PetSafe SSSCAT Motion Activated Automatic Spray Pet Deterrent for Cats and Dogs

I was slightly skeptical at first because my cat has driven me CRAZY at night scratching the carpet at my bedroom door and meowing at night, wanting in to be with us. The night I ordered this at 2:30am, she had already woken me up minimum of 5 times! I had already bought spray that would deter her but she got used to it and it no longer phased her. We have used this now for four nights. The first night, it only had to spray once and she didn't come back for the rest of the night! Haven't had an issue of her coming back to bother us since! Fingers-crossed it lasts!!!

I originally bought three of these units as we had used the previous model and had great success with them. Each of the three new models had the same issue: Once the batteries were installed, head portion locked into the base, and the activation button pushed, all that happened was the button briefly illuminated green, there was a quiet click sound like a relay was triggering, and then nothing. No activation sequence as described in the manual. I tried different button pressing combinations, multiple AAA battery clusters, even flipping polarity of the batteries just in case it was a labeling issue. Nothing worked. It gave me the impression a fuse of some sort was being tripped on the circuit board.I had to call their support line since the web site was useless and the product is not mentioned in the phone directory. The woman I spoke with on support was very nice, tried to help troubleshoot, and offered to send out 3 new units once she admitted there was something wrong. It took them about 4 days to create the shipping label (I had to chase them with multiple calls) and I got confirmation new units were being delivered via email after dropping the returns off at the shipper.Fast forward another few days and I unboxed the three new units, loaded up brand new AAA batteries, only to discover they exhibited the exact same symptoms as the original three I ordered.What a disappointment as the original design worked really well for us, especially at Christmas to keep the cats away from the trees and ornaments (which is why I bought the new trio).

We have several cats, and they have never bothered the Christmas tree in years past. Or so I thought. We upgraded to a bigger, better tree this year, and our youngest cat (3 years old), who gets into everything, discovered the joys of indoor tree climbing! Now I understand why sometimes I would find the lower branches on our old tree on the floor. Anyway, a squirt bottle helped while I was in the room, but what about when I was away? I sought advice from my group of fellow crazy cat ladies, and one recommended this.Of course, as soon as I ordered it, my cat decided the tree was no fun after all.Until my husband was walking on the treadmill and said, as casually as though asking what was for dinner, "Who's in the tree?"I looked over and sure enough, there was our little mischief maker scaling the tree like it was a race to see if she could get to be the star on top before I reached for the squirt bottle. I won, if anyone's keeping score.My next step was to set up this little motion activated gadget. I put the batteries in, turned it on, and waved my hand in front of it a few times. I'd been led to believe it let out a gentle puff of air when triggered. It does not. No, it let's out a violent blast of air with a corresponding hissing sound.Excellent.I put it under the tree, not entirely convinced it would work. After all, the cat could come at the tree from several directions, but it was worth a try!I was sitting on the couch with my older cat on my lap not even an hour later when I heard the tell tale hissing sound. My youngest came sprinting across the room as though the hounds of the Baskervilles were hot on her tail and couched in front of me staring at the Christmas tree like it had tried to eat her! She stayed like that, staring warily at the threatening spector of holiday cheer for nearly 20 minutes! Now, almost 24 hours later, she still won't go anywhere near it. I'm feeling much more confident about putting ornaments on its branches now.Today, my husband walked a little too close and it hissed at him, making him jump and squeal. He's afraid of the tree now, too. So, I guess I won't need to worry about him shaking the presents!Picture of our menace BEFORE placing the sscat under the tree for cat tax. I will update if she makes friends with the new cat eating monster that lives under the tree, but for now, I'm quite pleased.