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FAQ Pawbreakers Original Last Updated: 02/12/2010 |
1. What’s a Pawbreaker!? – “Pawbreakers!
The Candy for Cats” are the
all natural, healthy, safe and fun toy treat ball, all rolled into one-
a purrrfect combination (see the picture above)! Pawbreakers are the
catnip equivalent of a ‘Jawbreaker’ for cats (without the sugar)!
Weighing in at a hefty 1/2 ounce, we packed them solid with the
freshest, highest quality USA grown catnip available. Made proudly in
Michigan, USA. 2. What’s in it? – Our secret recipe is 100% natural and uses only pure, fresh catnip and human-grade ingredients that are healthy for your cat! Pawbreakers do not contain sugar or any other unwanted ingredients. We call it ‘candy’ because it’s such a treat for the kitties (even though its healthy and all natural)! Please see question 10 for more information on our ingredients.
3. How are Pawbreakers different from other catnip toys? A - Pawbreakers are an EDIBLE toy! – There’s simply nothing else like it! Would you like someone to wrap up your favorite food in something you can never open or eat?! Of course not! Its no wonder so many cats get frustrated with other catnip toys that end up sitting in the corner. Not only do they go stale, but they cant eat them anyway~! With Pawbreakers, your kitty can PLAY with his catnip AND EAT it too! B - Pawbreakers are made fresh! – We use fresh harvested of catnip, and then lock the delicious flavor into every bite. Unlike many fabric covered, boxed or bagged catnip products that can sit in a warehouse for a long time, Pawbreakers are made and delivered fresh! We are the only maker of Pawbreakers and therefore EVERY shipment of Pawbreakers is the freshest available. C - Pawbreakers lock in the flavor! - Any fragrant substance (herbs, spices, coffee etc.) will lose their smell if left open in the air especially in hot, humid or bright/sunlit conditions. Pawbreakers are specially made to lock in the flavor. Every time your kitty chews or scratches on their Pawbreaker, they are releasing the fresh aroma locked in every bite of a Pawbreaker. A plain old box of catnip, or catnip stuffed in a fabric pouch will lose much of its aroma (if it hasn’t already before you bought it). While it may still work, its just doesn’t stay as fresh as a Pawbreaker. 4. What benefits do Pawbreakers Have? A - Health benefits! - Pawbreakers can provide many mental and physical health benefits. 5. Do I need to ‘take care’ of my Pawbreaker? – Our advice is to replace what’s left (if anything) every 2 – 4 weeks for the freshest catnip experience. The life expectancy of a Pawbreaker depends on the ferociousness of the cat. J Some large cats or exuberant kittens can eat a Pawbreaker in a couple of days or less, but with most cats they will last longer. Usually they are slowly gnawed on, licked silly and chewed on, bit by bit, until kitty can get a good bite on it and eat the whole thing; they usually disappear and are consumed entirely. But, if your Pawbreaker is still in good shape, they can be cleaned up a bit with a damp paper towel (use water only!). Scratching the surface (or rubbing it on their favorite scratching post, etc.) will help to revive the locked in fragrance. There is no expiration date on Pawbreakers, but like all herbs, the longer it sits around (depending on the environment, temperature.) the more potency they lose.
6. Will Pawbreakers stain
my carpet or furniture?- Rarely. The main ingredient (catnip) has
natural pigments that make
it ‘green’.
If combined with a heavily drooling kitty or damp location and
a light colored material,
it can stain. But, these stains can usually be cleaned up with
a light solution of laundry detergent and water. There is
no coloring
added
to Pawbreakers! We prefer to keep them 100% natural and healthy,
and not
put in any extra ingredients. 7. Can my cat eat too much, should I take it away? – Cats generally self regulate their intake of catnip and your kitty should be able to eat as many Pawbreakers as you and he or she wants. Pawbreakers are safe to leave down for your kitty to play with whenever they want (please read the warning on and inside our label regarding safety around children). 8. My cat didn’t react at all! Should I worry? – Some cats do not react to catnip and kittens generally need to be at least 4 to 6 months old before they will react to catnip. It can also take some cats a while to realize that Pawbreakers are edible! When a kitty has had their favorite food locked up in a wood ball, or wrapped up in fabric, they think ALL catnip can’t be eaten. Sometimes we have found that breaking off pieces of a Pawbreaker in front of them and leaving that out for them to munch on can help. 9. My cat played with Pawbreakers like crazy the first day, now the next day he/she doesn’t seem interested? – Imagine going and playing a hard game of soccer for the first time in a long time…hehe! This is what frequently happens to some of the kitties! Depending on how in shape your cat is, all this exercise can wear them out! If their first response was to go crazy, it wont be long before you will hear the familiar ‘knock knock’ of a Pawbreaker rolling around the house again…. Sometimes it takes time for them (sometimes more than a couple of days!) to recuperate from all the excitement and exercise after their first experience with a Pawbreaker. 10. What are the ingredients/What’s the binder (beeswax)? – All the ingredients are all-natural! (Ingredients). Pawbreakers went through a year of testing before we found the perfect ingredients that are safe, healthy and above all TASTY to the kitties! The ingredients used in Pawbreakers (catnip and beeswax) are extremely common, and have been in use for over 50 years in the human-food industry (and some for thousands!). Our natural and hypoallergenic beeswax is consumed and used every day by millions of people around the world, withstanding the “test of time” as a very safe product for foods, cosmetics, skin care you name it. It acts as a natural preservative and LOCKS in the flavor in every Pawbreaker. No more dried out fabric toys, wood or plastic balls. Every scratch and every bite and they release the incredible aroma of mountain grown ultra fresh catnip! 11. What is Catnip! Catnip is a relative of the mint family and when you compare
