Supporting Your Cat with Comfort Zone Synthetic Pheromones During The Christmas Festivities
The holiday season is seen as a time of joy and celebration for many. Still, for our feline family members, the changes in routine, unfamiliar visitors, and festive activities can be overwhelming. Cats thrive on predictability and routine; any environmental disruption can trigger stress and acute behavioural issues. As a clinical cat behaviourist, I understand how important it is to maintain your cat’s sense of security during this time. Synthetic pheromone products like Comfort Zone can play a key role in reducing stress and ensuring your cat remains calm and content throughout this time.
Why Do Cats Find Christmas Stressful?
Christmas introduces several stressors that can unsettle a cat’s status quo:
- Changes in their routine: Mealtimes, playtimes, and sleeping patterns may change during the holidays.
- Strangers in the home: Visitors coming into their territory bring new scents unfamiliar to them along with different voices, sounds, and movements that can be challenging to cats, especially shy or territorial ones.
- Decorations and a change in the home environment: Christmas trees, lights, and ornaments can alter your cat’s familiar territory and may even pose risks if chewed or knocked over.
- Loud noises: Parties, voices louder than usual, music, and fireworks can overwhelm your cat’s sensitive hearing.
How Do Comfort Zone Synthetic Pheromones Help?
Synthetic pheromones mimic the natural calming chemicals that cats release from various points in their bodies, particularly the facial areas. When they feel safe and secure in their environment, they transfer these scents onto furniture, walls, and even their human caregivers. Giving them a sense of calm. Comfort Zone products, such as the plug-in diffusers or collars, provide an undetectable odour to humans but an invisible layer of reassurance and support to your cat during times of stress.
- Reduces anxiety in multi-cat households: If you have multiple cats, tensions can escalate during the festive season, and these carefully blended synthetic pheromones can help reduce conflicts and promote harmony and a sense of calm within the cats’ homes.
- Encourages territorial confidence: By mimicking these facial pheromones, the Comfort Zone Diffuser reassures cats that their territory is safe, even when it feels disrupted.
- Eases visitor anxiety: Leaving a Comfort Zone collar in cat bedding or plugged in at cat nose height in areas where visitors will be can create a calming environment.
Practical Tips for Using Comfort Zone During Christmas
- Prepare in advance: Start using Comfort Zone products a few weeks before the festivities to give your cat time to associate the pheromones with feelings of safety.
- Create safe spaces: Designate quiet, visitor-free areas where your cat can retreat. Ensure these spaces are equipped with their bed, litter box, water, and favourite toys. Using a Comfort Zone Diffuser in this area enhances its calming effect. Playing calm music can also help in these safe spaces.
- Gradual introductions: If your cat is wary of new people, allow them to approach visitors on their own terms. Wiping a Comfort Zone collar on guests’ clothing can help reduce your cat’s hesitation.
- Keep routines consistent: Stick to your cat’s usual feeding, play, and sleep routine as much as possible to provide a sense of predictability.
- Monitor behavior: Watch for signs of stress, such as hiding, over-grooming, or changes in eating habits. If you notice these, increase access to Comfort Zone products and consult a vet or behaviourist if needed. Be mindful that some health conditions can manifest as behavioural, so seeking veterinary advice in the first instance is recommended.
Building Positive Associations
Use these festive times as a perfect opportunity to build positive associations between your cat and festive activities to build their confidence and resilience. Incorporating interactive play sessions to release pent-up energy and reward calm behavior with treats or praise is a good idea. Maybe your guests can calmly treat your cat, but keep them on a cat diet, nibble!
A Calmer Christmas for Everyone
By using Comfort Zone synthetic pheromones and implementing stress-reducing strategies, you can create a harmonious festive atmosphere for both you and your feline companions. With some preparation and understanding of cat behaviour, your cat can enjoy the party season as much as you do.
For more feline behaviour tips or support, visit KittySitty.net.
For more reading on this topic-
- Mills, D. S., Ramos, D., & Gandey, C. (2006).
“A study comparing the use of feline facial pheromone products for the reduction of stress in cats.”
Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 8(1), 4-10.
This study highlights the effectiveness of synthetic feline facial pheromones in reducing stress-related behaviors in cats, particularly in multi-cat households and stressful situations. - Grigg, E. K., & Kogan, L. R. (2016).
“Fostering feline behavior: Current understanding and applications for clinical practice.”
Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 14, 9-16.
This article explores various feline behavioral strategies, including the use of synthetic pheromones to mitigate stress in the home environment. - Frank, D., Beauchamp, G., & Palestrini, C. (2010).
“Systematic review of the use of pheromones for the management of undesirable behavior in cats and dogs.”
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 236(12), 1308-1316.
This systematic review discusses the evidence supporting the use of synthetic pheromones, including their impact on feline stress and associated behavioral problems. - DePorter, T., & Bledsoe, D. (2014).
“Effect of feline facial pheromone (FFP) diffuser use on stress-related behaviors in cats during veterinary visits.”
Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 9(4), 242-247.
This study examines how synthetic pheromones can help reduce stress in cats during potentially stressful events such as veterinary visits, with implications for use in home settings during similar disruptions. - Tynes, V. V., & Sinn, L. (2014).
“Abnormal repetitive behaviors in cats: A case for environmental and behavioural enrichment.”
Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, 44(3), 543-564.
While this article focuses broadly on behavior, it includes insights into using synthetic pheromones as part of a multimodal approach to managing feline stress.
These references provide a foundation for understanding the science and application of synthetic pheromones in managing cat stress, especially during disruptions like the holiday season.
Amanda Campion
Clinical Feline Behaviourist CAB APBC ABTC
