
There are various types of Feliway products with their own recommended uses. Feliway Classic Diffuser is recommended for use if your cat has problems with hiding, scratching, and spraying or urine marking. Feliway Friends/Multicat is the best type to use to reduce conflict in multi-cat households with the help of feline appeasement hormones. FeliScratch by Feliway is recommended for use to prevent inappropriate scratching while the Feliway Classic Spray is the best type to use before travel, during vet visits, or if you’re moving to another home. It can also reduce stress in cats during thunderstorms, fireworks, or when there are loud noises due to parties and holidays.
What are the types of Feliway products?
Feliway products are created and manufactured by Ceva Sante Animale, a multinational animal health company based in France. These products contain a synthetic copy of feline facial pheromones that cats use to mark territories as safe and secure. With the help of these synthetic cat pheromones, Feliway products create familiarity and security in cats’ surroundings, alleviating their stress and anxiety.
The Feliway range of products comes in various types and these are the following:
1. Feliway Classic Diffuser
This Feliway product helps to comfort cats and alleviate signs of stress like scratching, urine spraying, and hiding. It helps create a relaxed and loving environment at home and helps your cat become comfortable and calm. It’s highly recommended and used by veterinarians plus it’s also clinically-proven so you’re assured that it’s safe to use for your cats. The diffuser covers an area of up to 70 square meters and for continuous comfort make sure to use a Feliway Classic refill each month. The diffuser should be replaced every six months to ensure its good condition.
Directions for use: Simply screw the vial into the diffuser unit and plug it into an electric socket and leave the diffuser switched on continuously for 24 hours a day to achieve optimum results.
When should you use Feliway Classic Diffuser?
Use this product if your pet cat is peeing outside the litter box or spraying urine, if she’s showing discomfort like hiding if she is over-grooming herself, has a reduced appetite and she looks inactive and uninterested of playtime. You can also use this product if there are anticipated changes in the household like the arrival of a new pet or family member if you’re redecorating, or about to move to a new home.
If your pet kitty is scratching walls or furniture in addition to other signs of stress, then you may use it along with FeliScratch by Feliway.
When should you NOT use Feliway Classic Diffuser?
You should not use this product if your cat is hiding, peeing, and eating less for health and medical reasons. The best thing to do in this situation is to consult your vet right away. It will also not help with the urine spraying issue if you don’t provide clean litter boxes for your cat so make sure that there are extra litter boxes at home. The product will also not deter scratching if you don’t have accessible scratching posts at home because scratching is a natural behavior among cats so make sure that there are scratching posts at home that your cat can easily access. Most importantly, Feliway won’t help if the aggression is directed towards you, and in this case, it’s best to consult your vet or a cat behaviorist.
Where to use Feliway Classic Diffuser?
You should use this product in the room where your feline spends most of her time or where most of the unusual behavior happens like urine spraying and scratching. There’s a need to use multiple diffusers if many rooms were affected.
Where NOT to use Feliway Classic Diffuser?
Don’t use this product on hallways since cats rarely spend their time there except if it’s located in a particular where urine marking usually occurs. Also, avoid using it near litter boxes since cats don’t lounge around that area and it’s also not a litter box attractant.
2. Feliway Multicat/Friends Diffuser
This product helps to alleviate the conflict between multiple cats in the same household and prevent signs of aggression toward each other like fighting, blocking, staring, and chasing. It helps your cats to get along well and if used continuously it maintains harmony. It’s recommended by veterinarians, it’s clinically-proven, and safe to use.
Directions for use: Simply screw the vial to the diffuser unit and plug it to an electric socket. It should be switched on 24 hours a day to ensure the best results and to keep the harmony among your cats. After every month, use Feliway Friends/Multicat Refill for continuous results and be sure to replace the diffuser unit every 6 months.
When to use Feliway Friends/Multicat?
You should use this product if you have multiple cats in your household and they’re showing aggressive behavior toward each other like staring, blocking, chasing, and fighting. If your cats also manifest urine spraying and scratching then you may use it alongside Feliway Classic Diffuser.
When NOT to use Feliway Friends/Multicat?
You should not use this product if the aggression is directed to you and other family members. It’s best to consult a vet or behaviorist to address the problem. Discontinue use if after a few weeks there’s no positive result and consult your vet on other measures to take.
Where to use Feliway Friends/Multicat?
Use this product in the room where your cats love to spend most of their time and where the tension and fighting happen most of the time. If they spend time in multiple rooms then you may require a few diffusers.
Where NOT to use Feliway Friends/Multicat?
