Feliway: A diffuser or a defuser -- maybe both!

I was upset when Bob called to tell me that he wanted to take Newman back to the cat shelter -- I am  fond of our new cat, and even if I wasn't, he'd been at that shelter four years. That's enough. I also got Bob's point that Newman was stalking and chasing our first cat, Red Kitka (RK). Things had been improving, slowly, but for about 2 weeks it seemed like we'd hit a point where we were likely to stay. Newman chasing RK, RK running in fear, then slinking around the house from hiding place to hiding place.

We had soft claws on Newman; we were doing some behavior modification (gentle redirection); we were being supportive. Now what? Did I want to fight with Bob about this? No.

I ordered Feliway in desperation. Really I didn't think it would matter, I'm not one to trust ads or testimonials, and there didn't seem to be a lot of research. But it was something I could tell Bob I was doing, and it would buy me and Newman some time. I had it Fedexed, I put it together, and plugged it in. Here is what I noticed...

• I was using a plug near a cat perch that Newman used. He often used it as a vantage point to stalk RK. Not the first day, but within a few days, I noticed he was spending more time on that perch, and more significantly, he was sleeping on the perch. Not stalking.
• There were a few more cat chasing incidents after I plugged in the diffuser, nothing notable, but more of the same. Then, well, nothing.
• It's been a week. Neither Bob nor I have seen any significant fighting or chasing behavior. They have interacted at the feed bowl (a territorial zone) very pleasantly, and they walk past each other now without Newman showing interest in the chase.

Would the situation have improved anyway? I can't know. What I do know is that we seemed to hit a plateau in agression levels, a plateau that was not acceptable. And within a few weeks of installing the diffuser things have improved to a point we can live with.  The stalking has not been totally eliminated -- yet -- but it is far less intense, and infrequent to the point of being gone.

I got the diffuser for less than $30 and things are better. While I can't say for sure it's the diffuser, it was sure worth $30 to try it.

Taken about 10 days after Feliway was installed.