One of the most frustrating problems to deal with involving cats is the occasional territorial urine spraying. Comfort Zone, a diffuser for a "friendly pheromone," can greatly reduce or completely stop territorial spraying, along with other stress-related behavior.
Anyone who has survived the experience can testify that the challenge of dealing with territorial marking (urine spraying) by an unhappy cat is frustrating and sometimes heartbreaking. This type of behavior often results in abandonment or surrendering the offending cat to a shelter.
In the mid 1990s, Farnam Companies, Inc., developed a new spray product, Feliway, which mimics the "friendly" facial pheromones cats apply to surfaces to show their "ownership." It is believed that cats will not mark with urine any area they have previously marked with their facial pheromones. Spraying a previously urine-marked surface with Feliway has proven to be greatly effective in discouraging urine spraying.
Subsequently, cat owners, veterinarians, and behavioral experts found that Feliway also helped relieve other stress-related symptoms, such as depression, loss of appetite, reduced activity, or withdrawal; and helped with a number of other stressful situations, including moving, multiple cat households, new pets, and visits by strangers.
In September of 2002, Farnam announced the development of a Feliway Plug-In, which is an electric diffuser, similar to those scented home fresheners that have become so popular.
The Feliway Plug-In is a timesaver, because the original Feliway spray had to be reapplied twice-daily for 30 days for maximum effectiveness. With the Feliway Plug-In, all you need to do is attach the plug-in to the bottle, plug it in, and forget it. One vial lasts approximately four weeks, and refills are available at approximately half the cost of the complete unit. One plug-in will accomodate a room of up to 650 square feet. The product is odorless to humans, so much so that I wasn't sure at first if it was "working." The only indication is that the plug-in becomes hot to the touch, as heat activates the diffusion process. (An indicator light would be nice.)
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