This Pheromone Plug-In Might Actually Calm Your Anxious Cat

We independently pick all the products we recommend because we love them and think you will too. If you buy a product from a link on our site, we may earn a commission.

It seems like there’s no easy way to calm down your anxious cat, since getting them to take medication or supplements can sometimes feel like an impossible task.

Enter: the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit! All you have to do is plug it into an outlet and it’ll diffuse pheromones into the air to soothe your stressed cat. The best part is you don’t even have to give it a second thought for a whole month.

It earned our official Paw of Approval because the diffuser actually seemed to make a difference for a couple of our own cats. Keep reading to find out how it worked.

The ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit is pretty much a Glade PlugIn for your cat. It plugs into your outlet and sprays cat pheromones throughout the room to calm him down.

According to the company, the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit is supposed to help with things like:

The kit includes a diffuser heater and refill bottle with a 30-day supply of calming solution.

This diffuser utilizes Feliway, which is a vet-recommended cat pheromone solution designed to mimic the ones your cat gives off when he marks his safe space with his face. This is supposed to get your pet to identify the pheromone-filled area as safe, making him calm and relaxed.

The cat pheromone diffuser is made for continuous use, so it’s good for behavioral problems at home, like separation anxiety or general fearfulness (a calming spray or anxiety vest might be a better fit for using on the go, like for travel anxiety or vet visits).

Each kit lasts up to 30 days and covers a 700-square-foot space, so you can really only expect it to be effective within that area. So if you’re looking to cover your entire home, you might need to stock up on a few. And grab a few refills after your month’s supply runs out.

We picked five pretty stressed cats to see if the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit would actually mellow them out.

When it comes to calming products for pets, it can be hard to get consistent results. But some of our cats saw dramatic results while using the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit.

One of our judges, Murphy, completely chilled out after his human plugged it in. The difference was night and day with him, which was pretty astounding.

“Murphy definitely seems mellow when he's hanging around near the diffuser. There have been no zoomies or feet attacks on that floor of our house, which tells me it has an impact. This product really seemed to help. He's very calm and sleepy whenever he's near it.” — Cristal C.

Another judge, Ziggy, was significantly less freaked by certain triggers thanks to the diffuser. She was still afraid of loud noises, like construction, but not as intensely as she had been.

“Whenever construction went on, Ziggy used to run immediately under my bed and stay there for a hot minute. With the plug-in, she was able to keep her composure for a while. If the sound of drilling went on for too long, though, she'd still go under the bed, but it wasn't like she would fly under the bed, fearing for her life, the way she used to.” — Claudia T.

Ziggy still hates the vacuum, too, but she’s so much better at staying calm when it’s on now.

“The vacuum is Ziggy’s biggest enemy, and nothing I do seemed to help her get over her fear of the vacuum. This product didn't help with her fear too much, but it was able to help keep her calm until she was able to leave my room and hide under the couch.” — Claudia T.

Boots, who suffers from separation anxiety, also seemed to calm down a tiny bit, but she still can’t kick some of her anxious habits.

“Boots may be slightly calmer but still constantly begs for us to come and be with her all day long. She does seem a bit calm while relaxing on the couch, but she's still very jumpy most of the time. She's still just as needy, clingy and jumpy as always.” — Deborah A.

As for the final two reviewers, we couldn’t really tell if the ThunderEase diffuser actually got rid of their stress.

One cat tried it out because she was anxious about moving into a new apartment, and it really seemed like it helped her be more confident, especially since she's had anxiety about moving in the past. But since the diffuser didn't help her chill out, it was kind of hard to tell if it was really doing anything. Her pet parent thinks her cat's just become an expert mover after doing it so many times.

“Luna seemed to adjust rather quickly to her new environment and went back to being playful in two to three days of use. However, I do not know if she is just getting better with change. She seemed to adjust more quickly, but I didn't notice any major changes. She didn't seem more relaxed or more calm than usual.” — Sarah G.

The other judge ends up peeing outside her litter box when she’s stressed out, but it’s hard to tell if the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit got her to stop, since those instances kind of come and go randomly.

“Aolani hadn't peed on anything (that I noticed), but her peeing is sporadic, so that didn't necessarily mean anything.” — Caitlin A.

