Does Feliway really work?

[cat_crazy]

Does anyone have experience with Feliway working for them? I'm thinking of getting the stuff in the spray bottle for spraying in carriers. Rocky's a trooper and actually kind of likes going to the vet. Penny flat out hates it and thinks it's the worst thing in the world. She stresses out so much and always ends up urinating and defecating in her carrier. Princess is in the middle. I'd probably want to use it for her to.
Would Feliway help at all?

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by Cat_crazy

Does anyone have experience with Feliway working for them? I'm thinking of getting the stuff in the spray bottle for spraying in carriers. Rocky's a trooper and actually kind of likes going to the vet. Penny flat out hates it and thinks it's the worst thing in the world. She stresses out so much and always ends up urinating and defecating in her carrier. Princess is in the middle. I'd probably want to use it for her to.
Would Feliway help at all?

It does work here... Make sure to spray about 30 minutes before you put them in the carrier. My vet also sprays the vet table before letting the cats on it. I also make a point to spray the car before the vet trip.

 

[missymotus]

For some it works, for others it doesn't. Some it can even make the behaviours much worse. But you won't really know until you try.

 

[brooklet425]

I love Feliway and absolutely think it works for my cats. I've never used it in the carrier but I have 4 diffusers plugged in around my house and I can always tell when they are empty because the cats start acting horrible. When they all start misbehaving and fighting with each other, the first thing I do is check the diffusers and they are always empty. As soon as they are refilled, they calm down

. So I'd definitely try it if I was you!

 

[kkh]

Originally Posted by missymotus

For some it works, for others it doesn't. Some it can even make the behaviours much worse. But you won't really know until you try.

Plug-in is absolutely a savior for Ku Ku. I can't imagine how Ku Ku will be like without it!
Strange thing is, though...spray does not work for Ku Ku.
She gets really angry whenever I use it.

It was working before we moved to Hawaii - I used it for her crate in the morning of traveling. She was completely OK with it then... Maybe because I started using it before bringing her to a vet.
She instantly thinks that when she smells the spray, that's the time for "a house of horror"...

 

[cat_crazy]

Can you return it if it doesn't work? Or does that depend on the individual store?

 

[bengalite]

Well, I am frugal beyond belief, so I cannot attest to the powers or lackthereof of Feliway, but I've heard about a 50/50 split of it working or not.

What I do it make a cat nip and camomile solution, like you would make tea, and place the solution in a spray bottle and spray both cats. It helps masks individual odors and they smell a little similar to each other and appears less threatened by each others presence. That and both have calming effects that are immediately evident through their body language.

Plus, it's not 40 bucks, more like 5 dollars. Distilled water, catnip and camomile.

 

[otto]

I love feliway plug in diffusers. I only plug it in if there is going to be situations in my home that may cause stress to my cats. Makes all the difference.

 

[clpeters23]

Originally Posted by Brooklet425

I love Feliway and absolutely think it works for my cats. I've never used it in the carrier but I have 4 diffusers plugged in around my house and I can always tell when they are empty because the cats start acting horrible. When they all start misbehaving and fighting with each other, the first thing I do is check the diffusers and they are always empty. As soon as they are refilled, they calm down

. So I'd definitely try it if I was you!

Same here. I swear by Feliway to help keep the peace between Moose and Lucy. I always have diffusers plugged in with plenty of refills.

 

[gingersmom]

Originally Posted by otto

I love feliway plug in diffusers. I only plug it in if there is going to be situations in my home that may cause stress to my cats. Makes all the difference.

Ferris and I swear by them. They help keep him calm in stressful times, and as he's a former feral prone to panic attacks, I always keep some on hand in case they are needed.

I think Feliway is what enabled me to help guide Ferris through to the point where he is now actually coming out to meet and sniff my guests, whereas once upon a time, if you visited me, you would never know I have an orange tiger!

 

[petfindergal]

Hmm-mm I think I'll get a refill for my Feliway diffuser and try it again. I used it once when we had a kitty-aggression issue, but wasn't really sure if it worked. I know I didn't have enough units, though to test it properly.

 

[tx_kat]

My kittens are feral and calmed down within 24 hours of plugging in the Feliway diffuser. They don't like the Feliway spray, though - the seem to get "mad" when something I've sprayed with it gets near them.

