Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Oct 18;18(10):e0292188.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292188. eCollection 2023.

Efficacy of the Feliway® Classic Diffuser in reducing undesirable scratching in cats: A randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled study

Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Efficacy of the Feliway® Classic Diffuser in reducing undesirable scratching in cats: A randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled study

Joana Soares Pereira et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Scratching the environment is a natural behaviour that cats use for communication and physical maintenance purposes, however when it is carried out on household furniture it is considered unacceptable for some owners and even grounds for relinquishment of cats. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of FELIWAY® Classic Diffuser in reducing undesirable scratching (scratching vertical surfaces indoors other than the scratching post) in cats. A 28 day, randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled study with a total of 1060 caregiver-cat dyads was conducted. The study contained two groups: the Pheromone Group consisted of caregivers who were given a pheromone diffuser (n = 546) and the Placebo Group consisted of caregivers who were given a placebo diffuser (n = 514). A questionnaire with three subsections was distributed online. The first section, completed by the respondents at day 0, inquired about the cats' daily routines, social and physical environments, behaviour, temperament, and emotional states. The second section filled on day 0, 7, 14, and 28, assessed the Frequency and the Intensity of the undesirable scratching problem and the effectiveness of the product. The last section, filled on the 28th day of the product application, related to the caregivers' opinions about the product and overall outcome. After 28 days the scratching Frequency reduced for 83.5% of the cats in the Pheromone Group and 68.5% for the Placebo Group (p<0.0001). The Intensity was significantly different between treatment groups at D7 (p = 0.0170), at D14 (p = 0.0189) and at D28 (p<0.001). The reduction of the Global Index Score, which was calculated by multiplying the Intensity with the Frequency, was significantly higher for the Pheromone Group (p<0.001). This study provides direct evidence that the use of FELIWAY® Classic diffuser significantly reduces the Frequency, Intensity and the Global Index Score of undesirable scratching.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

LM, SE and XDJ are employees of Ceva Santé Animale. JSP, YS, GGP authors received fees from Ceva Santé Animale for their contribution on the study design, interpretation of results and manuscript writing. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Scheme of study protocol.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Population characteristics at baseline.
A) Gender distribution. B) Data at baseline (D0) of the principal scratching parameters. C) Impact of the caregiver involvement on their evaluation of the Frequency of undesirable scratching between Selection and Baseline (D0). D) Mean cat personality profile per group (the purple line represents the Pheromone Group and the grey dashed line the Placebo Group).
Fig 3
Fig 3
A) Change of the median Frequency for 28 days. B) Absolute change of the Intensity over 28 days. C) Change of the global undesirable scratching problem using the absolute change of the Global Index Score. ** represents significant difference of at least p<0.01 and *** for p<0.001.
Fig 4
Fig 4
A) Change of the perceived disturbance due to scratching during the previous 7 days. B) Overall evaluation of the scratching problem over the last 28 days using Xi 2 test. * represents significant difference of at least p<0.05 and *** for p<0.001.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Adverse events for cats classified according to VeDDRA terms.
Behaviour disorder includes a large variety of behaviour changes such as a cat’s change in routine, etc…

Similar articles

References

    1. DePorter TL, Elzerman AL. Common feline problem behaviors: Destructive scratching. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. SAGE Publications Ltd; 2019. pp. 235–243. doi: 10.1177/1098612X19831205 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Beaver BVG. Feline Behavior: A Guide For Veterinarians. Saunders; 2003.
    1. Vitale KR. Tools for Managing Feline Problem Behaviors: Pheromone therapy. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. SAGE Publications Ltd; 2018. pp. 1024–1032. doi: 10.1177/1098612X18806759 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Shreve KRV, Udell MAR. Stress, Security, and Scent: The influence of chemical signals on the social lives of domestic cats and implications for applied settings. 2016. http://www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/
    1. Pageat P, Gaultier E. Current research in canine and feline pheromones. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 2003;33: 187–211. Available: doi: 10.1016/s0195-5616(02)00128-6 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Grants and funding

This study was funded by Ceva Santé Animale who provided the diffusers and was implicated in all the step of this clinical trial.