Can Feilway Cause Aggression?

[Cjacob]

I have and 11 month old neutered mle and we just adopted a 1 1/2 year old spayed female. Things were going ok she was fine with him but he was still being territorial and a bully towards her but nothing to bad. He was blocking, staring, and only once when she was in the living room he meowed like he meant business and chased her I removed him before anything happened. I bought a feilway diffuser and with in a couple hours he wasn’t able to be in the same room as her with out attacking and biting the back of her neck! I removed him for the rest of the day and tried again this morning but it was the same he doesn’t hesitate he just runs and bites the back of her neck. I tried distracting him with treats, toys, and even sprayed him with water but it’s like a one track mind. I unplugged the Feilway just curious if anyone else had this response from using it? Also any tips to get him to accept her greatly appreciated I have followed the introductions to the T and feel like we’re not making any progress it seems to be all my cat not the new one too

 

[Ladewyn]

...It's supposed to do the exact opposite and reduce stress and increase docility. I would say this is probably coincidental. He was being aggressive before, and it escalated as it sometimes happens after being stressed for a while. It probably just coincidentally occurred after you bought the Feliway.
How slowly did you introduce them? It's pretty standard to introduce cats slowly, usually keeping the new cat in their own room behind a closed door, and getting them used to each other's scent before a direct face to face. I will say when we had a sudden new cat in our home, there were initially spats, and they fought all the time and now they're best friends. They just had to get used to each other.
Also, is it *just* the neck he bites? Is he pulling when he bites or is he just...biting? Possibly by getting on top of her? Because that's usually pretty standard sexual/dominance aggression in cats, and something they do when establishing their territory to a newcomer.

 

[Cjacob]

...It's supposed to do the exact opposite and reduce stress and increase docility. I would say this is probably coincidental. He was being aggressive before, and it escalated as it sometimes happens after being stressed for a while. It probably just coincidentally occurred after you bought the Feliway.
How slowly did you introduce them? It's pretty standard to introduce cats slowly, usually keeping the new cat in their own room behind a closed door, and getting them used to each other's scent before a direct face to face. I will say when we had a sudden new cat in our home, there were initially spats, and they fought all the time and now they're best friends. They just had to get used to each other.
Also, is it *just* the neck he bites? Is he pulling when he bites or is he just...biting? Possibly by getting on top of her? Because that's usually pretty standard sexual/dominance aggression in cats, and something they do when establishing their territory to a newcomer.

We’ve been doing the standard introductions she was isolated once hissing stopped through the door we opened it a crack until they could tolerate that then short face to face. It’s been about 2 1/2 weeks since we got the new cat. It appears to just be biting and yes he gets on her back and holds her down to the ground. I’m just never sure how long to let this go on. I know some people say they have to fight for dominance but I’m afraid she will end up to submissive and terrified of him.

 

[rubysmama]

I've never used Feliway, but Googled "Feliway side effects" and the below 2 links both have posts where the cats became more territorial instead of less after trying Feliway.

Anyone ever had bad Feliway reactions? | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB
Feliway is causing my cat to act strangely...

You may have already read them, but TCS has some articles on cat introductions which may be helpful.

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction
Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
The Multi-cat Household
How To Safely Break Up A Cat Fight

 

[Tobermory]

I’ve used Feliway for years and never had problems with it. That’s not to say that it couldn’t happen, though. There are two kinds. The original, which they’re calling Classic now, and newer the Multicat. Here are the descriptions:

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. When 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. You can provide calming and comfort at home and help prevent or reduce urine spraying, scratching or hiding.​

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.​

I’m currently using both. I adopted a three-year-old semi feral girl, Mocha, in the fall, and the two 13-year-old resident kitties, Lily and Iris, were very unhappy about it. In fact, Lily was quite angry and somewhat aggressive toward Mocha, who is not at all aggressive and loves other cats. I had prepared for her arrival by getting the Classic version, but Lily continued to be so angry and upset that I also bought the Multicat. I plugged both of them in the same room—the room where Lily spends most of her time. I noticed a real improvement, and if I forget to check it, I can tell when it runs dry because of Lily’s behavior. Lily still doesn’t like Mocha but she ignores her most of the time. Mocha seems to have given up trying to make friends with her. I hope I can discontinue using the diffusers at some point, but we’re not there yet!

I agree with L Ladewyn . It really sounds like a sexual/dominance thing. Cats mate by the male climbing on the female’s back and gripping her neck with his teeth. Are they both recently fixed? I wonder if there are some residual hormones at play. It takes awhile after the surgery to work the hormones out of their system.

 

[Cjacob]

He was neutered in November and she was spayed before that. I’m hoping he settles down soon

 

[sabrinah]

My aunt has 2 cats, male (5 years old) and female (6 or 7 I think), both fixed, and a couple years ago the male started trying to mount the female. Mind you, this is years after he was neutered. He would bite the back of her neck, go around behind her, and crouch there awkwardly while failing to accomplish anything at all. But he tries. He tries very hard. The veterinarians say it's just an instinct that isn't done away with by neutering. Some cats still seem to have it, others not so much.