The product should not be used along hallways since cats rarely stay in that area. Also, it shouldn’t be used behind doors, curtains, or furniture as well as under shelves as it will not have any effect at all.
3. Feliway Classic Spray
This product provides a calming experience for your cat if going on trips or car rides and also provides additional support at home. It makes visits to the vet less stressful and allows for convenient management of the areas where your cat manifests urine marking or even scratching.
Directions for use: Spray directly on the cat’s carrier if you’re about to visit the vet or car rides and be sure to do the process again at least every 4 to 5 hours. Be sure to wait for at least 10 minutes after spraying before you put your cat in the carrier. At home, be sure to spray once daily on specific areas to reduce urine marking especially on doorways, window sills, and other prominent objects. Be sure to spray on marked areas after a thorough cleanup to prevent repeated markings. Very important: Don’t spray directly to your cat, never spray carriers if your cat is in it, and don’t ever spray into scratching posts as it will dissuade your cat from using it at all.
When to use Feliway Classic Spray
Use this product before visiting the vet or traveling with your cat by spraying the carrier at least 8 times. Wait for 10 minutes and then place your cat in the carrier. You should also use it if your cat is showing signs of stress and discomfort during transport such as vomiting, agitation, and constant meowing. It’s also recommended for use at home if your cat is showing signs of stress like hiding and urine spraying. It can be used alongside FeliScratch by Feliway if your cat is scratching in inappropriate areas.
When NOT to use Feliway Classic Spray
Don’t use this product as a motion sickness treatment. What you can do is to withhold food for at least 6 hours before traveling to avoid vomiting and nausea. Give your cat enough water during the trip and consult your vet on the proper things to do. This product is also not helpful if your cat is peeing, eating less, or hiding due to medical or health reasons What you can do is to consult your vet right away for the proper diagnosis and treatment. It will also not work when it comes to urine spraying if you don’t have ample litter boxes so make sure to have extra ones that are accessible to your cat. The product won’t deter scratching either if there are no accessible scratching posts at home so make sure there are any for your pet kitty. If the signs of aggression are directed towards you and family members, consult your vet or a behaviorist right away.
Where to use Feliway Classic Spray
Use and spray this product 8 times and directly on beddings and inside the car and carrier. Spray at least once every day on areas at home where your cat usually pees or scratches on such as on doors and sofas.
Where NOT to use Feliway Classic Spray
Don’t spray and use directly on your cat and don’t spray on scratching posts as it will discourage your cat from using it.
4. Feliscratch by Feliway
This product helps redirect your cat’s scratching into the scratching post instead of your furniture or curtains. It’s recommended by vets and clinically-proven to reduce and stop unwanted scratching. It may be used alongside with Feliway Classic Spray if your cat has been scratching for quite a long time already and spray the area where your cat should not scratch.
Directions for use: Simply apply the product to your cat’s scratching post and draw 2 to 3 vertical lines. Use 1 pipette daily in the first week and another pipette at the beginning of the third and fourth weeks. To apply, lay the scratching post over a sink or on a newspaper and apply slowly, drawing 2 or 3 lines and wait for 5 minutes to allow the solution to dry before putting the post in an upright position. Place the scratching post near the area where your cat usually scratches and sleeps. If you have multiple cats, ensure that each one has its own scratching post to avoid competition.
When to use FeliScratch
Use this product when there’s a new scratching post or if you want to entice your cat to a scratching post even if it’s a post she’s been ignoring for awhile. You should also use it if your cat is scratching at unwanted locations for a long time already and if you’re adopting a new cat or kitten to avoid inappropriate scratching at home. Also, this product may be used if you anticipate stressful changes in the household.
When NOT to use FeliScratch
FeliScratch should not be used if the scratching is directed towards you or other family members and what you can do is to consult your vet or a behaviorist to assess the situation and provide a proper solution.
Where to use FeliScratch
Use this product on your cat’s scratching post and position the post on a favorite sleeping area or near a door or window but don’t place it on a corner or behind your furniture. The post, preferably a vertical scratching post, should stand upright and tall enough so your cat will stretch while scratching.
Where NOT to use FeliScratch
Don’t use the product on areas where you don’t want your cat to scratch such as walls or furniture and scratching posts that are hung on the door or leaning on a wall are not recommended.
Conclusion
Feliway products relieve stress and anxiety among cats and prevent common signs of tension and aggression. Each product of the Feliway brand has a specific specialization or may be used together for specific symptoms like scratching and aggression among multiple cats in the household. While the level of effectiveness may vary, it’s highly recommended to consult your veterinarian for proper advice should the tension and symptoms persist after a month of use.