 

[lyrajean]

The diffuser has worked wonderfully on my Aya who is a stress pee-er. AS in gets stressed easilly and whizzes on my bed my sofa etc... Combined with cat attract litter additive it has remarkably reduced the incidence of whizzing on my stuff. In fact she now only whizzes on my bed if I forget to change the diffuser every 4 weeks!

 

[gidgits mum]

Hi.  I have a rescued cat coming up for two years old.  He is very anxious.  I plugged the Feliway in where I thought would be the best situation for the cat (I have a small house) & I honestly don't know.  He seems to enjoy his home.  He comes & goes as he pleases & spends time outdoors.  I can't smell it & it hasn't done any harm, as far as I can see.  Was expensive.  When it runs out, I do believe I will refill it.  I'm always observing my best mate, & try to put myself in his slippers.  Jackson Galaxy is an excellent source of  Kitty information.  Most excellent regards to all custodians of Furry, Finned & Feathered - all our animal friends.  

 

[gidgits mum]

Yes.  I too have an Orange Tiger, also rescued, also very anxious.  Mine guy is selective about who he will & whom he will not allow into his life.

I plugged in Feliway cause I thought it couldn't hurt.  He doesn't seem to mind it.

 

[florida42]

Don't waste your money. It's a marketing ploy. You can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool your cat.

 

[alexiso]

I use the diffuser Feliway religiously in my house, it has helped tensions in my 3 cat household and I've noticed a difference if I run out and am waiting to get more. However, Feliway Spray has never worked for me. I just used it two weeks ago to help my cat when we took him to the vet and it did nothing. I'd say don't bother buying the spray. 

 

[zemari]

Not sure about the spray - but the plugins i use about a week before a big event (like bonfire night) and they do help

we also used them when we first got Bonnie (as she was very nervous) and also when we were introducing her to Clyde

I always keep one handy

 

[krystal55]

Well, I am frugal beyond belief, so I cannot attest to the powers or lackthereof of Feliway, but I've heard about a 50/50 split of it working or not.

What I do it make a cat nip and camomile solution, like you would make tea, and place the solution in a spray bottle and spray both cats. It helps masks individual odors and they smell a little similar to each other and appears less threatened by each others presence. That and both have calming effects that are immediately evident through their body language.

Plus, it's not 40 bucks, more like 5 dollars. Distilled water, catnip and camomile.

Wow, Bengalite, I wish I had known about that before I spent a wad of money on a Feliway diffuser for our large garage which does NOT seem to have any effect whatever on our 3 cats (newbie is bullying, other 2 terrorized). Maybe our garage is just too big for 1 diffuser! I am also incredibly frugal, I have to be (crappy job) so I don't believe I will invest any more moolah in Feliway. The diffuser is probably best for strictly house cats in ordinary sized rooms.

 

[alexiso]

 
Wow, Bengalite, I wish I had known about that before I spent a wad of money on a Feliway diffuser for our large garage which does NOT seem to have any effect whatever on our 3 cats (newbie is bullying, other 2 terrorized). Maybe our garage is just too big for 1 diffuser! I am also incredibly frugal, I have to be (crappy job) so I don't believe I will invest any more moolah in Feliway. The diffuser is probably best for strictly house cats in ordinary sized rooms.

Hi krystal, 

I wanted to chime in about your bullying cat and the other two being terrorized. I had that problem with my tiger cat who was attacking (severely at times) my older female. Once I discovered that he was digging his claws into her and hurting her I took him to the vet for a blood test ($$$!) and to see what I could do or if this was hopeless. Blood test came back fine so the vet put him on Paxil, it's a quarter of a tiny pill per day and I stick it in a treat. It has made a world of difference. I have a third cat who was getting very stressed out from the tiger cat attacking the older cat and he started to block because of it. 

Since starting Paxil, my house is at peace, the tiger cat can be in the same room with the female and not do anything at all. It takes a while to kick in and when we weren't home we locked the female away in another room to be safe. I know you said you have a crappy job and vets are super expensive but maybe you could circumvent the blood test and just ask for your cat to be put on paxil? I read that for aggression vets will always do a blood test to see if there's an underlying cause and since my vet is by the book (see: loves money) I had to get that done prior to getting the prescription. Also, the vet said there are pills for the victim but I didn't want to go that route since the tiger cat was the problem. 

I hope that helps, if you have any questions let me know!