# Gave in and bought a feliway diffuser



## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

I hope 1 is enough.

We had another issue in the bathroom on a new rug. my mom was at her wits end so i made the decision to get one. Theyre worth $40 (luckily i can get 6 refills off of amazon for about $60, but i spent the money cuz i wanted it, like NOW.).

I put it near where i desperately do NOT want to have any issues. Which is the last remaining large rug.

This new little rug we tried i had treated with the no mark before. and every day. it took about a week and a half, but it still happened. so either he just really hates little mats, or his scent is in the wood floor under (however, with no mats, nothing happens at all).

I hope if we give this time to work.... i guess i just hope it will work.

i didnt put it in the bathroom (where it happened) since theres currently no mat in there. instead i thought putting it where the larger rug is as preventative made more sense. 

will 1 diffuser cover a whole floor of a standard/average sized house? ( i think my mom said 1000 square feet). are walls an issue? I thought about somehow putting it in where the furnace fan blows somehow to circulate throught the whole house thru the vent system.... but thats not realistic. but is 1 per floor realistic?

if we try a new mat later, maybe ill grab some spray first, if it works that is.

how do you tell? just trial and error?

they were sniffing at it about 20 minutes after i plugged it in... they seemed to notice far befor the 90 days it says to give it....

i just hope it *works*

this is the last thing we can think of to try. 

hopefully with using this even if other cats are outside, they wont give a hoot.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Claiken, I don't know the answer to your question...
I am wondering what ever happened to the poor cat that was quarantined because it scratched someone...??


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

They ended up having to put it to sleep. They couldnt risk bringing her home and it happening again (i guess it was pretty severe, something about something in their spit if it gets into our bloodline. tetanus shots were involved, and something else). and she was/is too broke to have them too any additional testing (other than the required rabies one). Quite sad, i stilll am sad for them about that.


I had another quick question about the feliway though... can cats get immune to it? if it does work, will it lose effectiveness over time?

For example, when we spray a perfume, a few minutes later we dont care/notice. our noses get used to it. can the same thing happen with this?


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

That's a good question! Do cats get 'Immune' to feliway??
Anyone have an answer?

So sorry to hear about the other kitty...


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Mine aren't immune and I know when I've run out. MowMow gets really pissy.

Remember that it doesn't work overnight. It could take a week... it could take up to a month to see real results. So don't give up on it in 2 weeks if there is an accident.

That's why it was suggested to you so long ago.. to give it time to start working.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

One feliway diffuser will cover about 400sf or so, one large room. If that room has doors to other rooms it won't cover well. You really need one for every room or more like 3 for your downstairs alone, and they only last about a month so it gets expensive. Ideally, you would figure out the reason for the litter box avoidance and fix that. Have you tried putting more than one box downstairs in 2 different locations? I feel for you, litter box issues are the worse.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

Honestly, the only theory we can come up wtih that makes any sense is if theres maybe other animals outside and hes trying to mark his territory? the bathroom does have a window. (but then, so do all the other rooms in the house?) 

What we were going to do is give it the 30 days before even trying another mat... and then when we do, instead of using the "no mark" weve been using, just get the feliway spray to use on it once a day. Or, get another diffuser for the bathroom, but that just seems like a waste since its such a tiny room. and realistically, hes not in there much at all

Its not even that hes avoiding the box really... i mean, it took a week and a half for him to go on the new mat we tried. before that with no mat, consistent usage for over 2 months. so we suspect some other trigger. i *hope* its not that hes just being a bugger, and the feliway helps.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

*Question about feliway*

When it comes to the diffuser, Do other smells, such as the smell of cooking food, scented candles burning, etc.... alter or stop its effectiveness?

Just a thought I had.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I'm pretty sure cats have a good enough sense of smell to differentiate the odors.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Does the rest of the house have no carpeting? Sometimes it may just be a case of no longer leaving anything soft on the floor. If the solution is just not having a mat on the floor that's at least an easy solution. 

At the very least I would wait a _very prolonged_ period of time before putting anything soft on the floors. Make sure there are lots of litter boxes, including in the area he was having accidents, and scoop daily or even multiple times a day. 

Have you tried different litters? A very last resort could be trying newspaper in the litter boxes, like Yesterday's News, or just making your own... or putting old bathmats into a liter box. I had success for a time with bathmats in the litter box. We had to routinely launder them/throw them out, but it worked pretty well.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

One more question, is using feliway in combination with catnip/catnip toys a good idea?

To answer the questions, the only soft things on the floors now are the one remaining big area rug (which i am trying desperately to keep in a well condition, hence why the diffuser is in that room and why I have been going nuts on the catnip), and the little ones in our rooms, but i think that because he sees those areas as "his room" he doesnt try anything. My moms is very very flat, and mine is sort of loopy but not "fluffy" necessarily. For some reason the main targets have been the back door mat, the bathroom mat, and the area rug down stairs - but that one i really want ot give benefit of doubt on because of that really loud air conditioning pump that we didnt realize was SO loud. In that case I want to say he was just being a cat. Then afterwards it just still smelled like him. I can make logical sense of that. Its still frusterating but it does make sense.

the litter ive been using all along is the unscented clumping, specifically, this kind:
Fresh4Life Clumping Clay Fragrance Free Litter | Canada

Now, right now they have a different brand of the same thing, as we had run out and only the grocery store was open (it was a sunday). but its still unscented clumping. i know that scented litters are a bad idea.... so i stay far away. id rather get unscented unclumping verses scented clumping, if those were the only 2 options.

