How Do Cat Pheromone Products Work And How Do They Help With Behavior Issues
Comfort Zone products are calming, odorless vapors that mimic a catâs natural pheromones. The Comfort Zone Calming Diffuser and Comfort Zone Spray & Scratch Control Spray each mimic the cat facial pheromone that signals a safe, familiar territory. They can help reduce stress behaviors like cat urine marking and cat scratching. These stress behaviors are often triggered by life changes like traveling, new furniture, unfamiliar people, a new environment, or even visiting the vet.
The Comfort Zone Multi-Cat Diffuser is formulated with the same version of the feline facial pheromone to help all the cats in your home feel safe and secure.
It can take a few days to a few weeks before you notice your cat acting more calmly, so employ other calming techniques as well. These can include giving your cat a window perch to watch the outside world, setting up a cat tree or so your cat has his own âterritory,â or extending playtime with your cat to expend some of that pent-up energy.
If your cat has been stressed or nervous lately, a calming pheromone can do wonders. The diffuser is ideal for long-term use, giving a calming effect to a room in your home. Sprays are best for specific objects, like the inside of a carrier, or when youâre on the road and canât bring a diffuser with you.
Pheromones may sound mythical in their abilities, but understanding how cat pheromones work can help your cat feel safe and reduce potential stressors in your home.
How Do Pheromone Products Work To Calm Your Pet
Pheromone products simulate the properties of natural, positive pheromones. They release the positive chemicals and can help ease stress and anxiety by reassuring pets in the area. These products come in a range of formats, including diffusers, sprays, wipes, and collars.
For cats, they can help reduce unwanted behaviors, such as urinating outside the litter box, scratching furniture, and over-grooming. They can also help to calm tensions in a multi-cat household.
For dogs, pheromone products can quell mild general anxiety and stress, as well as help to reduce stress due to scary events like storms and fireworks. They imitate dog appeasing pheromones , which are released by lactating dogs after their puppies are born and before they are weaned.
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Are There Any Side Effects Of Using Pheromone Diffusers For Cats
Because synthetic pheromones replicate the chemical messages cats send to each other as a normal part of cat communication they are completely safe, have no side effects, and dont pose any risk to cats, kittens, other species or humans.
Its essentially just a copy of a natural signal telling your cat that everythings cool.
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What Are The Benefits Of Feliway For Cats
Feliway helps to reduce signs of unhappiness in cats and help them stay calm in stressful environments.
At Doncaster Veterinary Hospital, we understand how stressful a visit to the vets can be. We have a dedicated cat corner and a special cat consultation room that contains a Feliway diffuser to help give your cats the best experience possible and to make visiting the vet less stressful.
If youre interested in purchasing a Feliway spray bottle or Feliway diffuser for your home, feel free to .
Feliway Classic Cat Calming Pheromone Diffuser 30 Day Starter Kit
- Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
- Make sure this fitsby entering your model number.
- Vet Recommended and #1 selling solution: FELIWAY Classic helps cats adjust to challenging situations, and curbs stress related unwanted behaviors such as spraying, peeing, scratching, and general fearfulness
- Reduces urine spraying in 9 out of 10 cats
- FELIWAY Classic is a drug free solution that mimics catâs natural facial pheromones, which may help your pet feel calmer in common stressful situations
- FELIWAY Classic heated diffuser covers up to 700 square feet for the best results, position the diffuser where your cat spends most of his or her time, and avoid plugging the diffuser in under shelves and behind doors, curtains, or furniture
- Starter kit includes 1 diffuser head and 1 vial to maximize effectiveness, replace the vial once a month, and the diffuser every 6 months
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Customer Ratings By Feature
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Q: What Type Of Behaviors Do Pheromone Products Target
A: Neilson says pheromone products were first released for cats and were recommended to help marking or spraying and aggression problems, especially between cats in the same home. But she says cat pheromones also help with problems like scratching and stress while traveling, being boarded or during visits to the veterinarians office, and can ease the stress of a cat moving into a new home. I use it for almost any anxiety-related condition, Neilson says.
Dog pheromone products are used for general stress, separation anxiety, noise phobias, such as those caused by storms or fireworks, and travel, says Wayne Hunthausen, DVM, the director of animal behavior consultations for Westwood Animal Hospital, in Westwood, Kansas.
However, Hunthausen says dog pheromones are not effective for aggression problems in dogs. Veterinarians also caution that behavioral problems can have medical causes, so pets should be thoroughly checked out by their vet before treating a problem as strictly behavioral.
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Talk To Your Vet Before You Start Shopping
Its important to keep in mind that every cat is unique and will respond to a pheromone diffuser in its own way. While some cats may highly benefit from one, some may not show any signs of change at all.
Its always best to consult with your vet if you notice any behavioral changes, as it may not be stress. It could be an underlying health condition.
