bring enjoyment to your cat through scent based enrichment. In the same way that we sit and watch TV, it is entertaining for cats to sit and smell the scents in the air around them. While living inside our homes, cat are surrounded by the smells of plastics, cleaners, and other human scents that we don’t even notice instead of the natural scents that would surround them outdoors. 

Imagine if your sense of smell was 15 times more sensitive and you could read a story through your nose – you would love to take a book out of the library of smells. Giving your cat access to a variety of these smells from nature provides stimulation to their most most important sense and way to gain information from the world around. This helps to reduce stress, relieve boredom, encourage relaxation, and make for an all-around happier cat.

The key is to allow your cats to self-select plants that they enjoy at that moment. What they select can vary depending on their mood, how they are feeling, or many other factors. In the same way that you want options of what to watch, you cannot force a cat to enjoy one specific herb at one specific time. 

How to Use It

Use the dried plants in the kit to create an indoor maintenance free herb “garden” analogous to one that would grow outside. Lay out a small blanket or towel somewhere in a room with a quiet spot and spread a selection of different herbs in the corners or along edges. Your cat can then freely walk over and pick the specific scent that they desire at the time that they want.  The plants they choose will vary based on their mood at that moment. 

Your cats response may be subtle or look like nothing at all if you don’t observe carefully. Watch for a lightly open mouth, lowered head with slightly closed eyes, nostrils flaring, or sitting as if in a trance like state to determine if they like a particular herb.

While they are not intended to be eaten, all herbs in our kit are on the ASPCA list of safe plants for cats to ingest and are processed in FDA approved facilities to be fit for human consumption. 

Many of these herbs are used in aromatherapy and traditional herbal medicines to aid in relaxation, pain relief, easing symptoms are various illnesses, and more. While most of these ideas have not been studied scientifically, they remain a popular idea that many people find success with. 

Optional Pouch

If you want to put the herbs in something to keep them contained we offer sewn fabric pouches that are both easily refillable and washable. They are a thin enough fabric so that they scent of the herb comes through.

Included Herbs:

• Catnip (Nepeta cataria) – The most famous cat herb. The compounds within it mimic a variety of cat pheromones to encourage play in many cats.
• Ginger Root (Zingiber officinale) – Used as a food flavoring and also medicine. Ginger contains compounds that affect the stomach, brain, and nervous system that may reduce nausea and swelling.
• Silvervine Gall Fruit (Actinidia polygama) – Natively grown in Asia, the scent of fruits acts very similarly upon cats as catnip to encourage play and curiosity.
• Silvervine Leaves (Anthriscus cerefolium) The leaves of the silvervine plant. While the scent of the fruit encourages play these tend to have more of a relaxing affect on cats. 
• Hibiscus Flower (Hibiscus sabdariffa) – These fragrant flowers are often in used it perfumes but nearly all parts of the hibiscus plants are used in different medicinal contexts around the world.
• Jasmine Flower (Jasminum officinale) – An oil produced from the flowers is so prized for its scent that it’s referred to as the “King of Oils. Jasmine is inhaled to improve mood, reduce stress, and reduce food cravings.
• Kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum) A sustainable super food from the sea. Kelp has numerous beneficial properties that vary depending on the way it is ingested.
• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) – Named for its distinct lemon like smell, it is considered to the “essence of spring”  that soothes the spirit. 
• Marigold Flower (Calendula officinalis) – Often used on the skin for aid in fighting inflammation and bruises. Although it is pleasing to humans and cats its scent can repel certain insects from a garden.
• Rose Petals (Rosa canina) – Often used for decoration but are even edible for humans. They have a relaxing and calming scent.
• Sage (Salvia officinalis) – The scent of Sage is said to help balance both mind and body which can reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.
• Thyme Leaf (Thymus vulgaris) – Well known from its use in cooking but also used in various perfumes and colognes, the scent of Thyme is said to help strengthen both the body and mind along with giving energy.
• Valerian Root (Valeriana officinalis) – Valerian has a long history in use as a sedative. It is often used to reduce anxiety and stress particularly to aid in relaxation and sleep.