The 15 Best Calming Aids For Cats
- May 27, 2023
- By Dr. Deborah Fletcher
When it comes to spending time in their area, the majority of cats are as calm as cucumbers, and everything is as it should be. But if things change, like when a guest comes to stay the night, this friendly cat might get confused and need help to calm down.
Cats that have to travel for any reason or stay in a strange place while their owners are on vacation might also need help staying calm.
To soothe your cat, you should not rely exclusively on delicate stroking and soothing remarks. There are several cat sedative medicines on the market that may help your kitty rest, be peaceful, and enjoy life regardless of the circumstances. BestForPets (bestforpets.org) evaluates the best calming aids for cats.
Reviews
Feliway Classic Calming Spray for Cats — Overall Winner
- Lifestage: Adults
- Principal Ingredients: cat facial pheromone and ethanol
- Spray on beds, within cars, and in containers, etc
- Caution: Never spray cats directly
This spray is intended to adjust your cat’s behavior when anxiety and annoyance are present. The Feliway Classic Calming Spray for Cats is the greatest cat calming product on the market since it is simple to use, inexpensive, and does not smell bad to people.
Because it imitates the cat’s natural pheromones, the compound has been clinically proved to relieve stress and promote feline comfort.
When a cat is at peace in a room, it will rub against items to produce pheromones and “mark” its territory. They may detect the pheromones anytime they enter the area.
This spray may be used in locations your cat has never been before to trick them into thinking they are smelling their own pheromones. As a consequence, your cat should feel instantly more at ease and less anxious.
Pros
- Simple to use
- Travel-friendly
- Neutral odor for people
Cons
- May require more use than indicated in the instructions
Stress Away Calming Soft Chews by VetClassics – Best Price
- Lifestage: Kittens, adults
- Chamomile flower, passionflower, and L-tryptophan are the principal ingredients
- Feed at least one pill, based on the animal’s weight
- Caution: Avoid feeding pregnant cats
The Stress Aware Calming Soft Chews from VetClassics are similar to treats, but instead of excite cats, they soothe them.
Each chewable treat contains substances such as thiamine and L-tryptophan that reduce tension and promote relaxation naturally. In addition, they include ginger, which helps settle an upset stomach during travel or illness.
This is the most cost-effective relaxing solution for cats because the product is never wasted. These chews, unlike sprays, always end up in your cat’s stomach, although sprays may wind up in undesirable locations.
These chews are always produced in the United States and were created by veterinarians. The product is amazing since it works for both cats and dogs.
Pros
- Compatible with cats and dogs
- Easy to transport
- Produced with only natural components
Cons
- It is possible that treats are too large for little kittens to chew
Comfort Zone Multi-Cat Calming Diffuser – The Optimal Selection
- Lifestage: Adults
- Isoparaffinic hydrocarbon, a feline pheromone, is the key ingredient
- Basic Guidelines: Connect to an outlet and activate
- Cautions: None
Comfort Zone Multi-Cat Soothing Diffuser is a wonderful alternative if you’re searching for a superior calming solution for your cat. This product works throughout the day to keep your cat quiet while inside the house.
The diffuser emits a pheromone blend that helps all family cats feel more at ease in their surroundings. As a result, cats are less inclined to fight over territory or see each other as a threat.
When it’s time to introduce a new cat to the household, this diffuser works wonders. Turn it on and let your present cat to become accustomed to other pheromones circulating the home.
Your present cat will be more likely to welcome your new kitten by the time they arrive. The refills for the diffuser last around 30 days before they must be replenished.
Pros
- Works for numerous cats simultaneously
- Refills last around 30 days
- Can be utilized in any setting
Cons
- Needs an electrical outlet
Calming Essential Oil from Calm Paws Purr — Ideal for Kittens
- Stage of life: kittens and adults
- Principal Components: lavender oil and catmint oil
- Basic Guidelines: Add one drop to food or liquid
- Cautions: None
This product is a mixture of natural oils believed to maintain a cat’s demeanor calm and relaxed. The mixture is pre-blended with lavender and catmint essential oils, which are mild and will never overpower your cat’s or your own noses.
Additionally, Calm Paws Purr Calming Essential Oil is simple to apply. Simply add two drops to your cat’s food or water dish, or apply a little amount on their head, avoiding their eyes, nose, and mouth.
The solution can be administered as needed or regularly to assist your furry family member keep a cheerful, healthy, and relaxed disposition.
Some cats may be allergic to the essential oils upon contact; thus, test a tiny area of fur before applying it to your cat for the first time.
