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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 167 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 44 found the following review helpful:
 Never "re-decorate" your Christmas tree daily again! Nov 23, 2007
By cindyinthewind
If you're tired of having your Christmas tree climbed, or finding the ornaments under your furniture daily, or the garland dragged onto the floor, or seeing your cats anywhere you don't want them to be (or just witnessing the aftermath of where they've been where they shouldn't), this product is for you! Since I bought it, turned it on and put it under my Christmas tree, I have not had a problem with my cats even going anywhere near the thing! Forget all the other tricks (including hanging bells low on the tree so they'll jingle when the cats rattle it, or purposely hanging ornaments low that they can "have" to play with...the first only works if you're home to hear, and the second only trains them to believe the whole tree is fair game!).
The reason this product works so well is that it trains cats to stay away from forbidden places at ALL times...even when you are out of the room, asleep or not at home! Other deterrents depend on your presence and your ability to swiftly respond and match "penalty" with the crime...cats soon come to realize that as soon as you can't see or hear their mischief, it's party time! But StayAway works 24/7...whether you're there to catch 'em in the act or not! Cats otherwise used to doing as they please the second you leave the place or shut your eyes soon learn...the punishment comes whether or not you're there! Eventually they become too scared to even go near that part of the room...at any time. It's an effective form of training that does pets no harm.
If you have problems with cats on counters, cats in houseplants, whatever, set this can near or on what you're trying to protect and you will have problems no more. Eventually you won't even need it turned on at all...the very sight of the thing will keep them away! (And if they ever figure out that trick and start giving you trouble again, just turn it back on until the problem ends!) It may be more expensive than squirt bottles or double-stick tape, but IT WORKS! Get it this Christmas (or any other time of year) and finally have peace of mind!
76 of 86 found the following review helpful:
 2 swings and a miss Jul 10, 2009
By C. Strobach
After considerable review of the different manufacturers of this type of product I chose Contech specifically because their customer reviews indicated it was a better product, i.e. better quality, performance, etc. compared to the competition. I'll relate my experience and let you be the judge. I ordered two of the StayAway Pet Deterrents and they arrived promptly. The product is easy to assemble and place into immediate use. However the motion sensors on both units proved to be hypersensitive. Instead of limiting their sensing range out to 3 feet (the manufacturer's specifications) they detected movement and activated at a range clear out to 15 feet. So now you can't walk through our living room at all without them activating. I contacted customer service who were very friendly and the rep told me she had not heard of such a problem and would consult with one of their engineers and call me back which she did in a timely fashion. She stated that the engineer indicated that it was a bad sensor within the unit and they promptly shipped me 2 new units at no cost. I now have 4 units and they all have the same exact problem. They all fire at a range out to 15 feet. Unfortunately in my case the excess sensing range renders them very impractical unless I want to be purchasing the expensive refill canisters every week and putting up with the annoying blast every time we walk through the living room (high traffic area). I'm sure that the product normally works as advertised. Every manufacturer produces a lemon from time to time. But 4 units all performing outside their specifications indicates to me their is no quality control going on and neither did their customer service take the time to ensure they were sending me a properly functioning replacement.
35 of 39 found the following review helpful:
good product Aug 31, 2008
By Jaw
I got one of these several months ago to keep the cat off the counters. As far as i know, it's working. I never see the cat up there. It also keeps the dogs out of any area or room i don't want them in.
When i first read about this concept on the web, i read about the SSSCAT product by Premier and i came to Amazon to buy it, but i read reviews in which the users reported that there was an older version of the product that had both a sound alarm and the spray of air, with the option to use sound only. SSSCAT was advertised as having both features, but users reported it had air spray only, no alarm. Apparently no one updated the page on Amazon after they discontinued the alarm. There were disappointed reviewers complaining that the product was not correctly described in the ad, and also, that the alarm option was not available anymore.
I really wanted the alarm, with the option of sound only. The spray uses up the supply of air pretty fast, and then it costs $20 including shipping to get another can of air, that doesn't last very long. I was very disappointed that the Premier product took this feature away. That's when a search led to the discovery of StayAway. True enough, the spray ran out very quick when i first got it. I had to buy a new one and during the long period between buying the refill and receiving it, there was no continuity of the cat's training. But since then, i have used mostly the alarm/sound only and not the spray, and have not run out of spray again, after a very long time, months.
I began worrying that it would wear out and that the product would be discontinued, and also, i wanted to position more of them in different parts of the house, so i just bought two more today.
In other words, i think they're great.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 Carefully Read Amazon's Return Policy! Dec 12, 2010
By Daniel Lakes
We received this item on Thurs. Dec 9, and after a vigilant 3 days of protecting the family Christmas tree from some terrorizing cats, the sensor gave up the ghost. As with other items, I immediately hopped on to Amazon to begin the exchange process. Imagine to my surprise when reading the following:
"For safety reasons, items that are classified as hazardous materials [...] cannot be returned to Amazon.com."
This includes, you guessed it, compressed air. The company making this product (Contech, Inc.) offers a 30-day money back guarantee, as well as a 2 year limited warranty. But for those looking for the convenience (and speed!) normally offered with Amazon's return process, be aware of this limitation!
That said, I have contacted Contech and initiated a support ticket. I will post an update to let everyone know how the support process goes!
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 it works, but it's a bit too loud and a bit too sensitive May 23, 2010
By Sean Henning
"kagerousan"
PROS:
it works for training cats to stay off the table. it only went off 2 - 3 times before both of my cats were permanently cured of any desire to go near the table.
CONS:
it seems a bit too severe. i wanted my cats to learn to avoid the table, not be mortally terrified of it. the StayAway emits a sudden, loud, high-pitched noise that by itself was enough to send both cats bolting out of the room. add in the spray of compressed air / refrigerant, and the fear factor was enough that neither cat goes near the table. this was a more severe form of behavior modification than i had intended. also, the noise scares both the cat who jumped on the table and the cat who was minding his own business on the floor 15 feet away. if the corrective stimulus is applied to both the offender and the well-behaved cat, the one who was behaving won't associate the scary sound with the undesirable behavior. this could limit the efficacy as a teaching tool.
the motion detector is somewhat too sensitive -- it frequently goes off when i walk by the table, again scaring both cats and sending them fleeing out of the room. if the stimulus is not limited to when the undesired behavior occurs, it will send a very confusing message to the cat you're trying to train.
BOTTOM LINE:
despite the above drawbacks, this product does work. i recommend other methods if you have a less severe approach, but failing other options this product still has my recommendation.
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