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Shop > Contech > SCATMAT
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Scat Mat Automatic Indoor Pet Trainer
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Help your cat or dog learn good house manners by keeping them off furniture or counters, or out of selected rooms. ScatMat emits a mild, harmless static pulse when your pet touches it. Pets soon learn which parts of your home they should avoid. With three intensity levels, ScatMat works for any size cat or dog.
The vet approved ScatMat works when all else fails. Used in conjunction with your normal training techniques, and surface cleaning (as appropriate for elimination behavior changes) the Scat Mat will help you restore harmony to your household.
Available in 3 sizes, selectable from the drop down menu at right. Extensions for added coverage, and Dummy mats for use once your pet is trained, are also available.
Scat Mat Includes the DC Power Pack (attached). Requires (1) 9-Volt battery (not included).
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Scat Mats & Doors
Training Notes for Best Results
Doorway Checklist
- Use the power setting recommended below.
- Use the right size of mat(s) to cover the opening.
- Fill all gaps completely with mats or obstacles.
- Position Power Pack and adapter away from curious pets.
- Use the door to help with the training process.
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Entrance control is the toughest job for the Scat Mat. Pets may jump over or sneak around the mat(s). These notes incorporate the best information available to overcome these potential problems. For best results you'll need to incorporate all the suggestions we give you here, and if you have an active pet, you should be prepared to work a couple of weeks to achieve your goal.
Treat this as a positive training experience with your pet. Be sure to praise it often during this period and let the mat provide most of the negative reinforcement when the pet enters the 'no-go' area. However, if you do see the animal on the 'wrong' side - let him know - right away! As with any Scat Mat training, the mats should be used in conjunction with other training methods.
Chances are if you've invested in this Scat Mat you've already tried other options which failed. If you try everything mentioned here and still don't have your pet(s) obeying the Scat Mat boundary - call Contech. They may have suggestions or new ideas for you to try. Or conversely if you've had a particularly good experience with a novel new way of using the mat - call Contech and tell them what you've done. They're interested! Call between 8:00 and 4:30 Pacific Time toll free at 1-800-767-8658. Good Luck!
A Sample Scenario
When a mat is placed in a doorway, most pets will be aware of its presence. Suspecting nothing they will attempt to cross. The majority of pets will feel the 'static type shock on this first occasion. Their responses will vary dramatically from running through - or away, to jumping back a few feet.
Regardless of which way they go - most pets will know the mat caused the unpleasant sensation. But, not being 'rocket-scientists' they will re- attempt the crossing. Whether this is right away or much later, it is on this second trial that most learn they don't like treading on the mat.
At this point if it is a docile pet, very small dog, puppy or kitten it will be conditioned to avoid that area in the future. Owners of other pets (especially active and larger animals) will see varying levels of interest by their animals in getting past the Scat Mat barrier.
If your initial training efforts are unsuccessful you still have options.
* Add mats to increase mat area. Consider Extensions or Dummies.
* Use the mat with a child/pet gate which may not have been effective on its own. Place mat on floor in front of gate.
Use Doors to Control Access
If training a pet not to go through an entrance which has a door - we highly recommend using that door as an obstacle during the training period to slow the animals progress across the mat. Controlling the pets speed across the mat(s) will ensure a good contact is made. This will significantly increase your Scat Mats effectiveness. Follow these steps:
- On the first day lay the mat on the threshold with the majority of the mat inside the room the pet is to stay out of.
- Prop the door open just wide enough for the pet to squeeze through.
- In the days that follow, gradually increase the opening size.
After two weeks the pet should have given up trying and the door should be wide open. The mere sight of the Scat Mat lying there will keep the pet at bay.
Obstacles
If a door isn't available, you can use large cardboard boxes, hampers, chairs, etc. in the doorway to slow the pets while crossing the mat. As with the door training explained above, begin with just enough room to squeeze through, and gradually increase the size of the opening over a couple of weeks.