Pros
- Has natural essential oils
- Multiple distribution options exist
- For occasional and consistent usage
Cons
- Some cats may be allergic to the essential oils
Bully Pet Aromatherapy by Jackson Galaxy Solutions
- Stage of life: kittens and adults
- The principal ingredients are chamomile, holly, and walnut
- Basic Guidelines: Add a drop to food or drink, massage over animal fur, or apply to bedding
- Cautions: None
Using a combination of floral extracts, Jackson Galaxy Solutions Bully Pet Aromatherapy is meant to keep “alpha” pets tranquil, allowing the other pets in the home to live in peace.
If you have a cat that loves to intimidate others in your home, administering this medicine to it will eliminate its territorial behavior and dominant attitude.
This device is designed to prevent cats from pursuing, biting, swatting, and leaping violently while dealing with humans or other cats.
Young cats with naturally high levels of energy and lively dispositions may not gain as much from this recipe as older cats with a lesser energy drive. This item is not intended to relax cats during travel or other stressful situations.
Pros
- Can put an end to catfights in the house
- Not containing essential oils or allergies
- Ideal for multi-cat homes
Cons
- Not suitable for younger kittens
Multi-Cat ThunderEase Calming Diffuser for Cats
- Lifestage: Adults
- Principal Components: maternal cat pheromone
- Basic Guidelines: Connect to an outlet and activate
- Cautions: None
This unusual wall outlet diffuser generates pheromones that imitate those of a nursing mother, which should instantly relax and reassure your cat. The ThunderEase Multi-Cat Calming Diffuser for Cats is intended to alleviate cats’ anxiety and tension.
It can prevent cats from scratching furniture, ruining tabletop things, spraying urine indoors to mark territory, and appearing agitated when guests arrive.
This formula should also facilitate the introduction of new cats to one another. It can be plugged into any outlet, so you may bring it on vacation and your cat should remain peaceful and quiet in the hotel room.
For maximum simplicity, the reusable system employs cartridges that continuously emit pheromones into the air for up to 30 days.
Pros
- Appropriate for multiple-cat families
- Unassisted distribution
- Stops undesirable actions
Cons
- Cartridges must be changed often
Pet MasterMind Cool Kitty Spray for Calming
- Lifestage: Adults
- Principal Ingredients: feline pheromones
- Apply to bedding, carpets, or kennels and allow to dry
- Cautions: None
Pet MasterMind Cool Kitty Calming Spray is formulated with a mixture of cat pheromones. It also contains botanical qualities, such as passionflower and jasmine, that are believed to calm a cat’s senses and make them feel secure in their environment.
This spray may be used in any circumstance, but it is particularly beneficial during journeys to the veterinarian or while relocating.
There are no additives in this composition that will cause your cat to get sleepy, so you may enjoy their vivacious personality and inquisitive temperament after application while depending on an overall calmer experience.
This spray is not intended for use on cats, but rather on cat-accessible objects. Spray the solution in your cat’s kennel prior to shipment or on its bedding and furniture when introducing it to a new environment.
Pros
- Can be utilized in any circumstance
- Does not render cats sleepy
- Excellent for visits to the vet
Cons
- When nozzles are sprayed, product might leak
Good Behavior Sentry Calming Collar
- Lifestage: Adults
- Principal Ingredients: feline pheromones
- Adjust the collar around the cat’s neck for comfort
- Cautions: None
The practical Sentry Excellent Behavior Calming Collar promotes good behavior without the need for sprays or food and drink additives.
Simply place the collar on your cat and adjust it for comfort; you’re finished! The collar continually emits a small amount of pheromones designed to relax kittens in a manner similar to that of their mothers.
The consequence should be decreased levels of tension, calmer demeanor, and a more certain disposition. With one of these collars on, your cat is far less likely to mark its territory in your home and destroy your belongings.
Even cats that appear antisocial can learn to socialize with their home partners more frequently with the aid of this collar.
Pros
- Convenient and inexpensive
- Promotes consistently appropriate behavior
- Adjustable for one’s comfort
Cons
- Some felines might not enjoy wearing the collar
Feline Anxiety Relief With HomeoPet
- Stage of life: kittens and adults
- Main Ingredients: Aconitum nap, gelsemium, passflora
- Basic Guidelines: Drops to food or liquid
- Cautions: None
HomeoPet Kitty Anxiety Relief is a homeopathic feline relief formulated with all-natural components to alleviate stress-induced anxiety.
