Cats and verbena

R
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Hello,

I’ve got a quick question. This evening my wife made herself a cup of verbena tea. A few minutes later we heard a noise in the kitchen and realised our cat was rubbing himself against and rolling around on the paper wrapper (the outer packaging, not the actual tea bag). Just to see what happened, we showed him a dry bag and he went absolutely bonkers. He’s rubbing against it and following us everywhere to get his paws on it; basically, our cat is a verbena addict! :) So I’ve got two questions:

1: We aren't going to start feeding him tea bags! :) But is it dangerous? If we supervise him, can we let him play with the paper wrapper now and then? For instance, by scrunching it into a paper ball (I’m strictly talking about the paper packaging, not the bag containing the leaves) for him to play with since he loves it so much?

2: Why would he like it? Is it a plant from the catnip family or something like that?

Cheers! ^^

Translated from French
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    • R
    Ragnar Icon representing the flag French
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    Hello,

    Thank you very much for your very detailed response.

    Have a lovely day. :)

    Translated from French
    ProvetoJuniorConseil
    Provetojuniorconseil Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi there,

    Some cats can be really drawn to this particular scent. However, you should be aware that common vervain (or Verbena officinalis) is toxic to cats, so you really need to take that toy away from him. If chewed, swallowed, or even just through skin contact, it can cause conjunctivitis, as well as a high temperature and digestive issues.

    Lots of herbs (like thyme, sage, and lemon balm) are popular with cats and are actually good for them. Since vervain is also an aromatic plant, that probably explains the attraction. Nevertheless, it definitely shouldn't be given to him.

    Finally, regarding the catnip family, most of those plants belong to the Lamiaceae (mint) family, while vervain is part of the Verbenaceae family.

    Have a good day,

    Marion

    Translated from French

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