Contech StayAway Motion-Activated Pet Deterrent

I tried a lot of things to keep the cats off of the kitchen counter over the years and nothing worked. I tried lining cellophane tape on the edges, which forced them to jump off when they touched it, but they'd just jump up again a short time later. Eventually, I'd forget to put more tape down and they'd get by. Plus it looked terrible and was a royal pain to keep up with. I tried spray bottles, aluminum foil, you name it. NOTHING worked.Eventually, I looked for a solution on the net and Amazon, and it was down to this product and the electric strips that you lay down on the counter that give a mild shock when stepped on. I decided to try this product first because it was slightly cheaper, and second because it wouldn't look so obtrusive on the counter, particularly since I had such lingering, failed experiences with the scotch tape spread in similar fashion. This option isn't an attention-grabbing eyesore.I am very happy to say that this product worked within 2-3 days and has had a lasting effect. It went off a total of three times in the first week (at least the events that I heard) that I used it, and the cats haven't been up in the two months since. I even left food out just to deliberately lure them up, but they didn't go for it!The product claims to have a range of three feet, but the optical sensor detects movement at a distance much greater than that. I think the range obviously refers to the distance of the spray of air, but that doesn't matter. In my case, the stream of air didn't even need to touch the cat. Between the beep, which is loud, but not overly so, and the hissing sound of the spray - which, helpfully, is also visible to the cat - when the device is set off, the cats very quickly decided they wanted nothing to do with it. So, even though I have a very long counter and about 10-12 feet to cover, I discovered that as long as it's positioned properly, you can effectively protect much more than the three foot range mentioned. One device covered it all for me.Be ready to set it off accidentally now and then. The sensor has a fairly wide field of view, and like I said - it detects movement at least 12 feet away. I suspect that if you wanted to reduce the sensitivity, you could try covering the optical sensor with layers of Scotch tape to dull it, but it was a perfect feature in my case. It hasn't been a problem, but I'm leery of possibly setting it off so often that cats get used to it, so I'm fairly careful with it. Conversely, I don't want them to be afraid to come into the kitchen - I just want them to stay off the counters. Mission accomplished - it worked perfectly. I may even be able to soon pack it away permanently.

I bought this to get an elder misbehaving cat to change her ways. She had developed some unacceptable behavior. When I got the product, I had trouble getting the top on it. I read the directions word for word. But, like most instructions, they are not written well.I called support and got a nice young man who answered promptly and knew exactly what my problem was. Yes, he'd heard it many times before. (That should tell them something.) It snapped right on in a second, of course.I put it in the area I needed to protect. No more problems.But there is a quirk that sort of makes this an expensive product and the air/gas needless. When the cat walks by the can, the alarm goes off and then the air. Trouble is, by the time the air sprays, the cat is gone. So, you have wasted the air. Of course, the hissing scares the cat and after one or two times, he or she won't dare return to the protected area unless they're an exceptionally brave soul. Cats are brave but not stupid. So it's not likely you'll need the air/gas for long anyway.It's best to put it in a doorway facing the entry if you want to keep the cats out of an area. It doesn't seem to work well at much of a distance. Also, I've noticed that when people walk by it, nothing happens --- thankfully. Be aware, however, there are exceptions. A few times I set it off and got a bit of a spray. But normally, this doesn't happen.Also, I have a big dog who weighs 87lbs. She walked by it one time and it went off. It didn't scare her. She thought it was a game. However, she has not gone by it many times and it's not gone off. I have it set to "low" so it will only get the cats.I'm buying another brand to try in another area. There may be no difference but the product I've ordered is cheaper and has excellent reviews like this one.If you had to buy refills for this regularly, it could run into some money. Fortunately, most cats get the message after several attempts and that's it. Just put the alarm on. You shouldn't need to use the spray too much.At any rate, I recommend this product. It does work. It's sturdy and support is really great and available.UPDATE: After using the spray and alarm for about three days, I switched to just the alarm. After about two tries each, the cats no longer attempted to get into the restricted area. The spray and alarm bothered both me and the dog. I turned it all off and just left the can in the doorway, facing in. The cats no longer attempt to get into the restricted area. That's a total of about two weeks training.-- Susanna K. Hutcheson