Felliway - does it work?

SkintMonkey

We've just got a 6 month old kitten from a cat rescue home who is adorable but she is slowly destroying our spare room where we are keeping her during the day. We can't have her in the kitchen as we have another cat who goes out in the day (but shut in at night), so in the day she is in the spare room and then we bring her down in the evening but while she's getting to know the other cat (and has her stitches in) she stays over night back in the spare room.

Anyway, in the room she has toys, scratching post etc, and we do go in when we are home (we work full time, although husband is off this week) and spend time with her and play with her all evening, but when is alone she cries and cries and has pulled up the carpet by the door and I'm worried that when husband goes back to work she will do even more damange!!

It has been suggested to us by a friend to buy felliway plug in which is supposed to help chill cats out. Have you used it? Does it work? Do you think it would work in this instance?

Thanks

SM x

lowis

well, i recently introduced a new cat to my existing cat and i plugged a Feliway in and have it on the go constantly for about 8 weeks now, things are pretty calm considering...i also had one plugged in when my cat was having to make frequent trips to the vets, just to keep stress down, and also because the vets had one plugged in too so the thinking was that the smeel would soothe her whilst at the vets as well.

i also add rescue remedy to my cats water every day...but i have started weaning them off this now as i am hoping they will no longer need it, they seem friendly enough now.

asea

I use rescue remedy for my two cats as well. My vet recommended it & they seem much calmer now (after lots of upheaval & a flight to Italy). Feliway didn't really do much for either of them, although my friends cats reacted very well to it.

I used the feliway handling spray on my hands when I first got the grumpier of my two cats & she wouldn't let me touch her when I had it on! Different cats react differently, I guess!

rita-rabbit

It won't work miracles - she wants more room to roam about & is lonely....!

lauzjp

can I ask what rescue remedy is and where to get it, how much to use?

We have 2 cats - one is ours and was fine until we got lumbered with another cat - would love rid of it, but local charities are unwilling to help. We have got two diffusers going but it only stops the adoptee miaowing so much (which is good!) - they still hate each other...

lowis

you can buy RR from Boots and most chemists, it is a natural remedy - get the dropper version and add about 4 drops to a bowl of water.

you could also try Zyklene - another natural de-stressing/calming product - made of lactium (milk extract) I have read some success stories about this. It comes in pill form (capsules), the cat has 1 pill a day - so you just empty the powder from the capsule and mix it with a tiny bit of food so the cat will eat it. You can buy it from Vet UK and other online vet med suppliers. You pay around £28 for a packet of 100 tablets - it takes about 2-3 weeks to work.

good luck!

rita-rabbit

Hmm - maybe that's what's wrong with Zyklene - the capsules are so large that if you only feed dry it's a major task to get the tablet swallowed - so stress relieving possibilities are then massively reduced!

Oh & then there is the actual price of if & that other users have advised cumulative use is necessary to get any effect......

lowis

if you buy it online then the expenditure is only around £28 every three months.

if you empty the capsule contents onto a piece of cream cheese (or with something else which is easy to mix it with), mix it up - then the cat will usually eat it up, no problem.

~Chameleon~

rita-rabbit wrote: »

Hmm - maybe that's what's wrong with Zyklene - the capsules are so large that if you only feed dry it's a major task to get the tablet swallowed - so stress relieving possibilities are then massively reduced!

The tablets are not intended to be swallowed whole! This is the problem with buying treatments online when you don't have a clue what you're doing rather than speaking to your vet for advice :rolleyes:

lowis

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

The tablets are not intended to be swallowed whole! This is the problem with buying treatments online when you don't have a clue what you're doing rather than speaking to your vet for advice :rolleyes:

personally i always speak to my vet first about any medication or supplement i intend to give my cat. if the product is recommended by him then i usually buy it there and then from the vet, and then if my cat needs more of it then will try and see if it is cheaper online - if it is ALOT cheaper the the online shop gets my business. if it is only a few quid in it then i support my local vet.

if i want to give my cat something i have read about (a supplement or something like 'zyklene' for example) and intend to purchase it online i always consult my vet first too and ask his opinion and also to ask what he charges for the product - i prefer to support my vet so it also gives him an opportunity to try and quote a price to me that is attractive.

i really value my vet - i don't even switch foods without his opinion!

rita-rabbit

Thanks for your comments

If you are medicating one cat & you have another the wet food option doesn't really work (they have wet food as a treat & despite having a bowl each will rush forwards when that is served instead of dry). As I said I will use the other stuff until it runs out. Also will try Remedy Rescue.

Lastly I don't want to give any kind of `treatments' for long periods - only on one-off ocassions so I don't think it's suitable for me & my 2 furbabies.