OMG! Feliway refill shocker, question for users

Okay I got my Feliway refill in mail today from Amazon. I bought the $50 original from a local pet store august 10th and it didnt do a gosh darn thing to help my 13 year old cat/ new kitten scenario but now....dear mother of pearl maybe I am reading too much into this so soon but this is what has happened in the last six hours since plugging in the refill:

1) My senior cat who has be vomiting for 18 months even before new resident for reasons my vet cant find has eaten more today then in last two weeks combined and no vomiting afterwards which is usually 90 percent within 2hours.
2)She then curled up in hallway and kinda looked in peace.

3) I opened up bedroom door and let the 16 week kitten out, he walked up to her, she was abit shocked from the angle but only gave out a very weak hiss. Way way better then all four claws and a dozen attacks before I can intervene.
4) Ten minutes later he got sleepy and jumped in my lap here and fell asleep.

What in world happened? Previous Feliway users have you ever felt one bottle was stronger then another? Or maybe that they only work first few days, or hours and then tapper off way before the 6 weeks? Could it be possible I got a dud or a very old feliway from local pet store first time around? Dang fingers crossed here but I am just floored here and would really like to figure this out. I didnt change the location but heck I'll order another diffuser for second room or refills faster then 5 weeks if it will help me keep my older cat alive and second cat in house peacefully. Fingers crossed so hard that what is happening now continues into next day and next..

I'm guessing Feliway is like most plug-in air fresheners. They're always really strong when you first plug one in, even if you plug in the same scent, but then it fades over time. I'm guessing the Feliway does the same thing since it's designed similarly to those. Glad your kitties are getting a good "hit" off of this one, even if it does turn out to be short-lived.

Holy Japanese Blowfish, my senior just ate for third time today. For cat near 6.5 lbs this is amazing.
Yeah good point, my first bottle did say 4/11 exp so it not like it was super old. Well I cant buy a new one every hour so here is to strong vibes the whole weekend.

Since the Feliway seems to help your kitties, I know you invested in the plug-in, but perhaps instead of buying a refill, when it seems to wear off, what about buying the spray instead? That you can "refresh" every 2 or 3 days, as you see fit.

Just a thought!

Laurie

I had the opposite effect with Feliway diffusers - while the first one helped, it was toward the end of the month, and in the months following, that effects were more noticeable. I think it's sort of like prescription antihistamines or some other drugs for humans - it takes a while for the dose to build up enough to have an effect.

I keep an eye on the bottle toward the end of every month and replace as soon as it looks empty - sometimes I get more than four weeks, but not always.

I do think the spray has a more immediate effect - let's say if you spray the cat carrier with it. But, of course, the spray is more concentrated while the diffuser covers a wider area. I get my reorders through Amazon as well - much less expensive!

I can usually tell within a few days of when the diffuser is out of juice: tempers flare, hissing increases, refill gets put in... ahhh... peace.