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Feliway for Cats
FELIWAY provides a calming environment by using the natural signals that cats produce for feeling more secure. It's drug-free, scent-free and can't be detected by humans or other pets.
FELIWAY was first introduced to vets back in 1996. For more than 25 years the FELIWAY research team has been developing its expertise in feline behaviour. With the support of world-renowned feline experts they continue to research and build the evidence behind FELIWAY.
FELIWAY has changed the lives of cats and their parents for the better! The first FELIWAY diffuser, for continuous cat well-being.
After the discovery of the feline facial pheromone and its fantastic benefits in reducing urine marking, scratching, etc., the challenge for FELIWAY was to provide a practical solution for use in the home that would last a long time. Thanks to extensive research into the diffusion of pheromones in the air, the FELIWAY Classic diffuser was launched in 2001 and is a real transformation for all FELIWAY users. Easy to use, it ensures a constant diffusion of pheromones, for the continuous well-being of cats at home.
Why do our lifestyles sometimes conflict with the needs of our cats?
Autonomy : Cats naturally live and hunt alone so their territory is important to them. Cats in our homes often do not get to choose where and when they can use their resources (food or resting places for example), especially when they live with another cat.
Calm : Cats like 2 things in particular: peace and routine. Unfortunately these are not always possible in our homes, which are filled with noise and activities.
Escape Routes : Cats need to have an escape route to cope with any situations that threatens them. There are many times this may not be possible, such as a closed door or window, a person or another animal blocking their way.
Stability : Given the choice between travelling somewhere or staying at home, cats are unanimous - home is best! Cats like stability of their territory, but at times we need our cats to leave the safety of home, such as moving home or vet visits.
When a cat is unhappy in their environment, they often communicate their distress through changes in behavior. Common signs include excessive meowing, destructive scratching, or urinating outside the litter box. They might also withdraw, hiding more than usual, or show aggression, such as swatting or biting. Cats may overgroom themselves, leading to bald spots, or stop grooming altogether, resulting in a dull, unkempt coat. These behaviors are their way of signaling discomfort or stress, often caused by changes in their routine, environment, or access to essentials like food, water, or safe spaces. Recognizing and addressing these signs promptly is key to restoring their well-being.
Cat Pheromones
From body language to vocalization, your cat uses lots of signs and signals to communicate. Though humans may not be able to detect them, cat pheromones are one of the most important methods!
Pheromones are a type of olfactory chemical communication that cats use to interact with each other and the world around them. Produced by specific glands around their bodies, all felines produce a range of pheromones to send messages to other cats and to influence their behaviour or emotional responses. All cats understand these pheromone signals, regardless of their age!
Cats have many scent glands that release pheromones over their body. Many are found around their face; under the chin, below their ears, forehead, cheeks and around the mouth. Other glands are located near their paw pads, and around female cats' nipples. Finally, pheromones are also present in their urine.
Cats use a variety of behaviours to share or deposit their pheromones. You may have seen your cat:
- Rubbing their head against household objects
- Scratching at objects
- Bumping their head on other cats (or you!), also called 'bunting'
- Rubbing their body against objects and surfaces
- Spraying urine to mark areas in their territory
Does your cat have a favourite place to scratch? Or are they best friends with another cat in your house and 'bunt' each other? These behaviours are linked to pheromones!
Did you know that facial pheromone secretions alone contain nearly 40 different chemicals - and your cat will know exactly what they mean? The relationship between cats and pheromones can be complex!
How do cats understand these different chemical messages?
All cats have a specific organ called the vomeronasal organ (VNO) to recognise pheromone signals in their environment. The VNO is located in the roof of their mouth. To detect pheromones your cat will open their mouth slightly, pull back their lips and inhale.
The pheromone messages then travel to the VNO via the incisive ducts. You may have seen the entrance to the ducts on the roof of your cat's mouth, just behind their incisor teeth. The 2 small bumps are the entrances called the incisive papillae.
If you've ever seen your cat stand still whilst making a strange expression, they were probably detecting pheromones!
Pheromones pose no risk for your cat; there's no risk of 'overdosing' when using pheromone diffusers for example. Pheromones are not drugs and do not have harmful effects on the body - they simply send a message to your cat! Humans and other animals cannot detect them and are therefore not affected by cat pheromones. They are also odourless!
Pheromones influence the behaviour, interactions and the emotions of our felines. But how do they work?
Your cat has many reasons to release pheromones. They are useful for:
- Marking their territory
- Identifying and learning about other cats
- Creating familiarity
- Strengthening bonds
- Signalling to sexual partners
- Helping mothers and kittens to bond, recognise each other and live together in harmony
- Self-soothing
- Signalling happiness, contentment and reassurance
- Signalling stress or fear
And many more!
This means that the pheromones your cat releases will vary, depending on the situation. For example, if your cat encounters a new object that it considers harmless, they may rub their head against that object to mark it as 'safe'.
Pheromones are also used to reduce stress-related behaviour. FELIWAY Classic, for example, uses the same pheromone that cats naturally release to send reassuring messages. They reduce the need for your cat to hide, as well as scratch and urine spray.
Pheromones are a natural way for cats to communicate. FELIWAY pheromones promote the well-being of cats.
There are many different varieties of cat pheromone. Below are specific 'everyday' pheromones that your cats uses.
