As a cat toy and treat store we sell ALOT of yummy things for your feline friends and the new hit has been for a while...HONEYSUCKLE!!!
Most cats will respond to catnip though not all will do so in the same way and honeysuckle has one common trait that makes for an interesting response: coveting the toy.
Many people have told of how honeysuckle prompts a protective response with drooling and carrying of certain toys around the house like Linus's blanket from the Charlie Brown cartoons.
My friend's cat "Purzz" does just that...a small pillow filled with the wood chips of the honeysuckle plant gets carried around and slept on everywhere...not so much drooling (yay)
Wikepedia defines it as:
Honeysuckle
Cultivation and uses
Wood cuttings from the species Lonicera tartarica, native to Eurasia, are sold as cat toys. The wood contains nepetalactone, which is the active ingredient found in catnip. Many breeds of cats react to the scent of the wood and will paw, lick or rub against it.
Honeysuckles grow best in partial sun to partial shade.
Lonicera japonica and Lonicera maackii (Amur Honeysuckle or Bush Honeysuckle) are considered invasive weeds in the United States and in New Zealand. Honeysuckle can be controlled by cutting, flaming, or burning the plant to root level and repeating on two-week increments until nutrient reserves in the roots are depleted. Honeysuckle can also be controlled through annual applications of glyphosate, or thorough grubbing if high labor and soil destruction are not of concern.
Honeysuckle is also edible; removing the blossom, one may suck at the sweet nectar in the center.
Cordage made from honeysuckle was used in the construction of Seahenge.
Honeysuckle flowers can be used to flavor wine, syrup, sorbet, and other sweet dishes.
Another name for honeysuckle is woodbine; and eglantine is used in Milton's L'Allegro.
...........there ya go...we learned something new...well at least some of us did. Give it a try and see how it goes..and let us know your experiences!
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