Vetiq Serene Calming Diffuser & Refill

The trouble with a plug-in diffuser is that it has to go where the socket is, and the socket is almost never where the cat's problem is. Cats do their worrying at doorways, on windowsills, on the landing and behind the sofa, and none of those places are wired.

This one solves that by not needing power at all. The insert releases a pheromone into the air on its own, and it sits in a small transparent holder with no plug, no lead and no batteries, so it can go in the room the cat actually uses. VetIQ state it covers 65m2 and lasts 30 days before the insert needs replacing, and that the holder is re-usable, so the repeat purchase is only the insert. They describe it for cats and kittens of all ages, breeds and sizes, aimed at cats showing marking, scratching or excessive miaowing, and they are explicit that it works without a sedative effect.

• Covers 65m2 and lasts 30 days per insert
• No plug, no electricity, no batteries, no lead
• Re-usable transparent holder
• Releases a pheromone into the air; VetIQ state no sedative effect
• Listed for cats and kittens of all ages, breeds and sizes

No pheromone is named, and no insert count is confirmed. VetIQ publish no active substance, no concentration and no ingredient list in anything supplied to us — scientifically researched is their phrase, and we cannot show you what is behind it. The pack is titled Diffuser & Refill but nothing that reached us states how many inserts are actually in the box, so check the packaging on arrival. And a diffuser is not the whole answer on its own: marking, scratching and crying out usually start because something in the house changed, and finding that is the real work. If the behaviour is new, or the cat has gone off food or stopped using the tray, see your vet first — pain looks a lot like stress from the outside.

Who it's for: multi-cat households, a cat unsettled by a move, a new baby or a new animal, and anyone whose sockets are all in the wrong rooms for a plug-in.