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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Behavior and Welfare
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1445108

A long-lasting gel-based diffuser of feline pheromone can help reduce undesirable behaviors in cats at home: comparison with an electric diffuser

Provisionally accepted
Gemma Espuna Gemma Espuna 1Céline S. Nicolas Céline S. Nicolas 1*Aurelie Girardin Aurelie Girardin 1Jaume Fatjo Jaume Fatjo 2Jonathan Bowen Jonathan Bowen 2Patricia Monginoux Patricia Monginoux 1Christophe A. Rème Christophe A. Rème 1
  • 1 Virbac (France), Carros, France
  • 2 Ethometrix Ltd, East Sussex, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Using pheromone diffusers is part of the strategy to control stress-related behaviors in cats (Felis catus). The goal of the study was to compare the efficacy of a novel long-acting, unpowered gel-based diffuser containing a facial pheromone analog (Zenifel® gel diffuser, Virbac) with a similar electrically powered feline pheromone diffuser that already has proven efficacy, on situational stress in cats, at home. The study involved ninety owners of cats presenting undesirable behaviors receiving one diffuser or the other: forty-six received one gel diffuser and forty-four received one plug-in device and a refill, for the two-month study duration. The presence of the various undesirable behaviors was checked regularly and a general score was given to rate their presence. The most reported behaviors were related to hypervigilance, seeking the owner's attention, hiding, excessive vocalization, inactivity, and excessive scratching. All six behaviors significantly improved over time with Zenifel® while only four improved with the reference product (no improvement for excessive meowing and inactivity). The general score significantly improved as of day 7 in both groups, with no difference between groups. More owners said they would use the product throughout the year with Zenifel® than with the reference product (80% vs. 42%, p<0.05). Therefore, both diffusers can be used to help control undesirable behaviors of cats at home but Zenifel® is more convenient to use throughout the year.

    Keywords: Electric-free diffuser, Zenifel, feline facial pheromone, relaxing effects, Situational stress, easiness of use, Catnip, Long-term use

    Received: 06 Jun 2024; Accepted: 02 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Espuna, Nicolas, Girardin, Fatjo, Bowen, Monginoux and Rème. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Céline S. Nicolas, Virbac (France), Carros, France

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.