Did you know that roughly one-third of cats show little or no response to catnip? If your cat ignores catnip toys, the product may not necessarily be stale or weak. Your cat might simply be one of the non-responders.
That doesn’t mean you’re out of options. Silver vine contains different cat-attracting compounds and can produce a response in many cats that ignore ordinary catnip. From the Field offers a catnip-and-silver-vine blend, while Yeowww! is best known for its potent catnip and generously stuffed toys.
My cats DO respond to cat nip and I need to limit their time with it. (more pics will be added soon!)
Here’s how the two brands compare and which option may be better for your cat.
Key Takeaways
- Genetics appear to play a role in whether a cat responds to catnip, and approximately one-third of cats may show little or no response.
- Yeowww! and From the Field both offer USA-grown catnip advertised as organically grown without synthetic pesticides.
- Yeowww! uses leaves and flower tops and is especially well known for its densely packed catnip toys.
- From the Field offers loose catnip, hand-harvested catnip buds and pre-portioned refill bags.
- From the Field’s ULTIMATE BLEND combines catnip with silver vine, making it worth trying with cats that ignore regular catnip.
- There is no independent head-to-head testing showing that one brand’s catnip is stronger than the other.
Why Some Cats Don’t Respond to Catnip
Catnip contains a natural compound called nepetalactone. When a responsive cat smells it, the cat may roll, rub, lick, pounce, drool or suddenly sprint through the house as if late for a very important meeting.
However, not every cat reacts.
Research suggests that catnip responsiveness is heritable, although the genetics are more complicated than a single “catnip gene.” Age can matter too. Young kittens often show little interest, and responses can change as a cat matures.
For cats that do respond, the reaction usually lasts for approximately 5 to 15 minutes, followed by a temporary period during which the cat is less sensitive to catnip.
Freshness, storage and the parts of the plant used can also affect how aromatic a catnip product is. Leaves and flowers contain many of the plant’s aromatic oils, while products with a large proportion of stems may be less appealing.
Yeowww! Catnip
Leaves and Flower Tops Grown in the USA
According to Yeowww!, the company works with private farmers in the United States and selects catnip based on qualities such as freshness, color and aroma.
The company says its catnip is:
- Organically grown without chemicals or pesticides
- Made using leaves and flower tops
- Grown in the United States
- Free from lower-quality filler material
Yeowww! keeps its curing process proprietary, so we don’t know exactly how it differs from other brands. However, the company has developed a strong reputation for highly aromatic catnip products.
Densely Packed Catnip Toys
Yeowww! is particularly well known for toys such as its banana, rainbow and cigar. The company says each toy is hand-packed with catnip rather than padded with cotton or plastic filler.
Yeowww! describes its toys as being sold by fullness rather than weight, meaning the goal is to fill the entire toy with catnip. This applies to its finished toys rather than to loose catnip sold for refilling other products.
The tradeoff is that many Yeowww! toys are not refillable. Once the catnip’s aroma fades, you may need to replace the toy or try refreshing it with loose catnip.
Yeowww! May Be Best For:
- Cats already known to enjoy catnip
- Cats that like stuffed kicker toys
- Shoppers who want toys filled entirely with catnip
- People who prefer a simple catnip-only product
From the Field Catnip
Washington-Grown Catnip
From the Field grows and produces its catnip products in Washington State. The company says it harvests its plants when their natural essential-oil content is at its peak.
Its loose catnip contains leaves, flowers and pistils. From the Field also sells Catnip Buds, which are hand-harvested from the flowering portions of the plant.
The company describes the buds as its most potent catnip format because of their concentrated aromatic oils. This is a manufacturer claim rather than the result of an independent comparison with Yeowww! or another brand.
ULTIMATE BLEND With Silver Vine
From the Field’s most distinctive option is its ULTIMATE BLEND, which combines catnip with silver vine.
Silver vine contains cat-attracting compounds that differ from catnip’s primary attractant, nepetalactone. That difference can make silver vine appealing to cats that show no interest in ordinary catnip.
In a 2017 study involving 100 domestic cats, nearly 80% responded to silver vine. Of the 31 cats that did not respond to catnip, 22 responded to silver vine.
That doesn’t guarantee that every catnip non-responder will love the ULTIMATE BLEND. However, it makes a catnip-and-silver-vine product a reasonable next experiment before deciding that your cat dislikes all plant-based attractants.
Pre-Portioned Catnip Refill Bags
From the Field also sells its ULTIMATE BLEND in pre-filled bags designed to be placed inside refillable or homemade toys.
According to the company, each bag:
- Contains approximately 4 grams of the blend
- Measures approximately 2 by 2 inches
- Is made from a sugar-cane composite
- Is biodegradable and compostable
- Allows the aroma to pass through its porous material
The bags provide a cleaner alternative to pouring loose catnip into a small toy opening. They may be especially useful for DIY cat-toy projects or volunteers making toys for shelters.
These refill bags should be placed inside a sturdy toy. They are not intended to be handed directly to a cat, since an enthusiastic cat could quickly tear one open.
From the Field May Be Best For:
- Cats that ignore ordinary catnip
- Multi-cat homes where cats respond differently
- People making or refilling cat toys
- Shoppers who want loose catnip, buds or pre-portioned bags
- Anyone interested in trying a catnip-and-silver-vine blend
Yeowww! vs. From the Field at a Glance
| Feature | Yeowww! | From the Field |
|---|---|---|
| USA-grown catnip | Yes | Yes, grown in Washington State |
| Described as organically grown | Yes | Yes |
| Plain loose catnip | Yes | Yes |
| Plant portions highlighted | Leaves and flower tops | Leaves, flowers and pistils |
| Catnip buds | Not a featured format | Yes |
| Silver-vine blend | Not a featured option | Yes |
| Pre-portioned refill bags | Not a featured option | Yes |
| Finished stuffed toys | A major specialty | Available, but not the focus of this comparison |
| Best reason to choose it | Densely stuffed catnip toys and straightforward catnip products | More formats and an option for catnip non-responders |
Which Brand Should You Choose?
Neither brand is automatically better for every cat.
If your cat already goes wild for regular catnip and enjoys stuffed kicker toys, Yeowww! is a strong choice. Its toys are packed with catnip rather than cotton filler, and the company uses the leaves and flower tops of the plant.
If your cat ignores catnip, lives with other cats that react differently or has refillable toys, From the Field offers more flexibility. Its ULTIMATE BLEND is especially interesting because the addition of silver vine may appeal to cats that don’t respond to catnip alone.
One important limitation is that there does not appear to be independent testing that directly compares the potency of these two brands. Claims about harvesting, plant portions and potency primarily come from the manufacturers.
The real judge will be your cat, and cats are famously unwilling to respect product rankings.
The Bottom Line
Choose Yeowww! if you want a catnip-only product or a toy densely stuffed with aromatic catnip.
Choose From the Field ULTIMATE BLEND if your cat doesn’t respond to ordinary catnip or you want convenient refill options.
For a multi-cat household, trying one product from each brand may provide the most useful answer. Just introduce them separately so you can see which product each cat prefers.