Feliway Reviews: Classic, Optimum and Friends Diffuser Comparison 2025
- Rachel
- Jul 24, 2024
- 11 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Information accurate from January 2025. All photos are my own and previously unpublished.
If you've found your way here then you'll be familiar with the cat-calming products offered by Feliway and may be wondering: which one is best?
Well, that depends on what kind of behaviour you're trying to eliminate.
Known as the number one clinically-proven cat behavioural product, Feliway is backed by over 25 years of science and research into pet welfare. There are three types of plug-ins available: Classic, Optimum and Friends. The following reviews cover Optimum and Friends, which I've tried and tested on my own squabbling boys - but don't worry, I've put together a comparison of all three here.
Also in this article:
What Are Pheromones?
We've already covered quite a bit on the importance of feline pheromones, but if you're not up to speed and want to learn more, check out this article before reading on: What Are Cat Pheromones and How Do They Work?
In short, pheromones are chemicals that cats release from various glands around their bodies through scent marking. They can be detected by other cats and used as signals or messages, making them a valuable source of communication. Diffusers contain artificial pheromones that are slowly released when plugged in to make cats feel safe, secure and comfortable within their environment.
Why Use a Feliway Diffuser?
Pheromone products are designed to help cats feel more relaxed and reduce anxiety-related behaviours such as:
Scratching or clawing furniture.
Overgrooming.
Hiding.
Fear or nervousness.
Urinating outside the litterbox and spraying (territory marking).
Excessive vocalisation (meowing or crying).
Fighting with other household cats.
They also claim to diminish stress associated with new situations such as moving house; introducing new cats, pets or babies; fireworks and vet visits. For a shorter-term alternative, sprays are also available that can be used on carriers prior to travelling or around problem areas of the home.
Feliway Classic Spray is available in 20ml or 60ml bottles. According to Feliway studies, 41.7% of owners felt that their relationship with their cats improved after using the spray.
Related post: 6 Best Cat Calming Sprays
Pros and Cons of a Feliway Diffuser
Pros:
Clinically proven and vet recommended.
Easy to use.
Effective within 1 week.
Undetectable to humans.
Reduces stress in cats of all ages.
Drug free.
Covers 70m² .
48ml bottle lasts up to 30 days.
Cons:
May need more than one diffuser to cover multiple floors or areas of the home.
Expensive for long-term use.
Plug-in should be replaced every 6 months.
How to Use a Feliway Diffuser
Diffusers should be plugged into an electrical socket nearest to where cats spend most of their time, avoiding draught areas such as windows and doors. Ensure it's not covered by furniture or curtains as this can cause blockages or prevent the pheromones from dispersing properly.
Leave the diffuser on 24/7 for continuous use or up to 2 weeks prior to a stressful event (moving house, fireworks, etc). Vials need to be replaced once empty, for which you can buy refill packs online. It's advised to replace the plug after 5 refills or 6 months of use.
Feliway recommends that diffusers are used for 3-4 weeks for best results, although many owners see effects within the first 7 days.
Feliway Classic, Optimum and Friends Comparison
CLASSIC | OPTIMUM | FRIENDS | |
Pheromones | 2% FFP | 2% FPC | 2% CAP |
Behaviours | Hiding; urine spraying; scratching. | Fear; hiding; urine spraying; scratching; fighting; overgrooming (if stress related); reduced appetite (if stress related). | Tension; conflict; fighting; blocking; staring. |
Situations | Urinating outside the litter tray; changes in the home. | Introducing a new pet or baby; moving home; changes in routine. | Aggression between cats; introducing a new cat; aiding bonding. |
Amazon Rating | ⭐ 4.2 | ⭐ 4.2 | ⭐ 4.0 |
Feliway Classic - Mimics the feline facial pheromone (FFP) which cats produce when rubbing their face and cheeks against objects in their environment, creating a sense of familiarity and safety. This is the original Feliway that has helped to make cats feel comfortable at home and reduce signs of stress for over 25 years. It can be useful for minor changes such as vet visits or travelling.
Feliway Optimum - Contains a new feline pheromone complex, a blend of pheromones designed to address a wider range of behavioural issues. It provides overall serenity, especially when preparing for major changes in the home.
Feliway Friends - A synthetic version of the feline appeasing pheromone (CAP) that a mother cat naturally releases after giving birth. These are used to make kittens feel safe and protected; as well as aiding bonding, identification and harmonious interactions between littermates. This is recommended for multi-cat households to minimise tension and conflict.
Does Feliway Work?
