Experiences w/Feliway spray?

June 9, 2012 8:10 AM

What to expect from Feliway spray? (especially on rug/carpet?)

We just bought a new area rug, completely forgetting that we have a cat. He's done nothing but scratch it up in various places since we brought it home - I'm thinking of using the Feliway spray (not the diffuser) to see if this calms him down a little since the squirt gun hasn't worked so far.

If you've used it before, what was it like - did it smell? Do anything funky to the fabric? Have any unexpected effects on your kitty like vomiting, excessive sleeping, etc? (No worries...declawing is something we wouldn't consider, even if the Feliway has no effect. We'll chalk it up to the "This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" lesson learned.)

Thanks! Also I know you'll need pics of the cat to answer this question, so there are pics here, here, and here.

posted by wheek wheek wheek to Pets & Animals (10 answers total)

I can't speak to the spray, but I have used the diffuser.

I couldn't perceive any smell related to the diffuser.

We weren't dealing with a scratching problem, we were dealing with a conflict between two of our four cats. Our big male, formally feral, 18 lb. domestic shorthair cat was angry with our little 8 lb Siamese. The Siamese was very territorial about people and would drive him away when he got close to us.

His response was to not let her near any of the litter boxes... pooping in corners ensued.

I set up two of the diffusers and within a few days the battles pretty much disappeared, as did the litterbox lockout.

I was pretty skeptical at first, but it really did seem to calm things down a lot.

I'm assuming that you've ample other interesting and sanctioned scratching surfaces around the house?

Also, if he's concentrating on certain areas, put either doublestick tape or tin foil where he's scratching, he may just move to another spot, but he should leave the covered spots alone.
posted by HuronBob at 8:24 AM on June 9, 2012

Best answer: I used the spray, and it's undetectable by the human overlords. It didn't seem to make any marks or stains but of course check in an inconspicuous spot.
posted by Medieval Maven at 8:36 AM on June 9, 2012

Best answer: I've used the spray. No smells, spray residue, vomiting or excessive sleepiness. I'm not sure if it will stop clawing up a New and Exciting rug, but it doesn't hurt to try. It has a good chance of cutting it down if your cat is super-helpfully trying to make the rug smell like him. Cats have scent glands in the bottom of their feet. Mine has to 'dig' everything to make it his.

I have had a standoff with a cat, tassled rug and a water spray. It became a game to the cat. How close can I get before you squirt water? Here? What about here? Which was very funny but not quite the deterrent I was looking for.

Does your cat hate loud noises? Only other suggestion I'd add to the doublestick tape is try rattling a can of stones or coins when you see him at it.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 8:37 AM on June 9, 2012 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I use the spray and as I am sensitive to chemicals it irritates me slightly, but it's worth it. I've noticed that it relaxes my cat quite a bit and it definitely helped when she was peeing in corners and fighting with her brothers. One of the brothers actually conked out after I sprayed it, but most cats aren't quite as sensitive to it. There aren't any bad side effects that I've noticed.
posted by xenophile at 9:48 AM on June 9, 2012

Best answer: I used the spray on carpets, and no damage was done. (keep in mind that something that will stain one carpet material will not necessarily stain another: carpets are made of different materials and treated with different chemicals. I learned this lesson well to my chagrin with another substance). But that's one data point. No noticeable scent, and no I'll effects from being around it. Everyone I've ever known who used noted no ill effects on cats or belongings. On the other hand it may not actually work on your cat. Doesn't work on one of mine. I'd you're nervous about carpets, you can always spot test in a closet to allay your fears.
posted by thelastcamel at 10:00 AM on June 9, 2012

Best answer: We've used the spray. Partly for peeing issues, and mostly to help integrate new cats with our older ones. I sprayed it directly on upholstered furniture and carpet. No color change, no odors detected by us. (We used in in the common areas where we interact with all the cats-wanted to help prevent territory disputes and make everyone feel welcome.) It took a while, like around a month, but we did see a more general relaxation with all the cats. The peeing problem turned out to be due to the extreme old age of the cat, so Feliway didn't do anything in that case. (She finally began using a corner of the kitchen, so we just put down absorbent pads and changed them daily...did this for a year, until she had the big stroke that killed her. She was 20, and I still miss her.) I will say that we have cheap furniture, and I'm not sure that a color change would have been a big deal. The can of Feliway lasted forever-we just used the tiniest squirts.

I've had great luck with aluminum foil repelling cats-I'll second trying that for your purposes.
posted by LaBellaStella at 10:58 AM on June 9, 2012

Do you have some scratching posts and/or cat trees? Or those wheel things with the scratching cardboard and the ball track? Every day when I get home all 3 cats run to something and scratch a bit, no idea why but if I didn't have something like that for them to scratch it would be the couch or the rug. I have tried Feliway in the past and had little/no effect, I think you should instead try to redirect their attention to something more fun to maul.
posted by meepmeow at 11:31 AM on June 9, 2012

Best answer: I've used the spray on new chairs that the cats mistook for new scratching posts. It immediately stopped them from scratching on the chairs, and the effect lasted several days. Also, we recently got a new couch and I heard them scratch on it once, so I plugged in a diffuser immediately, and the scratching ceased. The only time I've noticed an odor has been right after spraying (but I really hose down the furniture), and it's sort of a rubbing alcohol smell that dissipates quickly.
posted by Addlepated at 6:36 PM on June 9, 2012

Oh, also, I sometimes use the spray on the Berber carpet on the stairs where the cats constantly claw, and they stop clawing there for a few days. And when I run the diffuser near there, it really helps slow down the clawing.
posted by Addlepated at 6:38 PM on June 9, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks all! He's got plenty of scratching areas at home, and he seems to wander the rug looking for areas he hasn't touched before - so I think Trivia Newton John may have nailed it re: the problem of the rug being new and exciting. I'll give the Feliway a try and report back on its success or failure. Thanks again!
posted by wheek wheek wheek at 5:43 AM on June 10, 2012