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Positive Product review: cat attract and feliway

post #1 of 28
4/4/10 at 6:26pm
Thread Starter 
After much frustrations over the last 6 mos with Aya's inappropriate peeing issues I think we've come up with a good solution!

I had my mom send me some cat attract litter additive and a feliway diffuser that I purchased online (via Amazon). Why this stuff is not available in Japan baffles me, as it really seems to work.

The minute I put the cat attract in the fresh box Aya is there investigating and often leaving an offering to the poo gods. She's using the box now much more often and with greater enthusiasm. Whereas before it seemed she was only resorting to the box after I'd chased her off the bed or the sofa or another one of her 'places'. It's going on 2 weeks and we've had no accidents!

I also got a feliway diffuser too and while its harder to pinpoint exactly what that's contributing to success, she seems much calmer, friendlier, and over all happy cat. She is a kind of anxious fearful cat, and there is a huge feral population outside my door that I can do very little about. The only down side to the treatment is that it seems to have made her brave enough to want to try to escape out the front door when I come home!
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post #2 of 28
4/4/10 at 7:20pm
Thanks for the happy update! I'm so glad these products are working for you.

I've never used the litter (but will if I ever need to) but I love Feliway Plug in Diffusers.
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post #3 of 28
4/4/10 at 7:34pm
Oh, hun... that is SUCH good news. Especially the inappropriate elimination issue!!!!
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post #4 of 28
4/4/10 at 8:31pm
Hooray for Aya and for you! I've never had to use the litter, but swear by the Feliway diffusers. So glad you've found something to work!
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post #5 of 28
4/4/10 at 9:05pm
Excellent How long did it take to get to you ?? Please tell your mom how great these things worked. So I guess you will need her help with this on an ongoing basis?

The ferals outside are a big reason for the anxious vibe, in my opinion.
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post #6 of 28
4/4/10 at 9:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by stephanietx View Post
Hooray for Aya and for you! I've never had to use the litter, but swear by the Feliway diffusers. So glad you've found something to work!
The litter would have been to dear to ship. Their secret 'additive' / herb mix is sold seperately in a bottle for about $12 USD. That's what I bought. They do cuation you to use it with a non-scented litter similar to the kind that the litter they sell is.
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post #7 of 28
4/4/10 at 9:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by c1atsite View Post
Excellent How long did it take to get to you ?? Please tell your mom how great these things worked. So I guess you will need her help with this on an ongoing basis?

The ferals outside are a big reason for the anxious vibe, in my opinion.
It took about 10 days for the 3rd party seller from Amazon to send it to my mom and then it takes her about another 10 days to ship to me depending on how nosey customs is. That is assuming she can get to the post office soon.

The flat rate boxes to Japan are expensive however at about $45 each. Fortunately there are other things she has to send me from time to time like clothes, underwear, tights etc... (I am not exactly Japanese sized by any stretch of the imagination). i'm going home to visit in 3 weeks and will defintiely pick some up while I'm there.

I agree with you about the ferals outside probably being the root, or at least a component of her problem. The other component is simply that I think she's a very anxious kitty that does not care for other cats by nature or personality. And with the ferals out side and the windows open it always smells as if there are other cats on her turf. There is very little I can do about this though as the only rescue/shelter organization here works with the military and will only take strays once they are tested for FELV/FIV at my expense, and then only when they have a foster home for them. I brought home another kitten I found wandering and sick once and Aya flipped out and attacked me. He had to go to my friends until they got a foster home for him (who later thankfully adopted him). And I was out $200 for his medical bills.

Animal control euthanizes approxiamtely 11,500 of the 12,000 cats it rounds up every year. They only hold animals for 5 days. The spay neuter rate in Japan as a whole is only 30%. So, as you can see its a very overwhelming problem.
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post #8 of 28
4/5/10 at 4:06am
Thanks for the review!

