I've used feliway several times for differing situations. The first time it was not available yet in the plug in diffuser. The vet warned me to use it consistantly, expect it to take up to 30 days to work, and not to over spray it. I guess the theory is a little is calming, too much can lead to over stimulation.
At the time I had a window that ran floor to top of the door frame next to the door. The neighbor's cat Big Boy would come over and torment Romeo through the glass, going so far as to spray right in Romeo's face. Romeo was so incensed that several times he ran full tilt face first into the glass nearly knocking himself out. The Feliway stopped the face crashing, but not the overall aggression.
It all came to an end one evening where Romes was out on his leash. Big Boy sauntered over and started up with Romes just out of leash range. I unhooked the leash and let Romeo at him. (Romes was declawed) It was a one sided fight that brought Big Boy's owners running. I explained yet again their cat's behavior was racking up vet bills for me and I finally decided to let boys be boys. They thought I was certifiable. But Big Boy never came to our part of the neighborhood again.
When we moved, Romes had a short lived pee problem. Feliway was a huge help then.
As he started into his decline, Annie cat challenged him to the role of top cat in our house. Feliway helped most days but at her worst, I backed it up with Rescue Remedy which gave immediate results. Eventually I realized Annie would smack down Romes, then claimed his prime spots next to me. So I would chase her off reminding her I was top cat and I said Romeo slept next to me. It helped Romes retain his position of Big Kitty right up to the end. Oddly, Lizzy, who had always been bottom cat tried to smack me down to claim top cat shortly after Romeo died. I think I was only top cat because he said I was top cat.
So this is a long winded way of saying, yes feliway helps, sometimes greatly, but our furry friends live lives that are too complex to make feliway a simple miracle cure. You're good at observing what goes on in your feline household, I'm sure you'll be able to make adjustments as needed.
Purrs,
Elizabeth
