Sergeant's Vetscription Settle Down Pheromone Collar for Cats

I am a veterinarian and my mom needed help with her single cat and some resistant behavior problems he was having. This collar ended up being the main thing that made a difference in the long run, in part due to ease of use on the part of the owner. The cat was beginning to mark all over their new condo with scratching on the carpet and occasional urine marking which we detected only with a blacklight. More upsetting to her, he had episodes where he would attack and bite her hands and feet seemingly unprovoked or when he was too wound up and wanted to play. We provided him with a second scratching post in addition to the cat tree he already had, and cleaned the carpet thoroughly with an enzyme cleaner. I gave her instructions on limiting petting interactions until she could be sure to stop petting him before provoking a bite, and keeping him well exercised by playing with him daily with his toys so he didn't get so wound up. The most important behavioral modification we made was the use of pheremone products, however. We used the Comfort Zone spray in key areas around where he was scratching and urine marking to decrease these behaviors, but they were unable to use the plug-in diffusers due to an allergy her husband had.I was unfamiliar with the availability of pheremone collars in cats, although I had used them in dogs, but I started searching Amazon and found these. The less availability and lack of support by major brands such as Feliway and Comfort Zone I think has to do with people not feeling comfortable putting collars on cats, something which has never bothered me and I have never once had a problem when they are properly fitted. After the first fitting with this collar, the cat sat around looking for all the world like he was "high" for about two or three days, almost to the point of being lethargic but as happy as could be, not traumatized as my mom feared. I believe in fitting the collar tightly enough so it can't be pulled over his ears over his head to eliminate any chance of getting his leg or mouth stuck in it, and then there is little to no danger. There are enough horror stories in these reviews that I almost couldn't get my mom to let me try the collar, and they are not deserved, they are almost all examples of poorly fitted collars by naive owners. One sticking point I do have is that this collar is not quick-release and it is advertised on the box that it is. That is just ridiculous. So, repeat, this is not a quick-release collar, but it is still quite safe, if not safer, for an indoor cat, if properly fitted so there is no extra room for other body parts or other items to become entangled.After the initial period of acting "high" the cat went about acting more like himself, and some of the scratching behavior has abated but not all, maybe 75%, the urinating has stopped, and best and most importantly, the biting and scratching at my mom and her husband has all but vanished. He does have his moments, where he scratches like crazy, or bites again on occasion, but the change is remarkable. The cat sleeps in my mom's lap all the time now, without biting her, and she can safely pet him as long she wants as long as not for TOO long. She can walk around barefoot without fear of her ankles being ambushed while she is eating breakfast. A big success!!The final step was teaching her to replace the collar monthly, without worrying about doing it wrong or hurting him or scaring him, which turned out to be a breeze after I had done it the first time, and then demonstrated in front of her the second time. He is a trooper and is completely unfazed by the whole thing. One warning - when you open the collar there is white flaky stuff everywhere - just flake it and rub it off with your fingers( but don't use water) before you put the collar on. That is the carrier powder but it is extra, you just don't want to flush it off the entire collar, however. Four months now or so and the cat acts like he has worn it his whole life (actually he acted like that after 3-4 days it was the changing it each month that he acted like was nothing). I live out of town, so I don't witness all this in action except at the beginning, but I hear glowing reports. No one even seems to remember how tense things were (except for me given the responsibility of "fixing" it). And I can pretty much guarantee that my mom will be buying these collars for this cat for the rest of his long kitty life. Highly recommend!!!Edit: my mom complained that this month the cat's behavior was a little more erratic, with more biting and stalking, and I suggested she try changing the collar a little early. There have been life disruptions such as a three week vacation without the cat, and it seemed like he could use his monthly collar a little sooner - they seem to be stronger when new - since he seemed a little more "lost" than before, kind of like beside himself. Other reviewers have commented that they get different lifespans out of the collars for different cats - some routinely change at three weeks, whenever they notice a behavior change. So don't be afraid to try this and use your judgement.

I'm torn on what to leave for this review.I rescued my 13 year old kitty a little over a month ago, and she has exhibited many signs of distress and anxiety-- from peeing and pooping in her carrier after her first wellness visit to meowing almost constantly until I've been home for a few hours to spraying walls-- so I've tried quite a bit already. I've gotten the calming sprays and wipes from Nature's Miracle and Feliway Comfort Zone, and I've gotten the diffusers (which I don't think are working yet-- I probably need to give it more time), and I play with her a lot. When I pick her up and cradle her like a baby, she stares at me with her big eyes and then calms down. She's pretty comfortable with me already, but she's still adjusting. After all, she's 13. She's had a lot of years and I'm brand new to her. So I knew there would be some anxiety.On one hand, my kitty calmed down almost immediately. She started walking around and checking things out without running her face on everything. There was no meowing, except the occasional "look at this!" looking up at me before hopping up on something.BUT, I left the room for a few minutes. Just to go to the bathroom. I came back and she was caught with one of her legs through the collar. She was terrified and jumping around, unable to get her leg out of the collar.THIS IS NOT A BREAKAWAY COLLAR. The packaging shows that it should be. Even when I put it on her, I was doubtful. That's my dumb mistake for believing that, even though I could make the strap disconnect, that a cat could, too. I take responsibility for that. But how is it that the makers of this collar can sell this as a breakaway collar knowing that it isn't? Because it's not. If I'm going to rate the pheromones or the powder, I would give it 5 stars. But the company making this collar is falsely advertising and endangering the cats who wear it. Be careful.

It seems to have worked well for my kitty but the only wish I would have is that it lasted longer.

This product worked well, or at least I think it did. I have a cat that likes to pretend our couches are litterboxes. It's great that my cat has an active imagination, but the cleanup is not fun. It had gotten to the point where we kept aluminum foil on our couches to keep her off. Luckily we have furniture that allows for relatively easy cleanup and cushion removal so we aren't left with pee-smelling couches. Bleach the cushion and wash the cover and we're all set. Still annoying. We had the cat checked out and she came back with a clean bill of health. She's always been a bit skittish and reserved, so we assumed it was nervousness and smells from the other two cats. We have since upgraded the number of litter boxes we have (4) and opened up escape routes and all seems to be good (and continue to keep couches covered, though I will be switching to something a little more asthetically pleasing than aluminum foil). She actually seemed calmer with the collar on. I don't know if she just liked wearing a collar or if it was the scent and pheromones, but I saw a positive change shortly after using the collar.My only complaint, and the reason it's only 4-stars, is the fitting of the collar. It's annoying to get it down to a smaller size to fit her neck, and while bending it, the coating which contains the pheromones and scent cracks and peels and leaves residue everywhere. I actually felt bad for my cat because she was covered in the stuff while I was attaching it. If there was a less messy option, it would have been a 5-star product. Cheap enough that it's worth a try. This product, with other changes to the home, resulted in us being able to keep her instead of rehoming the cat.