Ssscat

One thing that I’ve noticed in the last 9 months of writing this column is that the products I like the most are the exact same ones that my cats most dislike. You have to wonder at that. I mean – are we really that different, cats and humans? What is it that makes us love the things that our cats despise? What inert function of the brain controls that wild side of us that once would have had us pouncing on the very things our feline friends find so fascinating? It’s those kinds of questions that keep me up at night, and probably the same reason I spend my days at home writing a column about cat products instead of sitting in an office with the mass of society. But I suppose that is a philosophical discussion for later days…

This month, the product that I love, and that my furry friends despise, is called Ssscat. This little product has recently saved over $2,000 in new furniture, a bit of my sanity, and also my voice – as I never have to yell, hiss, or scatter my pets away from anything anymore. This product does it for me. Personally, I think the good people over at Multi-vet misnamed this product. They should have called it what I call it, which is “Bastet” – after the Egyptian Goddess of Cats. For those who don’t know, Bastet is the name given to this Egyptian Goddess when she is shown in her full cat form, Bast when she’s shown with only a cat head. Ssscat deserves the whole name of Bastet.

Now – why would I equate a cat product with a God? Well, primarily the reason I do it is because every time I bring up a God of any type, my readers fly into a frenzy and begin sending me email, and it gives me something to do besides write this column (see “Do Animals Have Souls” if you missed that little gem). But most importantly, I call Ssscat by the name of a Goddess, because that’s how it acts.

Ssscat is a cat behavior modification tool if you want to get technical. I really don’t want too, so I call it a sprayer. What it does is offer a pet two opportunities to move off of the counter, or away from the couch, or off the table, or out of a room you don’t want it in. The first opportunity for the cat to move is afforded by a loud noise, similar to an air horn (but nowhere near as loud). It just let’s the animal know that they have crossed into territory where they are unwelcome. The next opportunity is a quick spray of citronella. Harmless, yet highly effective. The neat thing is that it works for all kinds of pets. The really neat thing is that it even works with kids, and most adults who aren’t smart enough to figure out how to turn it off.

This is where the God part comes in…

The pet (or kid or unintelligent adult) thinks that they are being disciplined by some kind of “higher power”, not by their human. Since Ssscat is motion-activated and runs on 4 AAA batteries, you don’t even need to be home to keep your pets under control! No more yelling, no more hissing, no more spray bottles! There is now no need whatsoever (as if there ever were, and PLEASE do not EVEN get me started on THIS subject) to declaw your cat, and there is no need for shock mats or sticky tape. This is a one-stop shop, folks.

My husband and I started with one unit, just to see what it would do. We now have six. All of them are stationed in select areas and turned on and off at select times of the days. The best part is that cats – being as intelligent as they are – have learned where they are, and are not, allowed to roam. We are now able to move the units around, and the cats remember where they were not allowed before and do not return to the previous area. Our furniture is now “cat-free”. Our newly tiled counters no longer have felines lounging around the tops, scattering hair everywhere. Our dogs have even learned to stay off the living room furniture, where they once slept on the premise of “guarding the front door.” It has even completely eliminated the “door rush” when someone comes to visit. Our home is almost normal. Almost. I would hate for it to get too normal, because I’m an Aquarius, and I don’t handle normal well. But, I have to say; we’re getting pretty close to what the masses would refer to as normal.

Now, as to the cost of this product, it is a little pricey, but there are ways around this. The best place to purchase this (that I have found) is through KV Vet Supply online. You can find them at www.kvvet.com. If you go to the Ssscat home page, you will find each unit running around $59.95. At KV Vet, you can pick them up at $39.95 each and if you order 2, you can get free shipping. Order two. They are worth it. We’ve had ours for a little over 6 months, and they have been running 24 hours a day. We have only replaced the batteries once, and have not had to order refills for the unit at all. The cats learn quickly.

The beauty of this unit is that it works on several levels: sight, sound, and feel. First your cat will see the canister and learn to stay away from any place it is located, despite its being on or off. Second, it sounds off with a loud noise as a warning and if you choose, you can leave it only on this setting without a spray. Third, it offers the citronella spray as reinforcement for the most stubborn, or in my case, the deafest cats. As I have several deaf cats, this is a great tool for me because noise does nothing to warn them away from an area. The nozzle can be redirected in 15 different ways, and it has a wide range of motion detection so that you can cover a large area.

Yes, this is one more product that you have to have if you share your home with cats. Its simplicity is perfect, its cost is not extraordinary, and its effects are lasting. Bastet, I mean, Ssscat – is truly a revolutionary product for pet owners the world over.

From the Cats:

Hisses & Spits: Hiss! Spit! We want our couches back, our freedom to roam on countertops just as we were allowed in the days of old. Down with Ssscat!

Purrs: None… We despise this product!

From the Humans:

Two opposable thumbs up!! We love this product! Now we can have real furniture, we can keep the dogs off of it, we can keep the cats from clawing it! Our lives will never, ever be the same again.

Drawback? None – we love it! Are they selling stock in this company?