Urine spraying in cats: presence of concurrent disease and effects of a pheromone treatment

Clinical Trial of a Feline Pheromone Analogue for Feline Urine Marking.

“…This result is consistent with findings in previous reports [4,8,12,15], in which researchers defined the success rate as the ratio of the animals whose markings at the last week of treatment were reduced compared to their markings at the preW. The success rate among our subjects calculated by this method was 91.6% (33/36 animals), which is higher than the 74% success rate found in a USA study [4] but similar to that of 97% found in a French study [12] and that of 91% found in a UK study 5 Siamese 36 2 1 0 2 1 2 3 1 0 0 + Unchanged 34 Spayed female Multi 8 DSH 72 4 3 3 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 Unchanged 35 Spayed female Multi 3 DSH 7 3 17 14 10 7 7 3 4 4 3 Better 36 Spayed female Single 11 DSH 62 1 22 0 0 0 0 3 7 [15].…”

“…This result is consistent with findings in previous reports [4,8,12,15], in which researchers defined the success rate as the ratio of the animals whose markings at the last week of treatment were reduced compared to their markings at the preW. The success rate among our subjects calculated by this method was 91.6% (33/36 animals), which is higher than the 74% success rate found in a USA study [4] but similar to that of 97% found in a French study [12] and that of 91% found in a UK study 5 Siamese 36 2 1 0 2 1 2 3 1 0 0 + Unchanged 34 Spayed female Multi 8 DSH 72 4 3 3 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 Unchanged 35 Spayed female Multi 3 DSH 7 3 17 14 10 7 7 3 4 4 3 Better 36 Spayed female Single 11 DSH 62 1 22 0 0 0 0 3 7 [15]. The differences in findings among these studies, in which the experimental designs were very similar, might be caused not only by regional differences but by differences among environmental conditions such as the total number of cats in a household, or various differences in the animals' backgrounds relative to such factors as age, duration of the problem, and/or the presence of other behavioral problems.…”

“…Trial design: The design of the study followed that of Frank et al [4]. The observation period was divided into three parts: (1) pre-treatment period (1 week), (2) pheromone application period (4 weeks), (3) post-treatment period (4 weeks).…”

“…In addition to these treatments, the pheromone treatment, a new approach in companion animals, was introduced to Japan in 1998. The product (Feliway TM , Virbac, Japan) used in this treatment is reported to be derived from a synthetic feline facial pheromone that has a calming effect on cats, and has been found to inhibit the frequency of urine marking if it is applied to the immediate environment [4,8,12].…”

“…the 'success rate' ranged between 74 and 97% [4,8,12]. Although the reason for this difference is unclear, various factors such as a trial design, background of cats, environmental inconsistency, and cultural differences would have affected the trial outcome.…”