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What The Users Say
Weve taken the time to find out exactly what different users are saying about the Feliway Diffuser, so you can get a good sense of whether this is something that is going to work for your cat.
The first thing we should mention is that the reviews for the Feliway Diffuser are good overall. Living with a stressed cat can make us owners stressed too, so many users are incredibly relieved to find out that this product really did seem to help their cat seem more relaxed and content.
Some owners of anxious cats have seen an improvement in their cats behavior. While they used to run out of the room in fear, their cats became calm and affectionate within a short space of time.
Feliway can also help aggressive cats. Users who had to employ a feline behaviorist to try to stop their cat from attacking people during play sessions found that after using Feliway, their cat was much calmer and less aggressive.
Some users have seen an improvement in their cats behavior in as little as two hours. Others say that it took over a week for any signs of improvement to become apparent. For best results, Feliway suggests that the diffuser should be plugged in and left on continuously for at least 4 weeks before you should expect to see any results. After 4 weeks, the refill should be replaced.
Certain cats even seem to seek this diffuser out, and if its been moved around the house, they will find where it is and make that their new favorite corner!
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Is Feliway Safe For Cats
Feliway is makes synthetic pheromones that mimic ones that cats produce and use to send messages to other cats. It can help with undesirable in-home behaviors that are caused by stress. In general. Feliway products are considered safe since they are just the synthetic version of the natural pheromones produced by cats.
Synthetic pheromones are used on the surroundings of your cat such as her favorite rooms and spots. They should not be eaten or licked by your cat as this could be hazardous for their health. Feliway sprays are meant to be applied on specific locations such as in areas where the cat is marking. Do not spray if your cat is nearby, let the spray dry before letting your cat in.
The paraffin-based mineral oils that are used for the refills for Feliway diffusers are intended to be dispersed through air to whole rooms or areas.
Does Feliway Really Help
There are not a huge number of scientific studies critically reviewing the efficacy of pheromonal products in cats. However, there has been some research that has showed some positive results.
A recent study looked at the effect of using pheromonal products in households which contain both cats and dogs. The use of Feliway Friends in the study led to improved relationships between the cats and dogs , and greater relaxation scores in the cat occupants. This could therefore be very useful when considering introducing a new pet to your household, or have multiple pets already and suspect this might be causing some anxiety for your cat.
There is also some evidence that Feliway can help in cases of aggression between cats. A study in 2018 showed that the use of synthetic pheromones reduced aggression scores between cats in multi-cat households and reduced stress behaviours . However, in this study, the owners also had training as to how to deal with aggressive episodes, so the reduction in conflict may not be solely due to the Feliway.
Urine spraying is a common symptom of stress in cats. A review of multiple cases of cats spraying urine for a multitude of different reasons found that using Feliway did reduce urine spraying after four weeks. However, the best reduction was found by using both pharmacological and behavioural intervention.
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How Long Does It Take For A Pheromone Diffuser To Work
It all depends on the severity of symptoms and how long your cat has been experiencing them. The longer the issues persisted and the more serious they are, the longer it will take the pheromones to start doing their magic. Generally speaking, it can take anywhere from within a week to a full month for the effects on your cats behavior to become apparent.
Each Refill Lasts For Up To 4 Weeks
Once youve plugged your diffuser in, you should leave it on continuously and replace the refill after 4 weeks. Feliway suggests that for maximum effectiveness, you should always follow this cycle of replacement, even if there seems to be a little bit of product still left in the bottle. We assume that this is because the pheromones may have all been diffused and only solvent is left in the bottle.
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Pheromone Diffusers For Cats: How Do They Work
Not all cats can be cool cats all of the time. If your kitty is showing signs of stress or anxiety, theres one method thats been proven to help them feel safe, happy and relaxed: the pheromone diffuser. Vets recommend the use of pheromones to help cats:
- Feel calm
- Feel less stressed during firework/party season
amongst many other uses!
But what exactly are pheromone diffusers for cats and how do they work? Well, listen in because were going to tell you all about them!
Are Cat Pheromone Diffusers Safe
Yes, pheromone diffusers are generally considered safe for cats when used according to the manufacturers directions.
The nice thing about pheromone diffusers is that theyre natural, and unlikely to do any harm. They can therefore be used for non-anxious cats, and for cats with on-and-off anxiety, without any risk at all, says Dr. Woodnutt.
Though diffusers use synthetic pheromones, these copycat markers work the same way naturally-occurring pheromones do by sending chemical signals that trigger changes in cat brains and behavior.
Unlike calming medicines or sedatives, pheromones natural and synthetic dont have to be ingested or metabolized. So you dont have to worry about any interactions or dosing recommendations. Pheromone diffusers are also safe to use around kittens. In fact, many use the same markers released by mother cats to soothe newborn kittens.