I just yesterday purchased a Feliway diffuser for my Maybelles room, since she too is insanely nervous and constantly pooping outside her box and expressing when she's startled.

by the sounds of it we had similar problems and I should look into some cat attract for her litter box.

good to know I didn't waste my $20
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post #9 of 28
4/5/10 at 4:10am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by CLucas976 View Post
Thanks for the review!

I just yesterday purchased a Feliway diffuser for my Maybelles room, since she too is insanely nervous and constantly pooping outside her box and expressing when she's startled.

by the sounds of it we had similar problems and I should look into some cat attract for her litter box.

good to know I didn't waste my $20
I'd say definitely do it. I'm seeing more concrete evidence that the cat attract is attracting Aya to the box than the feliway. I think she seems calmer but its a very subjective thing.
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post #10 of 28
4/5/10 at 10:59am
the feliway is more to help the stress between the two cats, I've begun seeing symptoms in my FLUTD cat that he's stressed, and aside from another vet visit, I don't need him to develop another blockage, so if it keeps things calm in here, I can handle poop on a chair until I get my butt back to the petstore (which is an unfortunate drive)

eh, they probably have it on amazon now that I think of it, I may as well add it to my list of orders
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post #11 of 28
4/5/10 at 11:38am
I'm happy to hear it worked for Aya!! I know you've been trying to come up with a workable solution, but I imagine it's hard to gain access to many of these things where you live.

that is is a permanent fix for her.
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post #12 of 28
4/9/10 at 5:30am
Thread Starter 
3 weeks and counting, no whizzing!...
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post #13 of 28
4/9/10 at 5:32am
YAY!

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post #14 of 28
4/9/10 at 8:54am
Thats good news. I have read a bunch of your 'whizzing' threads and its awesome to hear that you have a solution!
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post #15 of 28
4/10/10 at 3:35am
I`m glad your problem has been pretty much solved.

We don`t have the "whizzing" problem here(knock on wood!) but I would like to know more about Feliway and what it is used for,please. Someone told me it was based on(or contained) actual feline facial pheremones and that it has a soothing and stress relieving effect on a cat.

Is this product mainly to help with altering behaviors(litterbox reinforcement,scratching,etc.)or does it have also have other applications? I`m just thinking Alley might enjoy it since she is both an only cat and an indoor cat.

Thanks!
HosMan
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post #16 of 28
4/10/10 at 6:16am
I use feliway for stress. I used it when I rescued Jennie. (bringing a new cat in, introductions etc) And I used if for Ootay's last few months, as it seemed to help her cope with her illness. If I unplugged it, after a few days there was a marked difference in her appearance as far as grooming.

I used it when she went to the Bridge, to help Tolly cope.

But the most telling experience so far, was a couple of months ago. I had a young woman staying with me, 30 years old, developmentally disabled, seizures. My cats all know and love M, she's been in their lives since they came here.

However having her stay with me for a week, really disrupted their routine, as there was a lot of early morning rising (had to get up at 5:30 a.m. every day to bring M home to get her ready for her day) and of course there wasn't room in my bed for them with M there. And the grand mal seizures in the middle of the night were pretty bad.

Well....by the third day the cats were looking pretty rough around the edges, and it finally occurred to me (mental head thunk) to plug in the feliway.

Within 24 hours they were back to relaxed and happy, groomed and peaceful, and remained so the rest of the week.

So yeah, I swear by feliway.

Note: some cats do appear to have no reaction at all. And 24 hours is not a usual time for it to take affect. I think it helped so fast because I do use it with some regularity. Just starting out with it, it may take longer.
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post #17 of 28
4/10/10 at 6:36am
Thanks so much for the information,Otto. So Feliway is an actual unit that is plugged into a wall socket(like an air freshener) and not some kind of topical spray or grooming aide?Gotcha. Do you think it would be beneficial for my situation having a single fully-indoor cat? Alley does`nt seem stressed at all but I do worry a bit about her being an only cat and having to always stay indoors.Anything (within reason) that I can do to help Alley feel more content and/or less stressed,etc. I am interested in.

