Some pets settle faster around a familiar smell than around anything you actually say or do to reassure them, which is most of the logic behind a spray applied to bedding rather than the pet itself.

This spray contains valerian oil, vetiver, sweet basil and clary sage, and is meant for spraying onto bedding, a blanket, collar, car seat, carrier or clothing rather than directly onto the pet. Effects last up to a few hours per application, it works without sedation, and it's safe to use alongside prescribed medication or other calming treatments. It suits dogs, cats, rabbits, small pets, birds, reptiles and horses, in a 15ML bottle.

• Valerian oil, vetiver, sweet basil and clary sage blend
• Sprayed onto bedding, a carrier, collar or clothing, not directly onto the pet
• Effects last up to a few hours per application
• Safe alongside prescribed medication or other calming treatments
• Suits dogs, cats, rabbits, small pets, birds, reptiles and horses
• 15ml or 200ml bottle

A short-acting top-up, not a background diffuser. This is a spray lasting a few hours per application, so it suits a specific event, a car journey, a visit, a single stressful moment, rather than round-the-clock background use. For something that runs constantly in a room, the plug-in diffuser version is the better fit, not this bottle.

Who it's for: owners wanting a portable, spray-on option for one-off events, a journey, a vet visit, a house guest, rather than an always-on plug-in.