Feliway Plugin Help PLEASE

[AngelZoo]

Alright, little bit of background for my question.
I'm looking for those who have used Feliway for dominance/aggresion issues, and their ending result.

I have 3 cats, but Asim one of my males, brother to Isha, is the most dominant. He also has anxiety and depression issues that I have been dealing with since I got him at 4 months old. They are pretty under control since how he used to be.

At any rate, since we moved to this new apartment about 9 or so months ago he's been really beating up on his sister, more then normal, sometimes it's dominance issues and I swear to you, sometimes it is just to be mean because he is up set about something.
Well this morning, I was in the bathroom, and I couldn't come out, I heard Asim going after Isha again, but it was worse then normal, MUCH worse. I couldn't break it up right then, but I saw Tage my other smaller male run by and smack Asim in the head, just enough to let Isha escape for a second.
When I walk out there is clumps of Isha's fur ALL over the hall way, I normally see one clump sometimes and Asim eats it, but this time there was about 15 of them! large clumps of fur that he had torn or bitten off of her.

So, I have to find a way to deal with Asim. But today something semi unusual happened. Isha BIT me, 2 times. She has never done this before, but I know it was a redirected aggression issue because she has those towards Tage at times.
She bit my calf, I looked down and saw Isha, and I was like "Nah, it couldn't have been her". I start walking around, and I notice her start to dive at my feet a couple of times (something she NEVER does). Finally I'm turning around starting to walk away from her about a minute later and I see her run over jump up to my butt, latch on to my leg with her claws and bit me square on the outter thigh and then jumped off!
I put her in the laundry room for a little while to let her settle down and do something else for a change (they have toys and a litter box in there).

I can't have Asim picking on her so much, and I certainly can't have Isha starting to attack people if she gets upset (I have a 3 year old daughter at home).

So please any stories about using Feliway would help greatly!

[jenluckenbach]

HI. Actually I am about to start using them myself, so I am not sure if they will work. This much I do know, it is NOT instant. It really needs to get into the air and into the cats, so don't expect instant results. I will be anxious to hear other's responses as well. Good luck.

[AngelZoo]

Yeah I understand that it can take at least a month or more for it to take a full effect, I expect this.

Thanks, hope it works for you!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I didn't use the plug-in, but had the spray. Unfortunately it didn't work at all for me, and actually turned Peanut away from her favorite "house."

I would suggest taking both, or all three, of them to the vet. Turns out the problem with T & P was that Peanut was allergic to something. When cats have allergies, they produce more oil on their skin, and quite often they can't keep up with the cleaning, and therefore, the oil gets old and rancid. We can't smell anything, but the other cats can smell this and may make them do like Tubby, and try and help Peanut clean herself. Peanut didn't want or like the help and a scuffle would ensue. Peanut has been on Prednisolone now, and the problem seems to have rectified itself. I have also stopped giving them Temptations treats, which I think was what was causing the allergic reaction.

So anyway, my point is that there may be some medical reason why Asim is picking on Isha. Also, I really believe that animals can sense things that we can't, so maybe there is something wrong with Isha that Asim is picking up on. Even if there's no medical problem, maybe the vet can prescribe some sort of "calming pill" or something. I think it was Denyce (or maybe CatsinDenver) had an issue with one of her cats and he's on some sort of medication to help him relax. So maybe Asim needs something like that.

Anway, good luck with it all, and please let us know how it all turns out. :)

[Edwina's Secretary]

I have had a Feliway plug in for a couple of weeks now. However, yesterday...in frustration over Edwina'swell...bitchiness...I feed her some dried catnip AND rubbed her with a cloth on which I had sprayed some Feliway.

Yesterday was a good day. Was it the Feliway, the catnip, the alignment of the planets??? I don't know but I rubbed her down again this morning -- just in case!

[mpoier]

It took the Feliaway to a while to work for us, but now my cats just hang out on their posts which are positioned close to the plug in....

Hope it all works out for you! :)

[Catsnclay]

First I would suggest going to the Vet's also. Sounds more like a behaviorual problem.

Yoshi was put on Ritilan, the cat version. He was having problems with marking his terratory....often. It took 3 months, but it is working.

The Feliaway plug-in I just used when we went away for vacation, and it did seem to help. Before we left I checked the entire house for "markings" with a black-light. There were none, when we came back, I checked again. Much to my surprise, there weren't any!! So I guess between the medication and the Feliway it worked!!

[AngelZoo]

As I mentioned before Asim does have behavioral problems with depression and anxiety, I've spoken with vets about this before, but the only way it can be managed is by certain things I do, and the way I keep Asim's enviroment at home.

I do not want to medicate him again, that really doesn't go over to well, for him, or the person having to medicate him. So it's the same problem over and over, Asim just has his moments and different ways of acting out. We recently got new chairs, new bedding, and rehomed a foster kitten they all loved playing with all day long, perhaps this was all a bit too much for Asim at once.

I guess if no one has had success with Feliway with dominance and aggression issues, I'll think up something else.

Thanks!