Thanks again for your response!
HosMan
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post #18 of 28
4/10/10 at 6:42am
Cats are perfectly happy indoors, but if Alley is alone a lot, and you think this causes her some stress, yes I think Feliway could help her feel more content and secure.

(a bird feeder outside a window will help, too )

Feliway comes as a plug in diffuser and a spray. I have never used the spray so can't comment on it. But I love the plug ins and have been using them, on and off, as described, for three years now.

I only wish I'd known about them when Tolly lost his Bibbs five years ago, he grieved terribly, maybe it would have helped him cope.
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post #19 of 28
4/14/10 at 12:11am
Thread Starter 
4 weeks!

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post #20 of 28
4/14/10 at 12:19am
That's awesome. So now she's getting extra love and kisses ??
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post #21 of 28
4/14/10 at 2:26am
Thread Starter 
She's not really a petting cat...

Just lots of 'good kitty' when she jumps in the box.
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post #22 of 28
4/14/10 at 4:35pm
Woohoo!! Go Aya!
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post #23 of 28
4/15/10 at 12:36am
My mother and I are going to be heading to my sister's in a few days for a major clean-up of her apartment - she moved in with her boyfriend a few months ago, and his 3 cats were all unaltered and all sprayed horribly when they moved into their new place. Baby sis knows her stuff, and has since gotten 2 of the 3 fixed (the 3rd was in heat on her scheduled day and has to be rescheduled), but the damage has been done, and the habits are pretty ingrained. We're worried that they're going to get evicted!

After reading this, I think we're going to have to invest in both of these products...the positive testimonials are just undeniable at this point. None of us are in great financial shape at the moment, but we do what needs done for our pets, and if these products will make such an impact, then they'll be worth every cent, even if we have to divide the cost 2 or 3 ways. I'm going to need Feliway anyway for Sophie & Jack's introductions, so hopefully they come in multi-packs!

Congrats to Aya (I love that name!) on her success!
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post #24 of 28
4/20/10 at 7:17pm
Thread Starter 
Five weeks of success!

I am a little worried about leaving her with my friend next week while I'm on vacation for 16 days. I will of course give her some cat attract for the box and loan her the diffuser. I will also be buying more while in the USA.

We've had no accidents in 5 weeks! I am trying to be very religious and scoop every day after work. Aya seems to be expecting this behavior and times her box visits for maximum cleanliness (as soon as I scoop, she poops).

I also ahve decided that the ideal litter for her and me is half clumping non-scented with small pellets, half a more clay type (I think this is still a clumping litter) with a scoop of cat attract, of course!
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post #25 of 28
4/21/10 at 4:48am
That is great news!

Isn't there anyway Aya can stay at home and your friend come to care for her? That would be best for her.

However, if it can't be then I recommend you bring Aya over to your friend's house a couple of times, if you haven't already.

Bring her over, leave for an hour come back, and bring her home. Do this several times so Aya knows you will be coming back when you leave her there, and so she knows she wil be coming home after that.
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post #26 of 28
4/21/10 at 5:55am
Thread Starter 
Aya has some separation anxiety. So, I'm more worried she'll get terminally lonely at home by herself most of the the time. She's stayed at my friends several times. I bring all her stuff, litter box, bed, toys, food over with when she sleeps over at my friend's.

Unfortunately, my friend had to rehome her ferret playmates in preparation to return to her home country later this year.
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post #27 of 28
4/21/10 at 6:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyrajean View Post
Aya has some separation anxiety. So, I'm more worried she'll get terminally lonely at home by herself most of the the time. She's stayed at my friends several times. I bring all her stuff, litter box, bed, toys, food over with when she sleeps over at my friend's.

Unfortunately, my friend had to rehome her ferret playmates in preparation to return to her home country later this year.
I'm glad to know she has stayed there before and is comfortable and happy there. Had no way of knowing that before I gave my unsolicited advice, of course.
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post #28 of 28
4/22/10 at 3:10am
Thread Starter 
She whizzed on my bed (okay on the tarp, but still)...

I really thought we had it together.
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