With all three diffusers boasting a 4-star or above rating on Amazon, it's safe to say that Feliway products are effective in many cases. Some customers complain about value for money, especially when there are some good cheaper options available; and diffusers not working for their cats.
According to the Feliway website:
Classic users reported a reduction in urine marking in 9 out of 10 cats after 4 weeks.
93% of Optimum users noticed their cats showed enhanced serenity with the following reductions:
*Scratching -73%
*Urine spraying -77%
*Conflict -72%
*Fear, hiding and stress associated with changes or new situations -73%
Friends was the first product that was scientifically proven to reduce conflict and tension between cats living in the same household.
Customer Feedback
Classic
Owners report positive results for hiding, urine spraying, scratching and overgrooming. In a few cases, it's said to help make cats more sociable with people.
Optimum
Highly rated for easing tension between household cats where other signs of anxiety are present. It's also used for reducing territorial behaviour when introducing cats for the first time and settling rescue cats. It's most effective on scratching and excessive meowing or crying.
Friends
Positive results are seen with nervous cats and those that generally annoy each other. It reduces conflict triggered by changes, including moving house or additional pets.
Many owners use Feliway (unsuccessfully) when introducing new kittens to existing cats, but this could be due to not going through the proper introduction process. Bringing a kitten into the household is a change in itself and can be extremely upsetting for other residents depending on factors such as age, personality and temperament.
I've seen an abundance of negative reviews from people using Feliway and other brands to calm their excitable kittens. Pheromones are no substitute for play and other forms of enrichment or stimulation. It's crucial to give young cats and kittens an outlet for their excess of energy to prevent annoying other cats or engaging in destructive behaviour. If you suspect your kitten has abnormal hyperactivity levels then consult a vet for advice.
Feliway Reviews
While Feliway Classic has a whopping 36,000+ reviews on Amazon, Optimum is the most highly recommended as it contains a new and improved pheromone complex that has been proven to calm cats better than ever. I therefore didn't feel it necessary to purchase both, but instead focused on Optimum and Friends for targeting aggression and conflict between my boys.
It's important to note that diffusers are aimed at reducing behaviours caused by or resulting from stress, which usually goes hand in hand with aggression, but it won't eliminate the cause. Diffusers are by no means a miracle cure to stop cats from fighting, but providing a safe and comfortable environment may help towards making cats feel more relaxed in general.
Diffusers are no substitute for medical treatment and you should always consult a vet to check for underlying health conditions that may be contributing to problem behaviour
Feliway Optimum Plug-in Diffuser and Refill
*Reviews are based on aggressive behaviours rather than purely stress related.
Product/Packaging
In the first instance, these Feliway starter kits contain 1 diffuser and 1 refill. Feliway is currently the most expensive brand on the market, but once the vial runs out you can purchase more refills at a slightly lower cost.
Quality
As far as the diffusers themselves go, there was no detectable odour, overheating or burning (as some reviews describe). The only thing I'll say is that the top of the plugs get a bit sticky from the vapour residue and this tends to attract dust.
When I turned the diffusers off for an extended length of time and switched them back on again, some of the dust would singe and there was a slight burning smell. This went away after I wiped the dust off, so it's not a fault with the diffuser but more with my cleaning skills. My advice would be to unplug the diffuser when not in use and store inside the box it's packaged in.
I didn't experience any side effects such as headaches, which some people complain of. I assume this is a result of sensitivity to the paraffin-based solution that holds the pheromones. The diffusers didn't last for the full 30 days, but in my experience none of them do!
Usage
As the most popular and recommended Feliway diffuser, Optimum was the first one I tried, with its new and improved pheromone complex. One diffuser covers up to 70m² so I put it on the ground floor where the cats spend most of their time, as per instructions. The first time using this, my cats stopped fighting after a few days, but whether this was a coincidence is anyone’s guess.
When I say fighting, they weren't so much physical fights but more brewing tension: growling, hissing, stalking, blocking and staring. This came on suddenly and the cause of aggression was unclear, but I turned the diffuser off after around two weeks.
When problems resurfaced a few months later, I plugged the diffuser back in and didn't notice a difference in either cat's behaviour. The signs of aggression were the same as previously but quickly escalated, with chasing and full-contact fights.
Feliway Friends Plug-in Diffuser and Refill
After giving it 3-4 weeks, I decided to try Feliway Friends (CAP pheromone) as recommended for reducing conflict in multi-cat households, which was more fitting to my cats’ needs. Again, there were no obvious effects so I turned it off just to make sure I wasn’t missing something - even the slightest change was better than nothing.
