Reviews & Lifestyle

Review: Catit Flower Fountain – Did It Work for My Friend’s Cats?

/ Asta Lamminen / Leave a comment

Hello, everyone!

It’s Wednesday again, which means it’s time for a new blog post. Today, we’re talking about a cat product that truly stole the show in one household – the Catit Flower Fountain. It quickly became a favorite for one of my friend’s Sphynx cats, and honestly, I can see why!

But what about the other cats in the household? Let’s take a look. First, a little technical overview…

Fountain

Catit Flower Fountain, third flow option

About the Fountain

The Catit Flower Fountain holds up to 3 liters of water (about 100 fl oz / 6 pints) and comes with a triple-action filter that removes magnesium and calcium (minerals that can contribute to urinary issues), reduces odors from bacteria and chlorine in tap water, and catches hairs and debris. Replacement filters are easy to find — a 2-pack is €12.99 at Musti ja Mirri here in Finland. The fountain is plastic, but Catit confirms it’s BPA-free, which is good to know.Fountain

All parts of Catit Flower Fountain

Fountain

Catit Flower Fountain, third flow option

Fountain

Catit Flower Fountain, third flow option

The fountain comes with three flow settings. In this case, the cats strongly preferred the third option: “calm streams.” It was very easy to assemble, and just as easy to clean – rinsing and drying everything takes under five minutes.

The Price

Here in Finland, the Catit Flower Fountain retails for about €39.99. This particular unit was purchased secondhand (barely used – the previous cat didn’t like it) for €25. After nearly two months of daily use, it was still going strong and working beautifully.

Bacha

Bacha trying to play with running water. 🙂

Aether

Aether is looking suspicious of the fountain.

Aether

Trying out the running water.

Aether

Finally getting it!

The Cats’ Reactions

At the time, my friend had three Sphynx cats: Aether, Bacha, and Beliza. Aether took to it almost immediately — a little hesitant at first, then happily drinking within minutes. Bacha tried to play with the water before eventually deciding it was also for drinking. Beliza wasn’t interested at all and stuck to her regular bowl; some cats are just like that, and her reaction did not surprise at all.

Two out of three isn’t bad though, and it made a noticeable difference, especially during a hot summer. As a bonus, the sound of running water turned out to be pretty calming to listen to while working.

Aether

Can’t stop drinking!

Aether

Got distracted for a bit, but still not going away!

Bacha and Aether

After nearly two months of use, the verdict was in: still loving it!

Thanks so much for stopping by – wishing you and your feline friends a calm, cool, and hydrated week ahead!

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Purring wishes, Asta signature

Review: Flying Tiger Pet Food Catapult – Does It Work?

/ Asta Lamminen / Leave a comment

Hi, everyone! I hope you’re doing great! This blog post was written a little bit impromptu, because I was planning to write on a different topic, but yesterday I was doing a little bit of shopping, and decided to visit Flying Tiger. While over there, I noticed something I thought was quite hilarious – pet food catapult! On the package they show a dog as an example, but I was wondering if it would work for cats as well. It’s called “Pet food catapult” after all! I just HAD to try it out. Let’s see how it went!

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Price. It was cheap, just like most things in Flying Tiger – I paid €4 for the pet food catapult.

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Looks & how it works. It’s made of plastic, and the front part (the little see-through part) comes off easily with a little twist, so it’s easy to clean and/or load the catapult with pet food. Then you simply push down the black button (see the picture) and press the black button next to it to “shoot” the food in the air.

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How my cats reacted to it. Well, the thing is that they didn’t. But no, really! They could not care less about the food flying out of that catapult. They were sitting in front of me with those huge eyes asking for treats, but they just couldn’t understand that the food was flying out of the catapult and they need to go pick it up. I loaded it with quite big cat treats (Dreamies to be precise), but I think the main issue was that the food would fly out at a very high speed, and the cats simply wouldn’t notice it. If the treats landed on the floor, they’d react to the noise it made, but that’s all.

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Some final thoughts and is it worth it. It’s hard to say whether it’s worth it or not. All of my cats didn’t understand it, but maybe they’re just not very smart, haha! 😀 It was only €4, so I don’t feel robbed, and, well, cats are beings that are very picky in general. It did not work for my cats at all, but it MAY work for your cat. Or maybe it works only for dogs. Or maybe it works for some pets only, while it also may not work at all. If you feel like trying it out – give it a go, but I personally won’t be using it.