In addition to lowering destructive behavior and aggressiveness, these drops were designed to lessen, if not eliminate, stress and anxiety signs such as trembling, cowering, peeing, and even vomiting.
The product is FDA-approved and includes no chemicals or synthetic substances. Even though the mixture is not a sedative, it calms cats sufficiently to halt meowing and excessive activity, particularly at night when everyone is asleep.
It is safe for cats of all ages, including kittens and pregnant or nursing mothers.
Pros
- Contains homeopathic components
- Reduces anxiety, hostility, and destructive conduct
- Compatible with kittens and pregnant cats
Cons
- Perhaps insufficient for cats with acute anxiety
Nature’s Miracle Calming Spray for Cats
- Stage of life: kittens and adults
- Main Ingredients: Aconitum nap, gelsemium, passflora
- Spray in the areas where your cat spends the most time
- Cautions: None
Nature’s Miracle Just for Cats Calming Spray is cost-effective while being affordable. It has a calming aroma that is pleasing to the human nose and appears to pacify cats. Because the spray is concentrated, a small amount goes a long way.
The bottle can endure for months before replacement is required. Simply spray a tiny quantity of the mixture on your cat’s bedding, curtains, furniture, throw rugs, and climbing toys to make him or her feel secure, peaceful, and comfortable at home.
Your cat may avoid locations where you have sprayed the solution until it has dried, since the odor is rather potent.
However, once the solution has dried, your cat should be drawn to the odor and begin to approach the treated regions. Therefore, it is advisable to spray kennels the night before exposing your cat to new objects or environments.
Pros
- Economical and effective
- Each administration is permanent
Cons
- The formula might be too potent until the solution dries
Buyer's Guide: Choose the Best Calming Aids for Cats
What Are the Causes of Cat Stress?
It might take time to determine the cause of stress in cats. However, it is essential to seek them out, since only their resolution can make your pet feel better.
Although the causes might be numerous and diverse, the following are the most common:
- Cohabitation of many cats. Cats are territorial and habitual creatures. Your kitty, who previously dominated his environment, may be disturbed by the introduction of a new kitten. And even if many cats have lived together for a long period, they may still find cohabitation challenging.
- The introduction of a new pet or child into the home. Similar situation: if a new “intruder” appears and settles in your cat’s area, he may become agitated.
- Having visitors. Receiving guests in your house interferes with your cat’s natural domain. Some may experience it severely and develop anxiety, isolation, or even aggression.
- Change of location. A change in territory, such as moving, might cause your cat significant discomfort. The same applies to any disruption in its jurisdiction, such as basement or kitchen renovations!
- Dietary modification. Cats appreciate a consistent diet. Diversifying his menus in an attempt to make him happy is a mistake; on the contrary, it increases his uneasiness. Feed him high-quality food, primarily kibble, and do not alter his diet if it suits him.
- Poor distribution of food. Cats enjoy many tiny meals every day. If you only feed him once or twice a day, he may become anxious about missing out on food.
- Car transport. Your cat may have trouble supporting automobile travel. This can be attributed to motion sickness or the connection of these journeys with a negative experience, such as a trip to the veterinarian.
- Illness. In addition to being a result of sickness or suffering, stress may also be a cause of it.
How Do Cats Respond to Stress?
Each cat has an own personality and shows stress in various ways. Depending on the nature of your animal, many forms of symptoms may be observed:
- If your cat is accustomed to being quiet and submissive, stress may be driving him to become violent. In this instance, he may begin spitting or hissing, biting, clawing, rejecting touch, or even bristling his hair without obvious cause. Frequently, his pupils will be dilated and fixed.
- Anxiety is often elevated in the stressed cat. He is terrified of the least noise, develops phobias, and is capable of exhibiting rapid behavioral changes. This worry can force him to self-injure by biting or ripping out tufts of hair, but he can also eat harmful objects.
- A cat interacts with his human parent frequently by meowing. Often, tension is indicated by prolonged, loud, and relatively harsh meows.
- Compulsive licking: When agitated or unhappy due to boredom, cats have a tendency to lick themselves obsessively, primarily their paws. Stress may be the culprit if he also licks his tummy or tail when you touch him. This practice can result in hair loss and discomfort, leading to the production of scabs in the licked regions.
- Stressed cats have a tendency to defecate outside the litter box, resulting in incontinence and filth. In order to demonstrate their distress, they often tend to urinate in plain view.
