Does Feliway really work?

amarshall0919

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Has anyone used feliway, and it actually helped behavioral problems in their cat? I really need to know because no matter what we do, our female cat won’t stop trying to attack our male cat. The vet says she is healthy.
 
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Remi&RiRi

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I tried it when I introduced my cats for the first time and also used it when we moved. I feel like it helps to calm them down a bit but it definitely doesn't eliminate any cat fighting on its own. I think to really see results in the cats behavior multiple methods have to be used, not just Feliway on its own. Some cats also respond differently to certain diffusers. Some people may have more luck with comfort zone or only natural pet's just relax. Best of luck to you :)
 

fionasmom

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I had no luck with it, but it seems that the answer to your question is that if it works for you, it worked. I don't mean that to be sarcastic. Some people have seemingly great success with it and others don't.

It might calm a cat, but I have to agree that I don't think it would stop fighting.
 
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amarshall0919

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Thank you. The vet told us that she has dominance issues, and may have to be an only cat. She has even began to turn her attacks towards me, and she is incredibly vicious when these attacks happen. I am currently 6 months pregnant, and it is hard for me to get her to stop. I have raised her since she was 3 weeks old. We introduced her and Midnight when she was 3 months old. They were best friends. Right before her first birthday is when the change happened. We thought maybe it was a health issue, but it is not. The only way we can keep both cats safe is to keep them separated at all times. This is difficult and I know not the best environment for them. I am truly upset. I do not want to get rid of her, but I definitely won’t be able to allow these attacks to still go on. It truly terrifies me at the thought of her going at our baby like how she goes after me.

Here is a picture of the both of them when they loved each other.
 

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Kflowers

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When you got her health checked did the vet do a full body x-ray? Our kit was getting more aggressive from about two months. Due to previous experiences I asked for a full body x-ray. The vet didn't want to do it, waste of money etc etc. What the x-ray showed was that in the less than one year old cat there was major arthritis on three of her vertebra. She's allergic to all the fancy vet meds so they put her on dasuquin. Within a week she was a different cat, no aggression, but mad to play, you know the difference. I'm not saying this is what is wrong with your girl, but arthritis can happen at any age, from an injury years before that seemed like nothing. It is worth a look.
 
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amarshall0919

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They did not do an X-ray! Shes going back to the vet after September 10th to get a further check up. I will ask about the X-ray!
 

Tobermory

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A couple of things.

First, Feliway. Which version are you using? When I used it, there were two kinds of Feliway for diffusers, one for stress reduction (the original, labeled “Classic”) and one for multicat households where there’s aggression among cats (labeled “Multicat”). I’ve used both in the past and they’ve helped my cats although not all cats respond to it. Here are the descriptions from the Feliway website:

Feliway Classic: When comfortable and happy, cats mark their territory as familiar by rubbing their face against corners, furniture, people, or other cats at home. They leave an odorless message known as a feline facial pheromone. Wh men present in the environment, these "happy messages" provide comfort and security to cats. By mimicking the natural feline reassuring messages, FELIWAY CLASSIC helps your cat happily adjust to pace of modern life.​

Feliway Multicat: Mother cats communicate with her kittens through natural messages released into the air. These "harmony messages" are called cat appeasing pheromones. They help maintain social bonds between cats of all ages. By mimicking these natural feline appeasing messages, FELIWAY MultiCat helps your cats live in harmony and avoid tension, conflict and fighting.​

But they now have a third one that I haven't tried called Feliway Optimum that also addresses issues of aggression between cats. Here's the link: FELIWAY Optimum Discovery / Products / Feliway

If you're not using either the Multicat or the new Optimum, you might give them a try.

