Has anyone tried the plug-in Feliway gizmo for cats?

[Vinca]

I guess it's a pheramone that's misted into the air and is supposed to chill out your cat. My guy was a feral cat and even though we've had him for 11 years, he's still a nervous animal. I was wondering if this might make him a little less edgy.

[CurtEastPoint]

1. I have used it and most evidence I have seen personally and anecdotally is that it does help.

Worth investing in.

[lark]

2. When we got a dog, one of our cats went mental.

We got the spray because the vet said it seemed to be better for severe anxiety to spray it where they sleep, and it seemed to help Basil settle down. They said spraying it on a bandana works well if your cat tolerates it, but Basil hated the kerchief but spraying it where he sleeps worked. I don't remember why I wasn't interested in the plug in, don't remember if it was more expensive or what?

[eppur_se_muova]

3. It seems to be effective, but not 100%, at preventing urine marking.

The pheromone is apparently a "calming pheromone" produced by mother cats when caring for their young. I would consider it worth a try. The caveat is that coverage is limited; one in the house does not cover every room, but you probably don't need to.

My two adopted ferals remain excitable after nearly 8 years; I think that just never goes away, especially since they moved into a house with two cats already resident -- one who considers herself The Boss, and one who is hostile to contact with the younger female at any time.

Without the vaporizer, we were finding urine marking constantly, so it does have some effect.

[Random Boomer]

4. It's worked for me

We have one cat that we rescued as a 10mos old stray kitten. She's very fearful, which is expressed as aggression toward our other cats. The Feliway atomizer seems to calm her down.

It worked best when we kept her locked up during the night in a small room, where the aroma could accumulate. Now, however, she prefers to spend the night in the basement, which is a much larger space, so the atomizer doesn't work quite as well. But we can tell when the bottle has run out because she starts getting cranky and picking (more) fights.

I wince every time I order a 4-pack, because it's expensive, but worth it so far.

[csziggy]

5. Yes, we adopted a very shy, traumatized cat and Feliway seems to help

The first month we had Sabra we only saw her once. She hid under the bed all the time. We knew she was eating, drinking, and pooping, but she might as well been invisible.

I bought three Feliway plug-ins - one for the bedroom where she was hiding, one for the kitchen, and one for the room where my computer is. A few days later I walked into the bedroom and she was on the bed. She immediately ran and hid again, but a few days after that, she let me pet her for the first time. She loves her pets but she's still shy about getting attention. At least now, she will come out and let us see here and sometimes pet her.

Sabra is now bold enough to hang out in the kitchen while I'm cooking - and she recently learned how to use the cat door to get out onto the screened catio. The only time she's still really spooky is when we're walking around with shoes on. She'd been adopted from the Humane Society before we adopted her, and returned. I suspect she was abused by that family. Since the people just dumped her back at the Humane Society in a box, they didn't know the story - but before the people had her, she was not super spooky.

After a few months, I tried not using the Feliway, but Sabra got very skittish, so last month I put the Feliways back out - not in the bedroom this time, but in the kitchen, living room, and my computer room. I wanted her to become more comfortable in the more public areas. Now, instead of staying in the bedroom, she will hang out in the living room, or in here with me.

A tip - Amazon has the three pack refills for much cheaper than other places.

Ah! Sabra just came in here. Pets Time!

[Vinca]

6. Thanks for all the great information everyone. Really! I'm going to try it.

[spinbaby]

7. Use the spray, not the diffuser

The diffuser puts out an oily mist that can leave stains.

[Vinca]

8. I ordered the spray because our house is so big I didn't think the diffuser would work well.

I'm going to spray a little on his favorite spots and hope it calms him a bit. Worth a try. I think it should be here tomorrow.