The other thing i can think of is that his box is due for a wash. (i say his box as it seems that only Boo will use the other one, he prefers "his", so i guess by default the other seems to be "hers" although she will use both, not as picky. Whcih is unfortunate, because "hers" is bigger. So the bigger cat is using the smaller box and vice versa.)

but i cant see the box, although due for a wash, but having fresh clean litter in it making that big of a difference?

I really cant get a low sides box, as they dig down to china when going, and because they tend to pee up against the sides sometimes.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

I came across this onilne, i really hope this is NOT what happens in our house.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

Oops, i forgot to include what i came across, it was basically a review for feliway saying it didnt work at all, and their cat still peed, including directly on the diffuser!


But, can anyone shed some light on whether using both catnip and feliway is a good idea?


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

Catnip seems to me to be a stimulant that has always made my cats a bit 'crazy' and devilish, and very playful. I've never seen it calm them down or seem to give them a sense of well-being which is what you are looking for I would think, but maybe others have had that experience.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

Well, my goal with the catnip toys is to make the last existing larger carpet an area for play and not for pees... if that helps. 

It does stimulate him but then he ends up just chilling out after so, maybe it kinda does both?


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

*One more question about feliway, but a technical one.*

I got my 2 refills today.

It got me to wondering, has anyone ever taken the little remainders after the 4 weeks, saved them over time with the lids, and combined them all into one bottle making a new, full essentially free bottle of feliway? I was just thinking it could make it go a longer way, provided the expiry date is far enough away. (mine are all not until 2017, so LOTS of time!). anyone tried this?

The other thing i thought of, after thinking of this, was how do i know that its not just water in there?? lol.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Well, I guess you would know if its just water or not by the way it works. Stop using it and see if the cats revert to their former naughty selves. When I used it, I didn't just replace it after a month, I replaced it when the bottle ran out.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

So, just how low can it get before its ineffective? 

Theres still a visible amount left in mine, maybe about an 8th of the bottle still, definitely visible in there. I haven't changed out for a new one yet, not due to til the 5th


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## pkbshrew (Feb 13, 2013)

As Marcia said, just leave it running until it runs out .... the 1 month isn't an absolute. It doesn't expire after a month - that is just a ball park for roughly how long they usually last.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

so it can go until it runs out, as in like, bone dry, while still being effective?

thats the main thing im worried about. i basically want to use absolutely all of it that i can with it still being effective.


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## pkbshrew (Feb 13, 2013)

YES, until it runs out.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

For heaven's sake, IF it makes you feel better, leave a drop in the bottle then switch. This is NOT rocket science! It will stay effective, but if it makes you feel better, switch it out!


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

Well, i hope my nerves are understood as our issue wasnt an easy one like the 2 of them not getting along or extra people for a day, it was urinating... so we dont need anything else ruined. I have no issues Marcia with leaving it until it gets totally dry, as long as its effective. Thats basically what I had wanted to ask based on others experiences with it. (which was also why it was a new thread originally too. to get more people with experience with it seeing my new question about it.) Just dont want to wake up to cat pee in the most cost effective way, thats all.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

Guess I left it a bit too long



Unless its normal for it to look like this? looks like it was on the verge of burning.


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## artiesmom (Jul 4, 2012)

I use it up until it is dry!
I really do forget about it until I notice Artie getting more skittish.

I got it for him because I heard it may help in calming him. It does seem to work.
I notice a change in his demeanor (more nervous) when the Feliway container needs changing.
EX:
I noticed him seeming a bit more nervous (we live in an apartment building and I work) There can be a bit of noise when I am not home. 
I replaced the empty containers Sunday. Last night Artie went right up to one of them, started sniffing and rubbing his face on it!!


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

artiesmom said:


> I use it up until it is dry!


So is this what yours looks like when its done? Is this a normal appearance? It just kind of startled me especially the black spot. 

It was dry alright!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

*WOW! Good thing you didn't burn the house down waiting so long to change it!*
*
*
*
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*Just kidding!!* - You have obviously never used a plug in air freshener of any kind before. Totally normal. No biggee at all.


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

Claiken said:


> So is this what yours looks like when its done? Is this a normal appearance? It just kind of startled me especially the black spot.
> 
> It was dry alright!


LOL.. I've left air fresheners in the plug WAAAAAY beyond the empty and dry stage. Maybe a couple months past. What you got in your hand is normal and no where near igniting.

These things are barely warm... just enough to release an aroma or hormone in the air and that's it. 

You're alright. Use it till the very last drop... the very last vapor


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## Wannabe Catlady (Aug 6, 2012)

Marcia said:


> *WOW! Good thing you didn't burn the house down waiting so long to change it!*
> *
> *
> *
> ...


 '

Oh man. Snorted coffee out of my nose with that one! Way to start my morning...


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

:devil Couldn't resist!


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

cat face said:


> What you got in your hand is normal and no where near igniting.


Good to know.

The only plug in kind i have used in the past (like, the 90's) are the flatter design with the kind of U shaped gel insert that glade made. no pure liquid with wooden sticks. just a heated gel pack that gave off smell. those were old when they got crunchy looking. so much easier to tell! lol.


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

Claiken said:


> Good to know.
> 
> The only plug in kind i have used in the past (like, the 90's) are the flatter design with the kind of U shaped gel insert that glade made. no pure liquid with wooden sticks. just a heated gel pack that gave off smell. those were old when they got crunchy looking. so much easier to tell! lol.


I remember those things!!! LOL yea, I had loads of crunchy stuff back then too. Habits never change, do they? LOL!!


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