Does Feliway Work? Comfort Zone Feliway Cat Plug-in Diffuser Product Review

When cats get agitated, angry, or just temperamental, their owners have to deal with the consequences. Meowing, scratching the couch, the rug, your favorite piece of furniture, your legs, biting even, otherwise known as the many faces of an angry cat. Enter Feliway, either in spray or plugin diffuser form, and your cat is suddenly more silent, stepping away from the couch, rug, furniture, or finally letting go of your leg. Magic? Definitely not. Feromones! That’s the secret behind Feliway! It mimics the feline happy hormones to de-stress your cat and improve your life. Want to find out more about this calm-kitty spray? Read on!

Feliway Diffuser — A Quick Look

Feliway comes in spray or diffuser form and it reduces your cat’s stress levels by releasing pheromones in the air. The product emulates the natural pheromones that a mother cat releases to calm her kittens, so it actually feels like a warm hug. It is very useful in almost all situations when your cat is stressed out and might display erratic behavior like hiding, scratching, meowing, biting, urine spraying, or fighting your other cats. Feliway actively reduces this type of behavioral issues by reducing general stress levels and calming the cat down in a natural way.  

Are Feliway Diffusers Veterinary Recommended?

According to the Feliway official website, there are numerous studies and clinical trials that have proven the efficacy of their product. The best possible proof is that you’ll find Feliway diffusers used in veterinary clinics.

The next time you take your cat to the vet, look around the exam room. There’s a high chance you’ll see a Feliway for cats diffuser plugged in. Why? Because veterinarian visits are some of the major stressful situations in any cat’s life and your vet knows it. By helping the cat be less stressed when it comes in for its examination, the entire experience is better for both the cat and the vet.

When animals are very stressed, examining them is very difficult because they can be aggressive and because the stress might affect some of the parameters that the vet wants to examine such as heart rate and body temperature, both of which increase when the animal is stressed.

Moreover, for some specialized examinations, such as cardiology examinations, eliminating the stress effect is extremely important. In fact, helping the cat to calm down is the first step of a vet cardio examination.

FAQs

Still wondering how Feliway works and how cats respond to it? Then take a look as we go through the most commonly asked questions about the product.

Can Feliway be harmful to cats?

No, Feliway is not harmful to cats because it mimics a natural pheromone that cats produce. This will only have an effect on the cat’s behavior, and not on their human companions or other animals you might have. What you may notice as the diffuser is plugged in is that the cat might be grooming more than usual or it might have an increased appetite.

Can Feliway cause aggression?

No, Feliway mimics a pheromone that mother cats produce to calm their kittens, which is universally calming for cats. Studies have shown that it has great results in reducing aggression in cats, even in multi-cat households.

Does Feliway make cats sleepy?

While Feliway has a calming effect on cats, it is not a sedative. The active ingredient in it is a synthetic pheromone, which is different from sedative medication that might make the cat go to sleep. The diffuser will make the cat calm down without making it sleepy.

Does Feliway have side effects?

Since Feliway uses a synthetic pheromone that mimics a natural one that mother cats release to calm their kittens down, it does not have side effects on cats. Some cats may groom themselves more than usual or they might be more interested in food, but this type of behavior can be linked to kitten behavior. When kittens are with their mother, they feed and then they groom themselves.

As for side effects that humans might display, these are very rare. Some people have reported feeling nauseous or having a headache after they’ve spent a long time in a room where a Feliway diffuser is plugged in.

How quickly does Feliway work?

Considering that the Feliway diffuser has to spread the synthetic pheromone in the entire room to be efficient, it can take up to 24 hours to reach the right levels. Once this happens, the effects of the pheromone are almost immediate on the cat. If you intend to use Feliway for a situation that you anticipate will be stressful for your cat, it might be a good idea to plug in the diffuser two or three days prior to this, if possible, to make sure that the diffuser has spread a sufficient quantity of pheromones in the room. If you’re dealing with an extended stressful situation, such as bringing home a new baby or a new cat, or having one member of the family relocate, then you can leave the Feliway diffuser plugged in. If needed, keep in mind that you can simply refill it.

Can Feliway make cats worse?

No, it can’t. The natural pheromone that Feliway mimics has a calming effect that reduces anxiety levels in all cats. No study or clinical trial has found cats to respond with increased aggression or anxiety by being exposed to the synthetic pheromone, so rest assured that your cat will not get worse.

How does Feliway make cats feel?

Feliway reduces anxiety levels in cats and makes them feel calm, which leads to a notable improvement in the cat’s behavior. They won’t be sleepy like they would after being administered a sedative. They won’t be overly loving or hyperexcited like they would after getting catnip. They will simply calm down, purr lightly, and likely groom themselves.

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Have you used the Comfort Zone Feliway product or Comfort Zone cat diffuser?  How did it work for you?