Feliway- How long should I use it?

Hi everyone,
I am moving this weekend and have purchased a Feliway Comfort Zone (the diffuser) to ease Eponine's stress (she is an anxious kitty anyway). Has anyone else had success using Feliway? Once you start using Feliway, do you use it for many months (it gets expensive!) or just a couple?
Thanks- hope all of you and your little ratties (that's what I call cat; Eponine gets called Rathead and Ratonine all the time) are doing great!
Amy

I use it all the time. Once you buy the initial product the refills are inexpensive, and it does make a difference. If you can get to the house before you move and plug it in before you cat arrives, that will help

I've used it for a year or two. When I brought a third cat into the house, I even added a second one, so I'd have one upstairs and one downstairs. Things had calmed down enough that I let both diffusers run out in recent weeks. I thought maybe I didn't need them any more. Then yesterday two of my cats had the worst fight I've seen in a couple of years. So I'm going to get refills for the diffusers again.

Whether or not you need to keep it up depends upon the cats. Like people, some cats get along fine, some have personality clashes. Those with definite personality clashes are more likely to need it long-term. I suspect that those cats that need it to prevent spraying behavior may need it as long as the triggers which cause them to spray are still around.

Just wanted to say I've been using it for a few months now... I found it cheaper at a local feed store so I buy it there. Plus whenever the refill runs out, I notice my kitten because a bit more aggressive (she starts to bite more, gets a bit... moody) so it's worth it!

This thread has some good information about member's cat's positive reactions to Feliway.

Thanks so much for your advice y'all. I can't wait to use this on Eponine. I know she is just going to be thrilled living in a house where there are no other cats around (she was scared to death of my roommate's cats!).
~Amy

I love your kitty's name. Was she named after Eponine in "Les Miserables?" (my favourite piece of theatre EVER!)

Originally Posted by Jan

I love your kitty's name. Was she named after Eponine in "Les Miserables?" (my favourite piece of theatre EVER!)

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Jan,
She most certainly was named after Eponine in Les Mis! You have great taste in musical theater- that is without a doubt the most beautiful show ever. Eponine was instantly my favorite character and she's even referred to as a "cat" by Javert in one of the songs. Naturally, a perfect name for my perfect little girl!

I'm just about to see it in London for the THIRD time. My excuse is that now my children are old enough to go. My daughter's youth theatre group are doing the High School version at the end of the year and she's going to audition for Little Cosette (she's 8 and a cutie).

Amy, thank you for posting this question. I had the same thing in my head, as we just added a new, very young female to our household and I bought the diffuser to ease her anxiety.

Elizabeth,
Did your new kitty seem to be eased with the Feliway? Does it ease the other cats when you introduce a new cat to the house? I am hoping to get a kitten once "kitten season" starts at our humane society and I am curious as to how well Feliway eases new cat introductions.
Amy

Originally Posted by Jan

I'm just about to see it in London for the THIRD time. My excuse is that now my children are old enough to go. My daughter's youth theatre group are doing the High School version at the end of the year and she's going to audition for Little Cosette (she's 8 and a cutie).

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I wish your little girl good luck with the Little Cosette audition. Castle on A Cloud is a beautiful song! I am so jealous that you are seeing the show for the third time; I've only seen it once. My mom always played the music when I was growing up and it just never impressed me. She basically had to take me to the show kicking and screaming (I was around 15 or so). About 5 minutes into the show, though, I was in love with the play. I have been waiting for another tour of Les Mis to stop anywhere near my home, but there is nothing happening in the forseeable future. I hope you have a great itme at the London show!
Amy

Originally Posted by ugaimes

Elizabeth,
Did your new kitty seem to be eased with the Feliway? Does it ease the other cats when you introduce a new cat to the house? I am hoping to get a kitten once "kitten season" starts at our humane society and I am curious as to how well Feliway eases new cat introductions.
Amy

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Well Amy, I'm not exactly sure because we did so much comprehensively. I wish I could scientifically measure the results, but nobody can. And I do hear every cat is different. Sasha was very laid-back about the entire event, as he is with just about everything. He's also an introvert so reading him is always a challenge, even after 12 years. Men! But Saba had been in a rescue household where there were two other street cats, and these were tough cats and they were very aggressive with her. So by the time she was in her third home (because she is too well adjusted to have been born out in the wild even though we'll never know how she came to be lost) and had survived the harsh winter cold, coyotes, bears and a multi-cat household, all she did was look at 21 lb Sasha as the next monster. It is now Day 13 at our house and the diffuser has been in since Day 2. I can honestly say it was one part Sasha's gentle, patient nature, one part our immense love for her, and one part Feliway. I will say that she sprayed upstairs in her room the first day in one place. She was stressed, naturally. But the diffuser went in upstairs in a broad open area to make the most of it, and she has never sprayed since!

It's so worth the money. I do think it really did calm her in ways that maybe we were unable to.