Does Feliway really work?

Bailey101

Morning all

I've just got a 2nd cat, and while I was expecting some issues it's a bit worse then I was anticipating. The new cat's hiding out in the spare room all the time (to be expected) but she's growling at my poor wee first cat whenever she sees him and he's really nervous of her

Someone suggested using the Feliway plug ins but they're pretty expensive and I don't want to spend £40 for a couple of them if they're not going to work. Having said that if they'll do the job I'll spend as much as needed.

I've got an appointment with the vet on thursday for the new cats health check and vaccinations and I'll see what he advises but I would love to calm them both down before then if at all possible.

Thanks for reading

Bailey xxx

Maryland_Cookie

Hi Bailey - I'm almost a year into introducing Bobbie to my existing cat Mollie so am speaking only from my experience. We are still having problems with them not getting on, but things are improving, very, very slowly. I've tried EVERYTHING Feliway, Bachs rescue remedy, advice from cat psychotherpists, play therapy (I know lol!!) and to be honest nothing has worked. I didn't rate Feliway at all and had it plugged in constantly, it didn't make any difference at all.

Mollie was 2 when we got Bobbie, who we thought at first was a girl and called her Daisy Mae, so maybe that's where the problems started lol! I went by the book, leaving Bobbie in his safe room and doing scent swapping for days and gradual introdcutions. From day one Mollie was petrified of Bobbie and even now is very wary of him. They have the run of the house during the day, but have to keep them separate at night, as that is their "hot spot" time. They both have their own litter tray and food bowls and have their own favourite place to sleep, but inevitably Bobbie will encroach on Mollie's territory and unsettle her.

On the plus side very recently I have spotten them curled up - not touching - but quite close. I've never seem them groom each other and wonder if they will ever get on as well as I'd like, but they are tolerating each other better. Hope that helps, if you've got any questions please ask x

Bailey101

Thanks for replying - I think I'll give the Feliway a miss if it doesn't make a difference. I'm really hoping that she's just being mean because she's unsettled and it's only been a couple of days - i love her to bits already and don't think I could bring myself to rehome her but I feel so awful for my poor wee boy that he's scared in his own home

xxx

spookylukey

I haven't used a Feliway plug-in in introductions but use it for my cat who is very sensitive. He's always been very affectionate and loving but can be nervy with noises or new things.

With the Feliway plugged in he is a different cat, cheeky & confident and so much more relaxed whereas without Feliway he has moments of leaping through the air like he's been electric shocked for no reason!

picklepick

Feliway worked a treat when we introduced Mylo to Honey. Before the plug in she was snarling and trying to kill him. Within a few hours of having it plugged in she was much more relaxed, became much more tolerant and they're now the bestest of friends!

bulchy

Feliway worked for us when we used it a few years ago.
We had rescued 2 ferrall kittens, they were about 7 months old, very wild, about 2 months later we rescued a weimaraner, who had previously lived with cats, so we knew he would be fine. Someone suggested a feliway diffuser to help with the kittens accepting the dog, we plugged it in a few days before the dog arrived home, and saw a change in the kittens the day before Thunder came to live with us. They calmed down brilliantly, they were like different cats. We forgot how bad they could be until the diffuser ran out :rotfl:they were back to there usual selves in no time but they were fine with the dog so we put up with there antics until they finally settled down about a year later :rotfl:
Sue

Maryland_Cookie

Hi Bailey - Yes a year, I know - I never in a million years thought it would be so hard to introduce a new cat......it's good to hear some positive views of Feliway, just goes to show how each cat/situation/introduction can be different. I have to confess I did think about rehoming Bobbie, Mollie was my first cat and I felt that she was my priorty, but things are slowly, slowly getting better so there is hope. Good luck and keep us posted xx

I_try

Feliway worked well for us when moving house and bringing my old cat up from my parents house and introducing our other cat all at same time! Older cat was very stressed and started spraying, she stopped as soon as we started the feliway plug-in.

Bailey101

So, I went off to the vet first thing this morning and bought one of the feliway plug-ins and I started noticing a very small difference in new cat within a few hours.

I spent about an hour this evening sat between the cats feeding them tiny bits of chicken and trying to get them to chill out a bit, and all was going well - cats about 3ft apart, no hissing, warily sniffing at each other etc - until my idiot bf decided it would be a good idea yank the handle on the recliner with no warning. Both cats got the fright of their lives, leapt back hissing at each and bolted in opposite directions. New cats back under the bed and old cat won't come out from behind the sofa, and has been there for nearly 3 hours

I'm so angry at my stupid OH - he knew what was going on and I even said to him "stay where you are, don't startle them" and I think he just did because he was bored of waiting to get another drink. Grrrrrrrr

I think that's any progress I made today gone to waste - here's hoping the Feliway starts doing it's job soon......

xxx

spookylukey

I'm sure they'll get over the fright soon enough. Hopefully the Feliway will help calm things down, if you need to get a refill you can get them much cheaper online - I dread to think how much the vet charged for the plug-in and vial!

Bailey101

spookylukey wrote: »

I'm sure they'll get over the fright soon enough. Hopefully the Feliway will help calm things down, if you need to get a refill you can get them much cheaper online - I dread to think how much the vet charged for the plug-in and vial!

It was pretty expensive - £30.80 for the plug in and vial. I did see it cheaper on Ebay and Amazon, but I'm really wary about chinese knock-offs since it's plugged into the mains 24/7. It'll hopefully be worth it in the long run though.

As for them getting over the fright, I hope so. It's been a stressful few days and I'm not too sure how much more I can take

xxx