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Feliway spray or diffuser for inappropriate elimination?

post #1 of 12
4/7/11 at 9:45pm
Thread Starter 
I'm having issues with a cat using my chair as a litter box. The cause is definitely behavioral (already consulted with a vet). I'd like to try the Feliway diffusers since there is definitely stress involved. Is it best to use the Feliway spray along with the diffusers? Or is one diffuser enough?
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post #2 of 12
4/8/11 at 5:24am
Hi The Feliway diffuser is the best, I tried both and the spray, for me really didn't do anything. I found that the Feliway Diffuser was very affective with my boy who gets very upset when he sees another cat outside the window. I found that you only need one diffuser per floor, if you have a two floor home and he has access to them then one per floor. Good luck.
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post #3 of 12
4/9/11 at 6:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilblu View Post
I'm having issues with a cat using my chair as a litter box. The cause is definitely behavioral (already consulted with a vet). I'd like to try the Feliway diffusers since there is definitely stress involved. Is it best to use the Feliway spray along with the diffusers? Or is one diffuser enough?
I had this problem as well. I use the diffuser. I only have 1 diffuser and put it in the room the cat was using my sofa as a litter box. It took a couple of months to completely correct the issue, but I attribute the diffuser to about 90% of the correction of the problem. This was a cat that had been gravely ill and I had pretty much been his "mom" for several weeks after bringing him home. We got the physical issues taken care of but for whatever reason he would pee on the sofa in the morning when I would take the dog outside. I tried everything known to correct this problem and the diffuser was the key for me. It worked!

Just my experience with the diffuser. I use the spray in the carrier when transporting my meezers to the vet. Helps calm them down temporarily.
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post #4 of 12
4/13/11 at 11:31pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks. I have not had a chance to use the Feliway diffuser yet, but for whatever reason, the cat has stopped pooping in the chair. Unfortunately, she is still urinating in it. It appears as if it's a territorial thing. It's a big, wide chair (more of a love seat really) and after she pees in it, she lays there right beside the pee. I've never seen a cat lay beside their own pee unless the cat was gravely ill.
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post #5 of 12
4/14/11 at 11:46am
Hi

I have found that Feliway only works as part of the overall treatment. On it's own, it is unlikely to have much long term effect.

How are you cleaning the chair? The cat will re-mark an area once it smell that the marking is going stale. If the trigger for marking has gone, then you must clean the area to completely remove the smell to a cats nose.

What are you using to clean & what type of fabric is the chair?
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post #6 of 12
4/14/11 at 1:36pm
Feliway is a great product but it is not a cure-all. Make sure you are using an enzymatic cleaner on that chair. After you clean it throughly with that cleaner, you can put a kitty food mat with your cat's bowl of food on that chair. I would also ask how many litter boxes you have? How many cats? There should be one box per cat plus one. You could also try Cat Attract litter. Hope this helps
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post #7 of 12
4/14/11 at 2:34pm
This is a great site about cleaning up pet urine.

http://www.nilodor.com/content/index...nt_label/urine

Good luck. I have a similar issue with one of my cats. She has CRF, and she has been known to pee on the carpet and then lay in it or next to it. Frustrating for sure.
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post #8 of 12
4/17/11 at 4:31am
Thread Starter 
There's no need to clean the chair. I've kept it covered with hospital pee pads since the cats first came to live with me. The urine does not go through the pads to the other side. So I wash the pads and replace them. Even when I put down pads that haven't been peed on, the cat still pees on them. So she's not remarking the area.

These (foster) cats have been living with me for about 8 months or so, I think. There's three of them with two litter boxes (I know, I should have two more). I don't currently have room for additional litter boxes. The inappropriate elimination didn't start until about a month ago.

I'm certain stress is involved. It appears either territorial or intimidation issues may also be involved. I can't figure out if the cat is marking the area to claim it as her own so the other two cats will leave her alone or if the other two cats are harassing her and scaring her from using the litter box.

The cats are all from the same owner/household but the two youngest ones never got along with the oldest one. They are always trying to attack her when she's walking, they don't bother her when she sits somewhere.
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post #9 of 12
4/18/11 at 9:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Biscuity View Post
Hi

I have found that Feliway only works as part of the overall treatment. On it's own, it is unlikely to have much long term effect.

How are you cleaning the chair? The cat will re-mark an area once it smell that the marking is going stale. If the trigger for marking has gone, then you must clean the area to completely remove the smell to a cats nose.

What are you using to clean & what type of fabric is the chair?
Really? It's worked for me for over 3 years now. What have you used to correct this problem? I'm anxious to know in case I ever have this problem in the future. I did everything! And I mean everything including proper cleaning. I even had the sofa reupholstered. I moved the furniture. I put the litter box on top of the sofa for awhile. I tried the foil thing which turned into a toy for the cats. Bleh... I did it all with no luck. Until I found the diffuser. I am totally open to suggestions for this problem even though I no longer have it.
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post #10 of 12
4/18/11 at 10:08am
Has this cat had a urine culture? Blood work? I know you said you "consulted" with a vet, but that doesn't really tell us anything.

Without a urine culture (more in depth than urinalysis) you cannot rule out illness as the basic cause.

If the cat has a UTI or crystals or stones or a kidney infection, no amount of feliway or behavior modification will help until the underlying health problem is addressed.
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post #11 of 12
4/19/11 at 8:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
Has this cat had a urine culture? Blood work? I know you said you "consulted" with a vet, but that doesn't really tell us anything.

Without a urine culture (more in depth than urinalysis) you cannot rule out illness as the basic cause.

If the cat has a UTI or crystals or stones or a kidney infection, no amount of feliway or behavior modification will help until the underlying health problem is addressed.
So true. The first thing I did with Ramsey was take him to the vet to make sure there was no underlying physical issue causing this problem. When that was ruled out; I bought the diffuser and cleaned the couch. After I was sure the problem was corrected; I replaced the couch. It's been almost 2 years and there has been no repeating of the problem.
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post #12 of 12
4/19/11 at 9:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilblu View Post
I'm having issues with a cat using my chair as a litter box. The cause is definitely behavioral (already consulted with a vet). I'd like to try the Feliway diffusers since there is definitely stress involved. Is it best to use the Feliway spray along with the diffusers? Or is one diffuser enough?
When we moved into this 100% wooden floors and stairs townhome, I had went through the entire three stories and used several cans of Feliway spray on everything. Except the Budda dome of course. I didn't use the diffuser because of my house configuration but we were worried about the cats using only one litter box, which they had always done in the flat we lived in. We then brought the cats home and they started their investigation which lasted for hours and we finally went to bed (on the 3rd floor) and awoke to find both cats in bed with us. We literally ran down to the litter box and there was the poo and pee that we were hoping for. And as far as we know, in three years they have always marched down the stairs to do their business. I am wondering now if I should be respraying, surely one coat cannot last forever but then again I do have smart cats and I don't know why they would break their three year old routine now.
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