Need some advice about using Feliway for ferals

kathym · Jan 17, 2009

How effective is using Feliway for ferals? I will be trapping my ferals to get them spayed/neutered and my concern is the recovery time where they will be in a safe place in my house. Will using Feliway help calm them down during post-op recovery? Thanks in advance for all help! KathyM

kittieshasme · Jan 17, 2009

It may help. It's worth trying. I have used Feliway with sick cats and on introducing a new cat into the house. In my experience it does seem to help. Others, tho, have had different results.

kathym · Jan 17, 2009

Is it a calming/destressing product? Or is it used for toilet training purposes? I am a bit confused on its uses. Thanks! KathyM

kittieshasme · Jan 17, 2009

It's used to calm and destress the cats. It can be used to prevent spraying and urinating outside the box, but I have never used it for that.

For litterbox training I add Cat Attract or Kitten Attract to the litter box.

StefanZ · Jan 17, 2009

Originally Posted by KathyM

Is it a calming/destressing product? Or is it used for toilet training purposes? I am a bit confused on its uses. Thanks! KathyM

It is destressing. In the cases where toilet problems arose from unsafety - in such cases it may help too. This is why it is sometimes described as a toilet-training help = something wrongly.
Spraying of studs is also a little of uncertainity about who is the ruler here. Thus it CAN help for spraying studs or females in heat too.

In your case - it shouldnt be necessary, the ferales do calm down anyway if you do it proper and well (no barking dogs, no shouting children, some nice hiding place...).
But it cant hurt and may help - so use it. Its not for free but doesnt cost much either.

Good luck!

kathym · Jan 17, 2009

Originally Posted by StefanZ

It is destressing. In the cases where toilet problems arose from unsafety - in such cases it may help too. This is why it is sometimes described as a toilet-training help = something wrongly.
Spraying of studs is also a little of uncertainity about who is the ruler here. Thus it CAN help for spraying studs or females in heat too.

In your case - it shouldnt be necessary, the ferales do calm down anyway if you do it proper and well (no barking dogs, no shouting children, some nice hiding place...).
But it cant hurt and may help - so use it. Its not for free but doesnt cost much either.

Good luck!

It was one of your posts that got me curious about feliway - I just want them to be destressed when I get them back from the vet. fortunately I have no pets and no children living at home so I am hoping that feliway and a quiet place will temper them down a bit. Thanks for the advice!! KathyM

gloriajh · Jan 21, 2009

Originally Posted by KathyM

How effective is using Feliway for ferals? I will be trapping my ferals to get them spayed/neutered and my concern is the recovery time where they will be in a safe place in my house. Will using Feliway help calm them down during post-op recovery? Thanks in advance for all help! KathyM

Just the question I was looking for - Thanks KathyM!

I've never trapped, or taken a cat to a "quickie" sterilization - I've always had my cats stay at the vets another day - I'm so afraid of doing something wrong.

But, life brings new challenges - I've been caring for two stray/feral, 1 female (feral), and 1 male (stray) since last June/July 2008. But, because I am a novice about ferals, or strays - I was behind the 8 ball, and two cute kittens showed up.

I looked for help but the two no-kill places are over booked, the animal control wanted to rent a trap to me for $25 for 5 days, and folks trying to adopt out cats at PetSmart were more afraid that I was trying to get them to take more cats and didn't offer much advice - so, didn't get the help I was looking for.

At the time I couldn't trap anyway because I live in the desert, and night time temps were hanging around over 100 degrees -

Back to the topic, sorry - ANYway - I just ordered a Tru-Catch trap today, will attempt to trap both of them - the mommy first, I hope. I am most concerned about the little mommy - not wanting her to be upset about her in a trap, and concerned about her babies.... so, I was thinking about this product - Feliway maybe helping her through all this trauma.

I wished the Feliway would work on me - I'm sooo stressed out over having to do this

ondine · Jan 21, 2009

Thank you for helping them! Whoever you catch, cover the trap ASAP with a dark blanket - this will help keep them calm. Move them as little as possible but keep them out of the cold and drafts. Do you have a low-cost clinic you're using or your own vet? Either way, the quieter you keep them, the better. Recuperate them in a room separate from your pets - a bathroom is ideal.

They can stay in the trap overnight and it won't hurt them. Use pee pads under the traps - that way, if they go, you just have to lift the trap and replace the pee pads. Plus its a little softer on their paws than the trap wire bottom. If you can transfer them to a larger crate for longer periods, that's OK. Keep the boys for at least one night and the girls one night longer. Give them plenty of water and a little food and they should be fine!

kathym · Jan 21, 2009

Originally Posted by GloriaJH

Just the question I was looking for - Thanks KathyM!

I've never trapped, or taken a cat to a "quickie" sterilization - I've always had my cats stay at the vets another day - I'm so afraid of doing something wrong.

But, life brings new challenges - I've been caring for two stray/feral, 1 female (feral), and 1 male (stray) since last June/July 2008. But, because I am a novice about ferals, or strays - I was behind the 8 ball, and two cute kittens showed up.

I looked for help but the two no-kill places are over booked, the animal control wanted to rent a trap to me for $25 for 5 days, and folks trying to adopt out cats at PetSmart were more afraid that I was trying to get them to take more cats and didn't offer much advice - so, didn't get the help I was looking for.

At the time I couldn't trap anyway because I live in the desert, and night time temps were hanging around over 100 degrees -

Back to the topic, sorry - ANYway - I just ordered a Tru-Catch trap today, will attempt to trap both of them - the mommy first, I hope. I am most concerned about the little mommy - not wanting her to be upset about her in a trap, and concerned about her babies.... so, I was thinking about this product - Feliway maybe helping her through all this trauma.

I wished the Feliway would work on me - I'm sooo stressed out over having to do this

Your welcome!! I have set my cat carrier out on the deck so my feral babies can get used to it.....I am hoping within the week I will be able to take them to the vet. it is so stressful that I think I am going to use the feliway!!!! Good luck!!

skimble · Jan 21, 2009

Great that you are getting them spayed/neutered.

I have used Feliway before for the ferals I trapped and vetted.

I used the spray Feliway on a dark towel or blanket then put this over the Kennel I had for them to recover from spay.

It is advertised to mimic the friendly pheromones that a cat uses to mark something. Probably not the best explanation.

As to whether it helped....I like to think it did. Much depends on the individual cat, in my opinion.

The dark blanket cover and a peaceful quiet place will be ideal.

Good luck and please post how things progress.

kathym · Jan 22, 2009

I will......

Thank you!

Need some advice about using Feliway for ferals

kathym

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kittieshasme

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kathym

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StefanZ

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kathym

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gloriajh

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ondine

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skimble

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