For reference, I have two cats: Drax was always the main aggressor and Simba was the victim.
Interestingly, in the days following, Drax’s behaviour started to improve. The fighting still occurred but there was less stalking and chasing with an overall healthier interest in his brother. On the flip side, Simba was noticeably more skittish without the diffusers - which should come as no surprise if you’ve followed My Story. Annoyingly, my cats are so opposite in personality that finding remedies to suit both has been challenging to say the least!
To make doubly sure I wasn’t imagining things, I tried the Comfort Zone brand which contains another analogue of feline pheromones, albeit a little cheaper than Feliway. The results were similar, which I can only take as evidence of what we already know. Pheromone therapy had a positive effect on Simba as the “victim” by lowering anxiety levels, but no effect on Drax as the aggressor. What I can’t figure out is how or why the diffusers would have made him more aggressive.
Comfort Zone plug-in pheromone diffuser for single or multi-cat homes. Creates a calm, relaxing environment to help reduce stress and other problem behaviours, as well as tension and fighting between household cats.
After some research - that is, trawling through other buyer reviews - I found similar stories of diffusers having a negative effect on cats where aggression is already present. Some owners even claimed that their cats had peed on the diffusers themselves! I have no evidence that links diffusers to increased aggression and as Drax began to improve naturally, they seemed to stop having an effect altogether. Cats are complex creatures, as we know.
It wouldn’t be fair to pin any blame on Feliway or its competitors and I don’t have a negative opinion of pheromone products in general; all I can say is that they worked for one cat and not the other. There are plenty of owners claiming that diffusers stopped their cats from fighting but, without knowing the cause of aggression or the cats themselves, it's hard to form a conclusion. Nor can I comment on their effectiveness for more stress-related behaviours such as scratching or overgrooming.
At the risk of making Drax worse, I initially ditched the pheromones and focused more on creating a calmer environment with a Pet Remedy diffuser. These contain blends of valerian, vetiver, basil and clary sage essential oils to tackle stress and anxiety, which means they're not cat specific.
Pet Remedy plug-in diffuser contains a low concentration of valerian and essential oils to work with a cat's natural calming mechanisms when tackling stress and anxiety. Ideal for most pets including cats, dogs, rabbits, rodents and birds.
As far as Pet Remedy goes, the boys definitely seemed to be more relaxed and slept sounder than usual; but the aggression persisted until I got to the root of the issue. Find out more in: How to Stop Cats Spraying and Urine Marking Outside Your Home with 8 Tips
Perhaps this explains why Feliway was effective the first time around and not the second. If it was purely tension from a minor squabble with no external stressor, the diffuser would have more of an effect than if there was an underlying cause for aggression. Many owners have reported successful results in different situations and scenarios, so it really comes down to your individual cat/s.
Unfortunately, it's all guesswork at this point. The boys had fallen out and made up so many times in the past that they might have done so again without the diffuser. The only difference this time was that the levels of aggression were higher and more long-lasting, so I bought a diffuser to help during the separation and reintroduction process.
Feliway Help 7-Day Starter Kit Plug-in diffuser and cartridge ideal for temporary situations or a trial period. Provides 7 days of happy messages to your cat. |
Conclusion
While Feliway Optimum seemed to help with Simba's nerves around Drax, Feliway Friends had little if any effect. I would have expected the opposite; but again, as the conflict was a result of external circumstances rather than problems between the cats themselves, this is perhaps why there was no improvement. Feliway makes no claims of reducing aggression that isn't stress related, so I don't believe the issue completely lies with the products.
More notably, I switched back to Feliway Optimum once the other diffusers had run out and found that it still had a negative effect on Drax. With some caution, I bought another Comfort Zone and had no issues. This was good for everyone because it seemed to work just as well on Simba as Feliway Optimum, if not better - as well as being a fair bit cheaper.
Progress between the boys has been slow and steady, but I wasn't expecting miracles. Pheromone diffusers are a treatment rather than a cure and work best alongside other changes, whether that involves their environment; medical intervention or advice from a behaviourist. I definitely notice a difference when the diffuser runs out, as Simba tends to get more defensive and hissy around Drax.
What works for one cat might not work for another, which is perhaps why there are so many conflicting reviews. For now I'll stick with Comfort Zone because it's the best option for us, but Feliway Optimum is a worthy contender and comes highly rated by customers - see for yourself!
Information accurate from January 2025 and may be subject to change. Feel free to get in touch if you think this article needs updating.
Have you tried any of the diffusers mentioned or think you've found a better alternative? Share your experiences and feedback in the comments to help out fellow cat parents.
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