Aolani’s anxiety around people, however, definitely didn’t change.

“​​I also threw a party during the testing period and was anxious to see if Aolani might react more calmly around a bunch of people than she usually does, but unfortunately, she didn't. She still refused to go near anyone and hid pretty much the entire time.” — Caitlin A.

While some of our cats responded more to the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit than others, calming products are generally hit or miss. Here are some things about it that our pet parents really love.

Our human testers were ecstatic that they didn’t have to deal with complicated instructions or involved dosing schedules with the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit.

“The product is very easy to use and there is no training necessary. It's as simple as plugging into the wall and letting it do its thing.” — Deborah A.

“It's nice to not need to administer something like a medication or treatment daily.” — Cristal C.

“For someone that doesn't know how to build anything, the fact that it was just a plug-in was great.” — Claudia T.

It’s also a relief knowing this ThunderEase diffuser is drug-free and totally safe for cats.

“​​The product is drug-free, so I don't have to feel like it might harm my kitty by having it plugged in.” — Deborah A.

It was so nice that the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit didn’t stink up our homes.

“I didn't notice any bad smells or odors, so it seemed to blend into the environment nicely.” — Sarah G.

“The diffuser doesn't really smell like anything, so it's not disruptive to my environment. I barely even noticed that it was plugged in at all.” —Caitlin A.

Our cats’ favorite part about the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit is that it didn’t get in their way. It wasn’t loud or scary and didn’t make any sudden movements, so it was the best addition to their homes as far as they were concerned.

“Murphy gave it a quick sniff after we first plugged it in and has reliably been napping next to it daily ever since.” — Cristal C.

“Luna didn't seem to like or dislike this product. She didn't seem to pay much attention to it or notice it.” — Sarah G.

There are a few downsides to this cat pheromone diffuser.

One ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit only covers 700 square feet, so you might need one in every room for it to really work.

“I was about to move the diffuser into my office to try it out in there for a bit when Aolani, of course, peed on the office futon. I moved the diffuser into the office that day.” — Caitlin A.

Since the pheromone diffuser’s plugged into your wall at all times, it’s going to be out in the open for everyone to see. That’s why our pet parents wished the design was a little more sleek.

“​​I do wish it was a little more discreet, but I can't complain.” — Claudia T.

One of our human testers noticed the liquid dripping out of the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser, as well.

“It also leaked out a lot, so there's a puddle under it.” — Claudia T.

If you have young kids at home who love putting random things in their mouths, you need to be careful about having them around the diffuser, since the ingredients are toxic for humans.

“I like the fact that it is drug-free so it's safe for our cat, but the ingredients are dangerous if ingested by children, so I wish they would find a nontoxic alternative for everyone's safety.” — Deborah A.

One pet parent noticed that, since one diffuser only covers 700 square feet, you might need to invest in a few if you want your whole home to be covered. Each ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit costs $24.99 and each refill costs $16.86.

So maintaining a pheromone-filled home could add up pretty quickly.

“The cost to have these throughout the home for full coverage would be pretty expensive. Because he moves around a good amount and we have three floors, the refills would also be costly to upkeep.” — Cristal C.

However, our entire human judging panel agreed the cost is a reasonable investment if you’re actually seeing a real difference in your cat’s stress levels, so you can buy one at first to try it out. And since all but one would recommend the pheromone diffuser to other pet parents, the odds are it’s a good investment.

The convenience of plugging in the ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit and not having to think about it for a month makes this the easiest way to calm down your stressed cat.

It may not be a knockout success with every cat, but it’s definitely worth at least trying out for 30 days to see if you can give your cat a little extra relaxation.

Pheromones are those natural chemicals your cat releases when he’s feeling a certain way, like happy, relaxed, stressed or anxious.

Other cats can smell, recognize and understand these pheromones, so the chemicals can serve as a method of communication.

The Dodo may receive complimentary samples to test in our Paw of Approval program, but all our opinions are 100 percent our own. We only publish endorsements of products we (and our dogs and cats) absolutely love! You can find out more about our testing process here.

If you have a product you love that you want to share with other pet parents, send a tip to [email protected].