Direct4Pet: Feliway Brand Guide

Feliway is one of the UK’s leading pet health brands, most famous for their range of cat behaviour products such as the Feliway diffuser, which has been scientifically proven to help calm cats and relieve stress. Supplying products recommended by vets with over 25 years of experience, Feliway’s award-winning products are designed with your cat’s happiness in mind.

Cats communicate through the use of pheromones, which are essentially, natural messages released in the air. These messages can only be perceived by fellow felines and cannot be recognised by dogs, people or any other animals. It is known that there are three main types of feline messages that cats display through pheromones; happy messages, harmony messages and territory messages and the Feliway products are created to work with these messages to help keep your cats happy and calm.

Happy Messages

Signs of “happy messages” from cats include rubbing their face against people, other cats or furniture in the home. When comfortable and happy, cats mark their territory as familiar by rubbing their face against things as a way to release a “happy message”. These messages are reassuring to the cats and are replicated in calming diffusers as a way to make them feel relaxed in their environment. 

Harmony Messages

These messages are usually released by the mother of a cat when she gives birth, they are released from the mammary zone and are a way to ensure harmony between her kittens. As a way to prevent conflict between household cats these ”harmony messages” have been cloned and put into diffusers to prevent any conflict between cats in the home.

Territory Messages

Cats are known to be naturally territorial and have their own ways of communicating to other cats that something is theirs. The main “territory messages” they display are by scratching and leaving marks around their home as well as marking their territory with urine. However, there are solutions to this such as, Feliway calming sprays to put on their most common scratching area, cat scratching posts and cleaning spray that includes pheromone-blocking chemicals to warn off cats from peeing in the same spots again.

Feliway’s best-selling products

As a way to combat your cat’s unwanted behaviours, Feliway has designed multiple products that work with your cat’s natural pheromones, to ensure that you and your cat can live in a calm, peaceful environment. Whether you’re looking for a product to help calm your pet’s anxieties around fireworks or you’re in need of a way to help your cat’s live in harmony with each other, Feliway have got the products for you.

Feliway Optimum Diffuser for Cats

Feliway Optimum calms cats better than ever, containing a feline pheromone complex that sends impactful messages to your cat to help them cope with various stress-inducing situations. Its advanced formula has been designed with your cat’s natural responses in mind and formulated to create enhanced serenity. This diffuser is designed to be plugged into the most popular hang-out place for your cat in your home and left on for its 30 day duration to help your cat feel comfortable and secure at home. 

This diffuser is designed to help calm cat anxieties surrounding environmental changes such as moving home or a new baby and helps ease any fear triggers such as fireworks and loud noises.

Feliway Friends Diffuser for Cats

Similar to the Feliway Optimum diffuser, the Feliway Friends diffuser has been designed specifically with the cat appeasing hormone that creates “harmony messages” between felines. This product is made for creating harmony in a home that houses more than 1 cat, preventing aggressive, territorial behaviours and creating a more peaceful environment. Simply plug the diffuser into the wall in a room where your cats spend the most time, leave it in for 30 days and harmony should be restored. 

After the 30 days a refill will be needed to ensure constant pheromone support, replace monthly with Feliway Friends Refill packs for continued support for your cats.

Feliway Cat Calming Spray 

Perfect for on-the-go, Feliway cat calming spray contains a synthetic copy of the pheromone that is proven to comfort cats and send “happy messages”. Apply the spray daily to an object or area your cat frequents the most and allow 15 minutes before introducing your cat to the area, to give the alcohol time to evaporate. This spray is ideal for helping cats who are experiencing stress due to changes in their environment, such as; going to the vets, moving into a new home or sharing their space with a new feline. 

If you notice your cat displaying any unusual behaviour like scratching and urine marking, this is a sign of territorial stress which can be combated using a combination of the Feliway cat calming spray and the Feliway friends diffuser to help stop and prevent these behaviours from reoccurring. 

Benefits of using a feliway diffuser

• Reduces stress and anxiety 

Feliway Optimum releases calming pheromones that are scientifically proven to reduce stress and cure anxious behaviours in cats. Placing a diffuser in your home creates a reassuring atmosphere and sends comforting messages to your cat. These diffusers are perfect for events such as Bonfire Night or New Years Eve when the loud noises of fireworks can often cause your cat anxiety and are also great to place in new home environments.

It’s important to be aware of changes in your cat's behaviour to notice if they are experiencing stress. Signs of anxiety include; changes in mood or activity level, excessive meowing, changes in appetite and aggression. 

• Builds harmony between other cats

Feliway Friends release the pheromone that creates “harmony” amongst cats. This diffuser or spray is perfect for introducing a new cat to your home as it prevents any territorial aggression and allows for cats to become friends instead of enemies!

Signs of territorial behaviour from your cats can include; urine marking, scratching, hissing and aggression. Look out for these signs and prepare for a new introduction of an animal by purchasing a Feliway Friends diffuser.

• Creates a comforting environment 

The pheromones released in Feliway diffusers mimic the comforting messages that are sent by mother cats, therefore creating a comforting and calming environment for your cat. If your cat is experiencing a change in surroundings, using a plug in diffuser is a great way to create a familiar habitat that allows your pet to feel at home no matter what.

FAQs

Do Feliway diffusers also work on dogs?

No. Although Feliway diffusers can be used in the same household as dogs, the pheromones in the diffuser have no effect on dogs as they are species-specific to cats. The Feliway diffusers contain only the feline pheromones whereas diffusers made specifically for dogs such as the Adaptil range of pet calming products are made with dog appeasing pheromones that will only affect dogs. 

If you have a household with both a cat and a dog, there’s no need to worry because both Feliway and Adaptil diffusers can be used in the same household and still have the same calming effect on both animals!

How does Feliway work?

Feliway products use synthetic calming feline pheromones that mimic those given off by mother cats as a way to comfort your animal by sending them reassuring messages. The pheromones used in the Feliway diffusers and sprays are exact replicas of the feline facial familiarisation chemical that is produced by nursing female mother cats to create a sense of belonging to kittens. These pheromones originate from the facial glands which is why you may notice your cat rubbing its face against surfaces and people as a way to indicate familiar places and to release calming chemicals.

The replicated pheromones used in Feliway products are designed to help your cat feel safe and comfortable in their environment. These scientifically proven products are a popular choice for those cats who are experiencing stress, anxiety or territorial behaviour issues by helping put them at ease.

How many feliway diffusers do I need?

Ideally you should place a diffuser in whichever rooms your cats spend the most time in, whether that’s the communal living area or a bedroom, wherever they feel comfortable, place a diffuser in that room. Each diffuser lasts around 1 month and can be replaced with diffuser refills once it has run its course. Depending on the location of the diffuser, they may need to be replaced sooner due to factors such as open windows and doors that can affect the diffusion impact. 

It’s important to leave the diffusers on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in order to get the desired impact for your cat!

Need further cat behavioural advice?

If you’re in need of more advice on ways to keep your cat calm or you’re worried about their behaviour, simply contact our team of friendly pet experts at Direct4Pet for more information. Alternatively, browse our full range of cat calming products online at Direct4Pet.