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Silver Vine for Cats: My Review + What You Should Know

/ Asta Lamminen / Leave a comment

Hello, everyone!

Today I’m revisiting a post I originally wrote almost a decade ago (2017, if you can believe it, and here we are in 2025!), back when I first came across something interesting while shopping online: Silver Vine sticks.

I’ve always liked finding new enrichment ideas for my cats, so I was curious to try them out.Since then I’ve actually started studying to become a certified feline nutritionist, so I figured it was a good time to revisit this post with that in mind.

What Is Silver Vine?

Silver Vine (Actinidia polygama) is a plant native to parts of Asia, often described as a stronger alternative to catnip. It contains compounds like actinidine and nepetalactol, which can trigger playful or euphoric reactions in many cats, including ones who don’t respond to catnip at all.

Silver Vine works on slightly different pathways in a cat’s brain than catnip does, and there’s even some research suggesting it can help repel mosquitoes when cats rub it on their fur (source).

My Cats’ Reaction

Years ago, I found Silver Vine sticks on eBay and gave them a try. I paid about £5 for a pack (plus shipping) from a UK-based seller, assuming a European seller would mean better quality or sourcing than buying directly from Asia. The sticks arrived in generic Asian packaging, identical to the ones sold directly by Asian sellers for a fraction of the price.

Lesson learned: don’t assume a seller closer to home means better quality; often they’re just reselling the exact same product at a markup.

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The sticks came in two sizes, both around 12.5 cm (5 inches) long. My cats loved them, chewing, batting, rubbing against them, carrying them around the house. Even after a few months of regular use, they were still in decent shape, just a bit frayed.

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Did it help with dental health? Honestly, hard to say. Chewing can be good for their teeth in general, but I wouldn’t call Silver Vine a substitute for actual dental care. Either way, it’s a fun, cheap bit of enrichment!

Benefits of Silver Vine

Most cats respond to it, somewhere around 80% by most estimates, and it’s a nice way to encourage natural play, movement, and a bit of stress relief. It’s generally considered safe when used in moderation, and there’s that bonus mosquito-repelling effect I mentioned above!

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

As with any new treat or toy, it’s worth introducing Silver Vine gradually and seeing how your cat responds. A couple of times a week is plenty, and I’d skip it for kittens under 6 months. If your cat is elderly or has ongoing health issues, you should mention it to your vet before giving Silver Vine to your cat, just like you would with any new product.

Overall, most cats handle Silver Vine just fine.

Where to Buy

Look for clearly labeled Silver Vine products from sellers with good reviews. Skip the overpriced repackaged versions; you can often find great quality sticks or powder directly from sellers in Asia at a much better price, with plenty of reviews to go by.

Final Thoughts

Would I recommend Silver Vine? Yes, definitely. My cats had a great time with it, and I think it’s a fun, low-effort way to add a bit of enrichment to their routine. As always, every cat’s different, so see what your cat thinks!

I hope you found this review helpful! Wishing you and your cats a playful, purring-filled week. 🐾

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Disclaimer:
This post is based on personal experience as a cat owner and student of feline nutrition and behavior. It is not veterinary advice. Always consult a veterinarian before introducing new substances – including Silver Vine – into your cat’s environment.

DIY Cat Treats: Easy, Quick & Yummy

/ Asta Lamminen / Leave a comment

As a crazy cat lady, I always looks for something new for my cats. New toys, new scratching posts, new blankets, new beds… You name it, I got it. 😀 I also have quite a few books about cats, and I finally decided to get it together and make some use out of them. I flipped through one of the books I bought back in December of 2016 – it’s called “Treats for your cat”. Basically, there you can find a lot of DIY toys, pet carriers, etc. There’s also quite a few recipes with different meals you can prepare for your cats, and one of them caught my eye – it’s simple, quick and doesn’t require 15 weird and fancy products. It’s called “Christmas Cookies”, but believe me – your cat(s) will love these treats all year ’round.

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These cat treats have fish in them, and I know that there has been a little bit of a fuss about giving fish to your cat. Generally, moderate amounts of fish will provide your cat nutrients, however, it’s best to serve it cooked as raw fish contains thiaminase. It’s OK to give it to your cat as a treat sometimes, but it shouldn’t be a big part of your cat’s daily diet. With that little bit out of the way, let’s get into the recipe!