Its still a good idea to keep a close watch on your cat when using a pheromone diffuser for the first time. Every cat is different, and some additives, like scent, may bother sensitive cats. If you notice any adverse reaction, discontinue using the diffuser and contact your veterinarian for guidance.
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Are Pheromones Dangerous For Cats
As a result, hiding, scratching, or spraying are less likely to occur due to stress. The natural behavior of cats is to communicate with each other through cat pheromones. It is always safe for your cat to receive cat messages from another cat, whether they come in contact with pheromones or FELIWAY.
Understanding Mother Cat Pheromones
Pheromones play a very important role in ensuring harmony and bonding between a mother cat and her kittens. A mother cats pheromones, secreted in the mammary area, from glands around her nipples. This Cat Appeasing Pheromone, this helps nursing kittens feel secure and content. It also helps the kittens to get along. This pheromone can help a mother cat to identify her kittens if they become separated. It also helps cats mark other individuals as familiar friends. Because of this, the appeasing pheromone can reduce conflict and tensions between cats. FELIWAY MultiCat mimics the natural Cat Appeasing Pheromone. When used in homes of cats with conflicts, they become more accepting, less aggressive, and are more likely to approach in a friendly manner.
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Which Pheromone Product Should You Use
The two brands Im most familiar with are Feliway and ComfortZone. Anecdotal feedback from my clients suggests that the original Feliway line produces better results than the Comfort Zone line. Feline veterinarian Dr. Andrea Tasi, of Just Cats Naturally, a house-call based, feline-exclusive practice dedicated to a holistic, individualized approach to each cat, concurs. I always advise my client to spend the money for the Feliway product, she says. All the original studies demonstrating fewer stress related behaviors in veterinary clinic cages that were pretreated with Feliway were done with the original product with a higher concentration of pheromones.
Feliway and Comfort Zone with Feliway products are and Amazons prices are the lowest Ive been able to find anywhere. Once youve purchased the diffuser kit, you can buy refills for additional savings. Diffusers should be replaced very six months for best results.
Have you used pheromone diffusers? Please share your experience in a comment.
This post was first published in 2018 and has been updated.
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What Is Most Calming For Cats
Feliway Classic Calming Spray for Cats is the overall best cat calming aid on the market because it is easy to use, it is affordable, and it does not smell gross to humans. The formula has been clinically proven to reduce stress levels and increase comfort in cats because it mimics the cats own pheromones.
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When Should I Use Feline Pheromones
Stress in cats can have serious consequences for both health and behavior, and should not be taken lightly. Pheromones can be a wonderful help to some cats, but more severe cases of anxiety may need intense behavioral therapy and even medication.
If your cat seems healthy and happy, but you have a potentially stressful event occurring, such as a fireworks show or a trip to the veterinarian, then pheromones may be a useful intervention to minimize anxiety for your cat.
However, if your cat is showing more marked signs of problems, such as urine spraying, excessive meowing, scratching, or aggression, it is always advisable to book a checkup with the vet. This is necessary to rule out any health concerns, and to discuss an ongoing plan for your kitty.
How Can I Tell If My Cat Is Expressing Stress
Symptoms of stress in cats can be both physical and behavioral. Physical symptoms of stress in cats include lethargy, poor appetite or interest in eating inedible things, overgrooming, diarrhea, vomiting and thats just to name a few. And when it comes to changes in behavior due to stress, youll notice any abrupt changes in your pets routine, such as peeing or pooping outside the litterbox, aggression, clinginess, tendency to hide, excessive scratching or meowing, or urine spraying. Just have in mind that some of these symptoms might also signify an underlying medical issue, so be sure to consult with a vet for a proper diagnosis to eliminate any health problems from the get-go.
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What Is A Cat Pheromone Diffuser
Pheromone diffusers contain synthetic chemicals that mimic a variety of naturally occurring pheromones known to soothe cats. Like electronic air fresheners, they plug into standard electrical outlets and require periodic cartridge changes.
These plug-ins are odorlesshumans and other pets cant detect the scent of cat pheromones.
There are two different types of pheromone blends used for cat stress relief: calming pheromones and multi-cat pheromones.
Calming pheromone blends imitate a cats facial pheromone. These pheromones are helpful for homes with one cat.
When your cat rubs their face on you or the furniture, theyre claiming their territory by releasing pheromones, explains Rodriguez. These pheromones help a cat feel safe and secure by giving them a sense of familiarity and belonging.
Multi-cat pheromone solutions replicate the pheromones that a mother cat releases to soothe her kittens.
These pheromones help put cats at ease in the presence of other cats, says Rodriguez. Multi-cat pheromone diffusers are best used in homes with multiple cats who are experiencing tension or conflict.