Second, did her aggression predate your pregnancy? If it started about the same time, she may be responding to your pheromones. Many years ago, I was going through a stressful situation: My father was dying of lung cancer. He was 300 miles away, and I was driving there and back every week. My male cat, Max, began to stalk and violently attack Iris, one of my female cats (but oddly, not the other cat). He also attacked me. I had to rotate Max and Iris in and out of isolation for several months. I used both kinds of Feliway with them, but also, once my father died and my stress decreased, Max's problem simply went away. It never happened again. He and Iris were once again friends and remained that way for the next 11 years. So he was reacting to my stress. Is it possible that that could be the case with your kitty?
 

stephanietx

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We have used ComfortZone multicat after Feliway multicat became ineffective. We also used Peacemaker drops from Spirit Essences. They may have a different drop that can help with your situation. You can contact them on their website.
 
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amarshall0919

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I’m currently not using any of the Feliway, I wanted some opinions before I spent the money on it! Also, she has never been aggressive before this. We found out we were expecting in April. She has been fine all of these months, and then just randomly snapped on July 21st. I am under quite a bit of stress because of my job, the pregnancy, and the cat situation.

She is super sweet at times. Right now she is cuddled up in my lap, purring, and trying to take a nap. She is just incredibly unpredictable.
 

ArtNJ

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There haven't been many independent studies, and they have been small, so nothing has been scientifically proven or disproven. That said, many cat behavioral problems get better fast on their own, and some linger. So of course some people will report the product seemed to work, even if it doesn't. Count me a skeptic.

I look at it this way - if millions of people shell out $$ every year for cough syrup, which has been 100% proven NOT to work, then why would one assume Feliway works just because a lot of people are using it? As least with cough syrup, it has a placebo effect which may provide some comfort, which is not nothing. With Feliway, the only placebo effect would be on the humans lol.
 

neely

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I am under quite a bit of stress because of my job, the pregnancy, and the cat situation.
Stress can definitely be a part of the puzzle. Cats are intuitive and since you raised her since she was three weeks old she is in tune to your routine as well as the anxiety you are exhibiting. Your body chemistry changes when you are pregnant and your blood flow increases which affects your body temperature. So she may be able to sense your pregnancy. Can your spouse or partner show her more attention? This may help the situation. It's worth a try! Good luck with both your pregnancy and your cat. :hangin:
 

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I have a question. Are both cats spayed/neutered? If not, that could play into the aggression. If they are, stress could very well be part of it.

I have used the Feliway diffuser but my cats didn't seem to react to it. The spray in their carriers before going on a trip seems to be more effective in calming them.
 

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I think it can be hit or miss and like others stated there are different varieties. I use the comfort zone calming collar and have had some positive results. I'm leary of the diffusers because they frequently leak.
 
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amarshall0919

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We have a Halloween decoration that I got that has a cartoon black cat on it. I had it out and was going to get a picture of her with it so I can get a head start on Halloween cards. She was fine, and then when she seen this cartoon animal, she immediately stopped in her tracks, puffed up, and almost attacked the decoration. This is what I mean by almost anything can set her off.
 
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amarshall0919

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We have a Halloween decoration that I got that has a cartoon black cat on it. I had it out and was going to get a picture of her with it so I can get a head start on Halloween cards. She was fine, and then when she seen this cartoon animal, she immediately stopped in her tracks, puffed up, and almost attacked the decoration. This is what I mean by almost anything can set her off.

I also should add that this is not the first time she has seen this decoration. She sees it almost every day in storage. She has never reacted this way towards it before.
 

theyremine

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I use the multi cat Feliway continuously and in multiple rooms. It keeps harmony (most of the time) between my 4 former ferals. IThey each have their own space but they do spend time together most of the day. Sometimes there is redirected aggression if a strange cat shows up outside their windows or awkwardness is one has been to the vet but these incidents are short lived.
 
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amarshall0919

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If she is not fixed, I would try to hang onto her at least through the spaying procedure and recovery which is about 30 days for the hormones to settle down.

Our closest vet has her on the list to get spayed in October, but they said it could be pushed as far back as November. I’m wondering if we should try to attempt to go somewhere else that could get her in sooner because it’s going to be very hard to wait that long.
 
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