Pheromone diffuser against scratching: a trial on 1,060 cats, and a placebo effect worth noting
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
The feline facial pheromone diffuser is often marketed as a solution against scratch-based marking. A study published in 2023 by Pereira, Salgirli Demirbas, Meppiel, Endersby, da Graça Pereira and De Jaeger in PLOS ONE tested that claim at scale (, doi 10.1371/journal.pone.0292188). Other product comparisons are gathered in the cat accessories section.
Contents · 5 sections
The protocol: a large-scale placebo-controlled trial
1,060 owner-cat dyads took part in this randomised, triple-blind trial run over 28 days: neither the owners, nor the assessors, nor the people processing the data knew who received what. 546 households received a pheromone diffuser, 514 a visually identical placebo diffuser.
A real effect, but the placebo group improves too
After 28 days, scratching frequency had decreased in 83.5% of cats in the pheromone group, against 68.5% in the placebo group (p < 0.0001). Scratching intensity, measured through a global score, also dropped significantly more in the pheromone group from day seven onward, then at day 14 and day 28 (p < 0.001 each time). The gap is statistically solid, backed by a large sample — but a 68.5% improvement in the placebo group is not a number to ignore: much of the observed change likely owes to the extra attention owners paid during the trial, not solely to what was inside the diffuser.
What this means for an actual purchase
The diffuser delivers a measurable benefit beyond the attention effect, but it does not replace the basics: a cat that scratches is above all looking for a stable, well-placed vertical surface. Without a properly placed scratching post, even an effective diffuser has little chance of redirecting the behaviour on its own. For scratching linked to broader stress rather than furniture marking, our guide on the pheromone diffuser and feline stress covers a different use, not tested in this specific study.
Limits worth knowing
The study measures frequency and intensity as reported by owners, not an independent count of scratched areas. It also says nothing about the effect beyond 28 days, nor about how the diffuser performs when marking stems from tension with another household cat rather than a lack of scratching surface.
Frequently asked questions
How long before an effect shows?
The study measures significant differences from day seven onward, but the clearest gap with the placebo builds progressively through day 28.
Does the diffuser replace a scratching post?
No: nothing in this study excuses skipping a properly sized scratching surface; the diffuser is meant as a complement. Find all our guides on the cat hub.
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This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Cats universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.