Feliway Comfort Zone Spray & Feliway Comfort Zone Plug-In Diffuser

It is believed that cats will not mark with urine any area they have previously marked with their facial pheromones.

Farnam Companies, Inc. applied that belief by developing a spray product, Feliway, which mimics the "friendly" facial pheromones cats apply to surfaces to show their "ownership." Spraying a previously urine-marked surface with Feliway has proven to be greatly effective in discouraging urine spraying.

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. The Feliway Comfort Zone Spray was developed in the mid 1990s to help combat that specific behavior.

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 harmless and 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.)

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.

My three older cats all exhibit occasional stress-related behaviors related to their background. Jaspurr and Joey were born to a household of multiple cats, dogs, and small children, and were only 6.5 weeks old when I adopted them, and came from what best can be described as an "unstable" environment.

Joey has always been somewhat withdrawn, sometimes fearful, or distrustful, although he basically is a sweet, loving cat to those he trusts.

Jaspurr, from early kittenhood, has practiced a habit of "nursing" his left front foot, while kneading and purring. Since this occurs only when he is in close proximity to a human companion, we assume this habit is one of comfort, possibly driven by insecurity. Consequently, we have made no real effort in the past to physically restrain him from his need to "nurse."

Billy was in a foster home environment with a number of cats of all ages, and spent several weeks in a cage each Saturday and Sunday during "adoption days," and was physically underdeveloped and sickly when we adopted him at five months. While he is the most outgoing and personable of the three, particularly with his human, my son, Lance, he still often exhibits distrust and fear with the rest of his human family.

With those challenges in mind, we initially looked forward to testing the Farnam Feliway products. Since we have experienced none of the territorial marking or undesirable scratching behavior, we knew up front our results would be less dramatic and more subjective.

With that last thought in mind, I installed the Feliway Plug-In in my home office, converted from a small bedroom. The cats spend a large part of their daytime hours here, so it seemed a logical place for the test.

After the Initial Two-Week Test:

Joey was noticeably more sociable.
Although he still would sometimes "back off" when approached, he seemed to want more interaction with his human family, and would often jump onto my lap when I was at my computer, or join the rest of us on my bed for our "evening socialization."

Jaspurr still practiced his nursing behavior.
However, he seemed to confine this to sessions in our bed at night after "lights out," rather than during every session of bonding with a human family member.

Billy was noticeably less fearful around his humans
Although he still seemed distrustful of me in particular, he no longer runs away when I approach him. He still is very fearful of strangers, however, and disappears into my son's room the minute he hears the doorbell.

Note:One day I noticed a faint odor of smoke, and the wall outlet was extremely hot to the touch. The outlet was old and the weight of the plugin was causing the plug to sag, creating a short and a possible fire hazard. Replacing the outlet with a new one solved the problem. I would caution anyone using Feliway or any other kind of plugin, such as air fresheners, to be sure the plugin does not sag in the outlet. If it does, replace the outlet immediately to avoid a fire hazard.

Two years ago, a new cat entered my life. Jennifur (Jenny) was a neighborhood stray who visited me day and night after I started feeding her.

A year later, I finally took her in and made her my cat. She still lives in her "safe room," my master bedroom suite. Although Joey visits her regularly, and they get along fairly well, Jaspurr sees her as a threat, and seems determined to do her harm.

I've installed two Feliway Comfort Zone Plugins in the room, and regularly spray the outside of the door with the Feliway Spray. So far, it appears to be helping. Jaspurr no longer scratches at the door, but lies next to it. My son has let him into the room a few times, standing by with a water spray bottle.

Jenny always takes refuge under the bed, but Jaspurr does not try to pursue her. He seems content to lounge in the top of her cat tower, basking in his "ownership" of the room.

We still have a long way to go, but I have hopes that with the dual Feliway approach, and some other training tools, we may eventually achieve a state of peaceful coexistance between Jenny and Jaspurr.