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So, I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit my cats’ wishes, so I am sure that there will be no harm if you use something different too. The basic recipe for these treats is:
-225 g/8 oz plain wholemeal flour
-1 x 200 g/7 oz can pressed cods roe (I used tuna fish instead)
-90 g/2 oz vegetable fat
-1 egg

I think that unless you have 10+ cats, you should split all the amounts in half – I have 3 cats, made half of the amount written and there will easily be enough treats for quite a few days. These treats are yummy and cats love them, but they’re also very filling and your cat probably won’t be able to eat more than 2-3 treats at once (all depends on the size of treats of course).

So, you have the recipe, what do you do next? Well, firstly, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the baking tray with a parchment paper (baking sheet). While the oven is heating, make the treats: mix together flour, your fish of choice, vegetable fat and egg. You can add a little bit of water if the mixture is too stiff. And here comes in the creative part of this process: you can choose what shape treats you want to make. I simply took little balls, pressed them a bit and made little button like treats, but you can do something more creative! In the book, it suggests to roll out the dough and cut out the treats with a cookie cutter. Put the treats on the baking sheet, and once the treats are all made and the oven is heated, put them to bake until golden and crisp. I baked them for about 15-20 minutes.

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Once the treats are done, take them out of the oven and leave to cool down. Then give them to your cats and see if they like it! I am sure they will, because my Sphynxes generally don’t eat fish, but this time they made an exception!

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I store the treats in these little glass jars.

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If you have any questions regarding the recipe, please leave them down in the comments and I will get back to you! I hope you all have a wonderful day. 🙂

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Review: Zooplus Advent Calendar For Cats

/ Asta Lamminen / Leave a comment

Even though I don’t have an Advent calendar for myself, as soon as I saw this on Zooplus website while buying cat food, I knew I needed it in my life. You know how they say that many toys for kids are actually made for their parents to attract them? I’m telling you: that’s the case with me. Just my kids are my cats.

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Yes, I know I’m a bit late here, but I just received it yesterday! Finnish post offices were on strike for a week, so yeah… Everything got kind of stuck somewhere. But regardless of the fact that it’s already December, let’s see what this calendar has to offer!

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The calendar has 24 days in total (needed to clear that out, because apparently there exist calendars with fewer days). And can we just appreciate all this beautiful-crazy-cat-lady-like art on the cover? I mean, come on, even the snowman is actually a snowcat! It’s just so adorable.

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The back side of Advent Calendar.

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Beautiful little text.

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Types of snacks and ingredients.

Calendar has 4 different types of snacks: chicken, beef, duck and tuna. Everything is freezer dried and super healthy for your pet – I mean, what could be healthier than 100% meat treats with no additives? Each day you get different treats. For example, on December 1st we got a pack of 2 beef treats, while today (December 2nd) there were 4 small pieces of tuna treats. I wonder what tomorrow holds. 🙂

You might ask: OK, you like it, but what about your cats? Well, firstly, let me tell you, that Beliza doesn’t eat meat, so I knew immediately she won’t like this calendar. And yes, she doesn’t. Bacha eats meat sometimes, especially if it’s treats. Meanwhile Coco absolutely loves everything meat related. So yesterday she was the one to finish up both beef treats and then she thanked me by rubbing against me and purring as loud as she could. She is just so sweet ❤ Anyway, today there were tuna treats, so both Bacha and Coco enjoyed them. Overall, I think it’s a great thing to have – this calendar is fun and if your cat loves healthy meat treats, he/she will be beyond happy to get something like this. The price of the calendar won’t empty your pocket either – I paid for it around €5-€6.

beliza

Sleepy Beliza.

If you’d like to get an Advent calendar like this one, simply go to Google and type in “Zooplus”. I advice to do it that way, because Zooplus has different websites for specific countries, so there would be no use if I gave you the Finnish version of it. But if you’d like to take a look at it and read more, here is link to the English website: Advent Calendar For Cats.

Let’s share the beauty of December with our purring friends too. 😉

P.S. Christmas giveaway is still up on Facebook! You can participate right over here: Christmas giveaway.

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