Pheromone producing glands are found on a cat's forehead, chin, cheeks, around the mouth and at the base of their ears. When cats rub their face on objects they are depositing pheromones, marking them as 'safe' or familiar things in their environment.
Feline Facial Pheromones / F3 Facial Pheromones
Your cat's face is a hub for pheromone messaging!
The F3 facial pheromone is a comforting pheromone, which provides a sense of reassurance for cats in their environment. These 'happy messages' help cats to feel secure.
The FELIWAY Classic Diffuser and Spray use the F3 facial pheromone to reduce stress-related signs such as scratching in inappropriate places, urine spraying outside the litter tray, hiding, reduced activity, overgrooming, reduced appetite etc.
The soothing effect of the F3 facial pheromone in FELIWAY Classic can help cats cope with stressful situations, such as moving home, visiting the vet, travel and changes in the home (such as a new baby or another pet).
Mother Cat Pheromones / Cat Appeasing Pheromones (C.A.P)
Pheromones play an important role in ensuring harmony and bonding between a mother cat and her kittens.
A mother cat secretes pheromones from glands around her nipples. This pheromone is called the cat appeasing pheromone (CAP). It helps nuring kittens feel secure and content, and helps them get along with each other. This pheromone can also help a mother cat to identify her kittens if they are separated, and can be used in a wider context to help cats recognise other individuals as being 'familiar' to them.
FELIWAY's scientific teams have demonstrated that this maternal appeasing pheromone can reduce tension and conflict between cats. Thus the use of FELIWAY Friends, by spreading these messages of harmony, allows cats in conflict to be more accepting of each other, reducing aggression and fighting, allowing them to live better.
Feline Interdigital Pheromones (F.I.S)
When a cat marks an area by clawing or scratching, their toes and foot pads release the feline interdigital pheromone (F.I.S). All cats naturally need to scratch; scratching helps them mark their territory (with both visual scratch marks and pheromone markers), and helps them to feel secure in their surroundings; plus scratching feels good to your cat!
The F.I.S pheromone also encourages your cat to return to their regular scratching spots to scratch again, which can make it difficult to move your cat’s scratching if they’ve chosen an undesirable place such as an item of furniture.
Male Cat Pheromones
Although all cats emit pheromones, male cats can indicate some unique messages.
Pheromones from the rear of a cat (often in the urine) are common to both males and females, and are used to communicate territorial messages, indicate sexual viability and express stress or fear. For this reason, both sexes may urine mark to signal their presence to other cats.
When other cats sniff at urine marks, the pheromones there give them a lot of information , such as who is nearby (and when they were there), their gender and sexual viability. In fact these pheromone markers can help cats avoid conflict, by letting them know when it is a good time to be in the area and when its not, in order to avoid meeting each other physically.
A male cat will also be attracted to the pheromones left by a female in heat. Her pheromone deposits, typically from her cheeks and urine, will indicate when she is ready to mate and looking for a partner.
Feliway FAQ
Find quick, expert-backed answers to the most common questions about FELIWAY, cat behavior, and how to create a stress-free environment for your feline friend.
How does it work?
Cats communicate through natural messages released in the air: “happy messages” (scientifically called pheromones).
When comfortable and happy, cats mark their territory as familiar by rubbing their face against corners, furniture, people, or other cats at home. By doing that, they release a message. When present in the environment, these “happy messages” provide reassurance to the cats.
When modern life conflicts with their natural needs, cats don’t feel completely comfortable. They do not release these “happy messages” anymore and show signs like urine spraying, scratching and hiding.
FELIWAY CLASSIC sends “happy messages” to cats and makes them completely feel good at home. Using feline natural reassuring messages, FELIWAY helps your cat happily adjust to pace of modern life, restores full happiness and avoids signs like urine spraying, scratching and hiding.
How fast will I see results?
A lot of cat owners start to see results within the first 7 days with their cat.
However, every cat is unique. Depending on how long the signs have been present and how severe the signs may be, it may take longer to see effects. We recommend using FELIWAY CLASSIC for at least 1 month.
How long should I use it?
When to use?
- To comfort your cat at home constantly
- If your cat shows signs like urine spraying, scratching walls or furnitures, in multiple locations
- If your cat shows signs of discomfort like hiding, reduced activity, reduced appetite, over grooming…
- If you anticipate changes in your home (moving home, renovation, redecorating, arrival of a new pet, arrival of a new family member…)
Where to use?
- In the room where the cat spends most of its time
- Or in every room where scratching or urine spraying happen most often.
Where NOT to use?
- Hallways: Cats spend very little of their time in hallways, so the efficacy would be weaker.(Except if the hallway is the room where scratching or urine marking happen most often)
- Near litter box: cats spend very little of their time near litter box, so the efficacy would be weaker. (If the litter box is in the same room where your cat spends most of his time, it will not prevent your cat from using its litter box)
When NOT to use ?
- If your cat has no access to a clean litter tray, it will pee in your home, and FELIWAY Classic will not help.
- If your cat has no access to a scratching post, it will scratch your walls or furniture (because scratching is an essential need of cats), and FELIWAY Classic will not help.
- If your cat is peeing, hiding or eating less for medical reasons, FELIWAY Classic will not help.It is important to consult a veterinarian to rule out potential medical issues in your cat.
- If your cat has conflict with another cat living in your home, we recommend using FELIWAY Friends instead.
- FELIWAY will not help in case of tension or even aggression towards owners. In such situations, we recommend to consult your veterinarian or a behaviourist.