Scat Mat?

weldrwomn

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It seems to work with Marcie. I haven't actually witnessed her being shocked by it, but my husband has run afoul of it several times. I actually thing that the cat figured it out quicker than the husband


There are several surfaces that I wanted to keep her off of and since nothing else that I tried worked, I ended up purchasing a scat mat and rotating it between the various surfaces. I guess it works...I haven't seen any evidence of Marcie being up there.
 

yayi

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Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

I haven't actually witnessed her being shocked by it, but my husband has run afoul of it several times.
Gosh, how high did you set the voltage?
 

cheylink

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As far as I am aware, TCS does not support this as a humane behavioral treatment. I know I would never shock treatment any living soul for any reason.
I think if you are going to resort to something like this, maybe you don't have the time to give them needed to avoid that.
 

althekitty

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That sounds cruel. My kitty is allowed anywhere in the house and he exercises that right on every occasion!!! But if I had to stop him getting on something I would definately use a more humane way of doing so. I have read quite a lot on this site about alternatives that are much more cat friendly, have you explored any of these other options?
 
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chai'smomma

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I don't know what else to try. My issue is we are remodeling a kitchen in a house we just bought. My little cat likes to hang and climb up the doors and drawers to get to the countertop. Once she is there, she gets down. I don't want the new cabinets to get ruined (she has ruined the ones in our apt) I could try the tape on the edges but my big cat thinks tape is candy. Any suggestions?
 

weldrwomn

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Originally Posted by cheylink

As far as I am aware, TCS does not support this as a humane behavioral treatment. I know I would never shock treatment any living soul for any reason.
I think if you are going to resort to something like this, maybe you don't have the time to give them needed to avoid that.
I think that you are mistaken. I actually had several ppl reccommend the scat mat to me on this very forum.
 

weldrwomn

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Originally Posted by Chai'smomma

I don't know what else to try. My issue is we are remodeling a kitchen in a house we just bought. My little cat likes to hang and climb up the doors and drawers to get to the countertop. Once she is there, she gets down. I don't want the new cabinets to get ruined (she has ruined the ones in our apt) I could try the tape on the edges but my big cat thinks tape is candy. Any suggestions?
Before I tried the scat mat, I tried squirting Marcie with water, putting foil down, putting double sided tape down, using citrus-scented things, loud objects that she might be startled by, and bitter apple. Marcie just figured out that she should wait untli my husband and myself weren't around to get up on counters. You can't discipline the cat hours after she did something wrong...she wouldn't understand. We used the scat mat as a last resort and it works.
 
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chai'smomma

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Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

You can't discipline the cat hours after she did something wrong...she wouldn't understand. We used the scat mat as a last resort and it works.
Thanks, I agree with not being able to discipline after the fact and what is to keep her off when we are not home? I think I will try the mat.
 

godiva

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I'm definitely open to changing my mind if this is untrue, but I would suspect (I haven't looked into them) that they set the voltage very low so that it is like receiving a shock from rubbing your feet on carpet and touching a metal doorknob. Am I wrong to think that would be okay? In scientific experiments, that is what they use and it works in just a few shocks.
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by cheylink

As far as I am aware, TCS does not support this as a humane behavioral treatment. I know I would never shock treatment any living soul for any reason.
I think if you are going to resort to something like this, maybe you don't have the time to give them needed to avoid that.
I agree with you 100% on this one.
 

weldrwomn

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The scat mat that I purchased has three settings - low, medium, and high. I have left it on low and it works great. It really is comparable to a static shock. Or to touching your tongue to a 9v battery.

To Persi and Yayi - I finally found the thread that I started in January where the scat mat was reccommended to me http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...light=scat+mat
 

Lmlanning

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As far as I am aware, TCS does not support this as a humane behavioral treatment. I know I would never shock treatment any living soul for any reason.
I think if you are going to resort to something like this, maybe you don't have the time to give them needed to avoid that.
What I don't have time for is my cat getting out and all the dangers involved. I use the scat mat to keep him from opening the sliding screen door and escaping, which he has done. If you are familiar with a sliding screen door, you know there isn't a way to lock from the outside. One step on the scat mat and he learned to stay off. Now the pre shock beep is enough to keep him away. A slight shock is preferable to cold, rainy nights outside and the treat of predators.
 

IndyJones

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Shock collars and other shock devices are very controversial.

I had a scat mat once to keep cats from scratching the couch but got rid of it after I accidentally stepped on it and shocked myself. I go barefoot in my house and it hurt.

I've used the scat can before. It is a can of pressurized air like they use for cleaning the gunk out of keyboards with a motion detector attached. It sprays a blast of air if it picks up motion. Doesn't hurt them or people who accidentally trigger it.
 

Caspers Human

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While I’m not opposed to shock mats, per se, I still don’t recommend them unless they are used in a situation where the cat might get hurt and there is no other practical way to discourage that behavior.

It‘s a rather Draconian solution that should only be used as a last resort.

If, for instance, there was a high balcony where the cat could fall, it might be alright to place a shock mat in such a way that makes it impossible to access the railing without going over the mat, provided that you have tried other methods and failed.

On the other hand, if you are only trying to keep the cat off the kitchen counter, I don’t recommend shock mats. There are many other ways to teach a cat to stop counter surfing that aren’t so drastic.

The only time where shock mats make sense is when they are used to give a “little hurt” in order to prevent a “lot of hurt.”
 

Zoren

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Most cats will not need a static shock to stay off the counter. Most is not all. As a senior I have lived many years and had many cats. All my kittens and cats learned quickly and easily to stay off the counters. The cat I have now is not! It is to the point where It is affecting my stress level and feelings toward the cat. I have done all recommended interventions. My kitchen has 3 countertops causing 3 times as much temptation. I have a seriously compromised immune system and don't need cat paws on all the countertops and stove. So, Either the cat goes away (and we both cry) or I can try the mat. I don't think it is inhuman as a last resort. It is a static shock not a cattle prod! Test it and don't set it too high. The point is not to get revenge. It is not punishment but a deterrent. It might keep me from getting ill and my cat living in his home that he loves. I'll tell you what's inhumane. Cat and Dog shows with there organizations that encourage breeding mutations that cause illness, pain and death. Cropping ears and docking tails to win prizes and make money. Let's get real. Don't shame people for training an animal with a method that's not inhumane is used properly. If it works quickly he get a little shock 3-4 times and if it doesn't, it must not be that horrible in the cats opinion.
 
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