Ceva

Ceva is the French animal health company behind Feliway for cats and Adaptil for dogs. Both are synthetic copies of pheromones - the chemical messages pets use between themselves. They are drug-free and are not sedatives; they change how safe a place or a situation feels to the animal, which is a different thing from making them sleepy.

Feliway, for Cats

• Feliway Classic copies the facial pheromone a cat leaves when it rubs its cheeks on furniture. Aimed at scratching, urine spraying, hiding, and stress from changes at home. Ceva reports 92% owner satisfaction.
• Feliway Optimum is Ceva's newest formula and covers the widest set of signs - scratching, changes, fears, urine spraying, and tension between cats. Ceva's own field study reports reductions of 77%, 73% and 72% across those groups.
• Feliway Friends (sold as Feliway MultiCat in some markets) copies a different pheromone and is aimed only at tension between cats living together: conflict, fighting, chasing and blocking.
• Feliway Classic Spray is the take-with-you version, for carriers, the car and specific marked spots at home.

Adaptil, for Dogs

• Adaptil Calm Home diffuser covers one room, for a dog left alone, loud noises, fears and changes at home.
• Adaptil Calm collar is released by the dog's own body heat, so unlike a diffuser it keeps working in the car, at the vet, on walks and at training class. Small fits a neck to 37.5 cm; Medium/Large fits to 62.5 cm.
• Adaptil Junior is the same pheromone in the pack Ceva positions for puppies under 15 kg - settling in, night-time crying and puppy classes.
• Adaptil Transport spray is for the car, the crate and vet visits.

Diffuser or Collar or Spray?

• A diffuser works in one room and only while it is plugged in. It is the choice for a problem that happens at home.
• A collar travels with the pet and works anywhere. It is the choice for a dog that struggles out of the house.
• A spray is for one place at one time - a carrier, a car seat, a crate, a doorframe.

Good To Know

• Diffusers take a 48 ml vial that lasts about 30 days and covers roughly 50-70 m2 (about 700 sq ft). The diffuser head itself should be replaced every 6 months. Vials are not interchangeable between the Classic, Optimum and Friends diffusers.
• UAE mains is 220-240 V with UK-style three-pin sockets. Ceva's label says to use the diffuser on 230-240 V only and never with an extension cord, adapter or voltage converter, and Ceva also makes a 110 V version for the US market - check the plug on the unit you receive.
• Ceva's instruction is to plug the diffuser in with the vents facing up; sideways or upside-down it can leak, and Ceva warns of a fire risk. Leave about 1.2 m of clear space around it, and expect it to feel warm - that is what evaporates the liquid.
• Both sprays are alcohol-based. The Feliway Classic Spray pack carries a FLAMMABLE and EYE IRRITANT warning. Spray onto a surface, never onto the animal, and let it dry for 10 to 15 minutes before your pet goes near it.
• Give it a month. Ceva's own studies run over 30 days, so leave a diffuser running for a full cycle before deciding whether it is working.
• Pheromones support the rest of the work; they do not replace it. Litter tray numbers, separate resources, gradual introductions, training and exercise all still matter.
• Behaviour that changes suddenly can be a sign of pain or illness. Have a vet check your pet before assuming it is behavioural - and in cats, straining in the litter tray or passing little or no urine is an emergency, especially in males.