Often a cat's behaviour can be altered due to stress. Cats are most happy when the least change is going on around them, they are happy with the way things are and prefer it if there are no changes to their living arrangements. Stress can cause a cat to become unsociable, nervous and in some cases ill.

Pheromones such as 'Feliway' can help your cat stay calm and in the long run will lead to a happier, more sociable cat. Cats will release their own pheromones through clawing and urinating to signal their displeasure. 'Feliway' or other man-made pheromones counteract this and release calming pheromones which your cat will react to in a positive fashion.

Man-made pheromones deliver chemical copies of the facial pheromones found in cats. The facial pheromones are normally used by a cat to familiarize with its surroundings. By rubbing against a surface or even a person's leg, the cat is able to familiarize the surface and will know from then on that they can be comfortable around it.

When the cat detects the presence of these particular pheromones they will react in a calmer manner. This emotional calming will eventually lead to a reduction in the cat's antisocial or stressed behaviour.

One of the best ways to calm your cat is by using an electrical diffuser which disperses pheromones throughout the household environment via means of evaporation. This can be especially helpful if your cat is losing its appetite and does not look comfortable in its home.

The best results from using man-made pheromones come in a variety of different situations, these include:

1. When you are introducing a new cat into the household, this can be a threatening time for your existing cat and pheromones will help to ease the worry and should help the two cats build a good relationship.

2. When the cat is being taken to the vet or moved around outside its home. This can be an extremely stressful time for the cat and using the pheromones will not only make the cat happier, it can reduce your anxiety when your cat stops howling at you!

3. When you move. If you spray pheromones around the new home the cat will instantly feel more at home and will feel as though it has already familiarized itself with the surrounding environment.

There are many other situations where pheromones are useful, all you need to know is that when you think your cat might be stressed, pheromones are the chemically proven answer!

Copyright 2007 by Dorothy Santoro