Targeting multicat households in the midwestern U.S., researchers recently examined the use of synthetic feline-appeasing pheromone (FAP*; Feliway Friends*) for its effect on intercat aggression in multicat households.
Take-home Message – For households with established intercat aggression issues, FAP treatment correlated with significantly reduced aggression within 21 days of treatment.
*FAP and Feliway Friends are marketed by Ceva Animal Health, an Animal Health Digest Sponsor.
Source: American Veterinarian, August 21, 2018. Link.
The authors suggested that FAP “may be useful as a component of a complete behavior-modification program . . .
Also see: Sponsored Content: Pheromones; the nose knows, Animal Health Digest, March 6, 2018. Link.
Positive or negative responses to smells are olfactory responses, learned by experiences. Pheromones, by contrast, are “hard-wired, innate.” Smell responses require experience and learning while semiochemicals are innate. The two are even processed differently.
INSIGHTS: Still fuzzy about the value of pheromones? Take a few minutes to consider where these fit in coaching pet owners or where they fit in the sales bag if you’re a representative. Including pheromones with new puppies and kittens or an animal adoption is nearly a no-brainer.