the two, you can see just how similar they look. Both plants
are edible, and have a history of being used for a wide range
of ailments in both humans and cats. Both mint tea and catnip
tea have been used for centuries, you can find them both here:
www.herbsmd.com. 12. Can I grow my own catnip? - Almost any time you buy catnip, you will have seeds. They are a tiny black seed, about the size of a couple of grains of salt. As someone who has grown catnip for a long time, I believe
it’s a bit difficult to grow. Start with a small pot
(couple of inches is fine) and a good potting/seed starter
soil. Fill the pot about 1 inch from the top, sprinkle in
your seeds, and put a fine layer of soil over them (less than
1/8 of an inch) and pack it moderately. Then place the pot
in a warm location that gets a bit of sun for the first week
or two. You have to keep the soil damp (not water logged or
too wet) almost constantly. A good way to do this is to keep
a spray bottle with water next to it, and spray the top of
the soil gently but religiously. After the seeds sprout, its
important to give it full sun and water it every day (but
not too much)! A young catnip plant is very fragile, and even ½ to
1 day without water in full sun can kill it. Once your plant
gets larger, they are very hardy and more tolerant of going
without water. Catnip generally prefers a slightly to moderately
damp soil. Once your plant starts to get larger, it can be
transplanted like any other plant. Your cat will enjoy catnip
fresh off the plant, or you can pick it ahead of time and
dry it in a sunny location.
Be careful where you put your catnip plant, especially when it is young….if
kitty finds it, it may end up tipped over and eaten! This is especially
true after you have recently brushed up against, picked or damaged the
plant, as this releases the catnip fragrance. Your kitty will be more
likely to find and eat your plant at these times. I have found that in
general, its best just to get a hanging planter, or put it in a location
where your particular kitty cant get to it while its small. Once the
plant is large enough (about 6 inches tall for one cat) your kitty probably
wont eat enough to harm the plant, and you can set it in a safe location
where your kitty can eat at will. Just make sure the pot is heavy enough,
and low enough, or secured so that he or she can’t tip the pot
over. If you have any questions about growing your own, please email
us and we will be happy to help if we can!
13. What are the Effects of Catnip and Pawbreakers? -
Nepetalactone - This is the active ingredient which drives cats crazy.
Lactones occur in everything from black pepper, to orange juice and wine.
Not all cats react to catnip; estimates range anywhere from about 10%
to 30% of cats do not react. Kittens generally do not react until 4 – 6
months old. Whether or not a cat reacts to catnip depends on his or her
genetics. Most cats that react to catnip exhibit some or even all of
the following effects:
a) Rubbing and rolling in the catnip Smelling the catnip is enough to cause a reaction although most cats also like eating catnip. It's said that catnip can improve a cat's digestion, and it also contains a wide range of beneficial vitamins and minerals, and fiber. This can help with furballs, and provide additional fiber and nutrients in their diet.
14. How did you think of Pawbreakers?- Our kitties love their Pawbreakers! They have been playing with them since the very first Pawbreaker, and continue to this day. Our youngest cat Tailor, a Turkish Van, loves batting her Pawbreaker around the house and playing ‘hide the Pawbreaker’. She eats about a Pawbreaker a week, sometimes less, sometimes more. Her favorite time to play with them is at night, when her night hunting instincts kick in. After watching my cats play for years, and watching them lose interest in most of the other catnip toys we had, I decided see if I could make something better.
I knew Pawbreakers had to meet two important criteria; they had to be
all-natural and be totally edible (we are VERY picky about what we feed
our furbabies). While there were all kinds of yummy stuff that helped
the catnip to stick together, we realized that smelly things like fish
probably weren’t something you would want rolling around your house…heheh.
We researched multiple sizes, weights and formulas of Pawbreakers to
find the one that was ‘just right’. It had to be tasty and
it had to be tough enough to withstand chewing (and not make a stinky
mess, lol). It had to have just enough weight so that they could bat
it around and it would roll well across the floor, yet it’s not
so big and heavy to be discouraging. We also wanted just the right size
to challenge them and keep them active! We worked to make it just the
right size so they had to work to hold on to them and gnaw at it first,
before they could eat them; just like the prey they love to chase in
nature. We finally brought all the best together to make a tantalizing,
interactive and exciting experience for the kitties. As many of us know,
if it doesn’t taste good, or it’s too easy for them, they
will loose interest very quickly.
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