A Japanese team of researchers has found that cats prefer silver vine, 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 silver vine, choosing the plant over catnip in most cases.

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