A Japanese team of researchers has found that cats prefer silvervine, known in Japan as matatabi, over catnip, both regarded as cat attractants.

According to a study by the team comprised of members from Iwate University and Nagoya University, many free-roaming cats exhibited typical behavior of rubbing against and rolling around in silvervine, choosing the plant over catnip in most cases.

The findings were published in an online edition of the Journal of Chemical Ecology.

Masao Miyazaki, professor at Iwate University, said the study found that cats were not simply attracted by smell, given the strong scent of catnip.

He said that while the exact reason why self-anointing behavior was rarely seen when cats encountered catnip is unclear, it may actually be because the scent of raw catnip plants is too strong.

The team observed how cats would react to both silvervine and catnip when they were left to roam around freely. During a period of about 10 days, six cats made 23 visits to an outdoor area where catnip and silvervine were placed, and they displayed self-anointing behavior mostly in the patch of silvervine.

The team also conducted an experiment on 22 domestic cats, including those that originated in North America, Europe and the Middle East, presenting catnip and silvervine extracts at the same time. Fifteen cats rolled around or rubbed themselves against silvervine, while three exhibited such behavior toward catnip.

Chemical analyses found that the catnip extract contained about 170 times more nepetalactone, a cat attractant, than the silvervine extract.

“These findings demonstrate that chemical abundance and laboratory bioactivity do not necessarily predict behavioral reliability under natural encounter conditions,” the team said.

According to Miyazaki, the team’s findings are used in habitat surveys of endangered cat species. He also voiced hopes that the results of the study will be used in efforts to encourage animals’ natural behavior and enhance their quality of life.