- A disturbed cat may feel he has lost control of his environment and no longer recognizes it. He must leave his imprint, so he begins to scratch at furniture, walls, doors, and everything else he can reach with his claws.
- When agitated, a cat’s body secretes hormones that interfere with the correct functioning of white blood cells, which are cells that defend the body from infection. His immune system is hence more susceptible to developing infectious illnesses. If repeated, this can lead to chronic stress.
- Eating disorders: Under stress, cats can develop eating problems that are diametrically opposed. Certain individuals will lose their appetite and refuse to eat. Others will be unable to resist eating excessively and immediately vomiting it all up.
- Initiation of Obsessive-Compulsive Condition (OCD): Fearful and agitated cats can acquire OCD, a behavioral disorder characterized by apparently meaningless repetitive and excessive actions. Behavioral compulsions include excessive grooming, obsessive pacing, constant meowing, and tissue chewing. Some breeds, such as Siamese, are more likely to develop OCD.
- The anxious cat frequently attempts to avoid physical contact, especially your caresses. If you persist, he may get hostile and warn you by pinning back his ears.
How Can Cats Relieve Stress?
When you observe the first signs of stress in your cat, schedule an appointment with the veterinarian.
The veterinarian will first ensure that your cat is not unwell or wounded. If he is physically healthy, he will presume a behavioral cause. Then, your veterinarian can assist you identify the causes of your cat’s nervousness or send you to a behavioral veterinarian.
This method facilitates the implementation of stress-relieving interventions and therapies. You may also use natural food supplements or calming pheromones to minimize your cat’s nervousness. If required, your veterinarian may also prescribe anti-anxiety medicine.
This is where the Hepper Nest Bed comes in for cat parents who have experienced the agony of seeing their furry child in discomfort.
Our product was created with anxious animals in mind. The bowl form with rounded edges wraps around your cat to help them feel safe and protected, while the sherpa fleece insert and flexible molded foam provide maximum comfort.
It’s never been simpler to calm nervous dogs. Click here to purchase one now.
What You Can Do to Soothe Your Cat
All of the items on our list are meant to help calm your cat; they can be used in conjunction with medicine given by your veterinarian, but it is better to consult him first.
In addition, you may take the following steps to minimize your pet’s stress, or at least prevent it from worsening:
- If the anxiety is food-related, provide your cat with many little meals each day. Be consistent and constantly provide the same high-quality meal to satisfy its daily dietary demands.
- Do not reprimand your cat for exhibiting stress-related symptoms, such as destructive behavior or frequent meowing. This will just make the situation worse and frighten your cat more.
- Maintain a constant supply of clean water to mitigate any urinary dangers.
- Spend time playing with your cat. Provide him with quality time, especially if his anxiety is caused by the introduction of a new pet or child.
- Allow your pet time to acclimatize to each new circumstance. Be gentle and progressive so as to avoid upsetting him.
Selecting an Appropriate Calming Product for Your Cat
Unfortunately, there is no foolproof method for locating the most effective soothing solution for your nervous cat; you will have to rely on trial and error.
Some cats may be less receptive to the pheromone diffuser or spray, but others may become more agitated and anxious when wearing a collar or compression vest.
However, we recommend that you select the diffuser prior to the collar or compression vest, as the worst that may happen is that your cat is insensitive to the scent.
Conclusion
You can’t go wrong with any of these solutions when it comes to the most effective cat-calming products on the market. All evaluations are sincere and based on in-depth study and personal experience.
Check out our first recommendation, the Feliway Classic Soothing Spray. It is simple to use, portable, and effective on all sorts of cats.
VetClassics’ Stress-Aware Calming Soft Chews are another great option. They are made from all-natural ingredients and are good for cats and dogs of all ages.
The Multi-Cat Soothing Diffuser from Comfort Zone is a premium choice for numerous cats at once. You cannot go wrong with any of the other options on this review list!
BestForPets (bestforpets.org) would like to thank our consumers for visiting our website to learn about the best calming aids for cats and for seeking our advice. We hope that you’ve selected the appropriate calming product for your cat.
Dr. Deborah Fletcher
Deborah R. Fletcher, DVM, is a skilled veterinarian with more than 15 years of experience dealing with companion and exotic animals. She has experience caring for a variety of animals, including household cats and dogs, reptiles, birds of prey, and even primates. Dr. Fletcher is a valuable part of the BestForPets team, where she contributes to their aim of providing pets and their owners with the finest possible treatment and services.
Veterinarian (DVM) Dr. Deborah Fletcher
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