Unlike many other situations where the mat can be removed when avoidance begins, this is usually not possible with entrance training. It is OK to leave the mat in place and turned on indefinitely.
| Usage Table 1 |
| Sample Situations | Suggested Power Pack Setting | Use 1 Scat Mat Inside door | Use 1 Scat Mat Jr In Door Jamb | Use 2nd Larger Mat Outside room | Use Dummy or Extension Mats | Use an Obstacle to control Access | Use Door to Control Access |
| Cat Scratching Door | Medium | - | Yes | - | - | - | - |
| Cat Running Outside | High | Yes | - | - | - | - | Yes |
| Dog Scratching Door | Medium | - | Yes | - | - | - | Yes |
| Dog Running Outside | High | Yes | - | - | - | - | Yes |
| Living Room Barrier (small entrance) | High | Optional | Yes | Optional | Yes | Optional | Yes |
| Living Room Barrier (large entrance) | High | Yes | - | - | Yes | Optional | Yes |
| Stopping Pets Going Up/Down stairs | High | Yes | - | - | - | Optional | Yes |
| Keeping Kitten or Puppy in a Room | Medium | - | Yes | Optional | - | Optional | Yes |
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Scat Mat Safety
The energy dispensed by the Scat Mat is extremely small. It is common practice to test or demonstrate the device by placing the heel of one's hand across the mat. The output of the unit at the lowest level was described by Dr. Harry Rowsell, Executive Director, Canadian Council on Animal Care in 1988, as follows:
"My experience in the demonstration of the Scat Mat was one of a tingling of the finger tips and the skin on the more sensitive parts of my hand and forearm. I considered it an experience which one would want to end by removing the hand, however, there was no lasting effect or sensation of tingling after removal."
The output is increased by 50% for the Medium level, and doubled for High.
Medtronic Canada, a manufacturer of pacemakers, reviewed the output characteristics of the product [prior to the addition of the two higher settings] and concluded that under normal usage, the Scat Mat presents no problem to any person wearing one of their devices, even if he should accidentally contact an energized mat.
If a small child should come into contact with the mat, he or she will recoil away from it, just as an unsuspecting adult would do. Older children will consider the Scat Mat an unusual new plaything.
Upon demonstration of safety and effectiveness, in compliance with Canadian law, the Scat Mat was issued Registration Number 20897 by Agriculture Canada under the Pest Control Products Act. Scat Mat manufacturing facilities are also registered with the Environmental Protection Agency in the US(EPA Est. No.59392-CN-001 & 160170).
Expert Testimonials
Martha Stewart
QUESTION: I have two cats who love to play on our dining-room table. I have tried everything to keep them off. Do you have any suggestions?
ANSWER: If there's a piece of furniture we'd rather not see our pets on, they will invariably make it their favorite place. While you could keep a close eye on your pets and correct the behavior each time it occurs, that approach requires a good deal of vigilance.
Pet expert Marc Morrone has a simpler trick to help break your pet of the habit: Use a Scat Mat. Scat Mats are small plastic mats that come in shapes such as strips for windowsills, semicircles for garbage cans, and rectangles for areas like your table or a couch. The mats contain a small electrical grid. When your pet steps on one of the mats, it delivers an unpleasant but perfectly safe static-electricity-like effect, and the pet moves right off.
Each time your cats jump on the table, they will most likely do it from the same position and aim for the same spot, so you can simply leave the mat at a fixed point. After your pets have a few run-ins with the mat, they will develop an aversion to the table. After a while, you'll be able to leave the mat unplugged (the association with it will still modify your pets' behavior). Eventually, you'll be able to remove it altogether.
The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies
"...if positive conditioners cannot be applied, [the Scat Mat] would be preferred to other negative procedures which have a greater opportunity for pain and suffering to the animals involved."
James H. Bandow, Executive Director
Canadian Council on Animal Care
"... I see it's greatest value in saving the lives of many cats whose owners are unwilling to accept unacceptable behavior, e.g. spraying or scratching, and therefore turn to the shelter, pound or veterinarian to destroy the animal.
Harry C. Rowsell, OC, DVM, Ph.D., Executive Director
Animal Behavior Consultants Inc.
"I have used the Scat Mat for many cases in which the goal was to keep the pet dog or cat away from an area. These cases have involved a variety of behaviors including: urinating or defecating on particular spots, scratching certain pieces of furniture, jumping onto counters, tables, sofas, etc. spraying or urine marking on particular spots, resting or sleeping in certain areas, barking, whining or meowing/howling - by keeping pet away from doors or windows.
The Scat Mat is effective because it is based on well researched principles of avoidance learning. The electrical stimulation can be adjusted to be startling enough to make the animal reflexively jump off of the Mat, and thus very quickly learn to avoid that spot in the future. The "spot", rather than the Mat itself, usually becomes the salient cue for avoidance. Since the level of electrical stimulation never becomes very high, and the animal learns within a few trials, there is no issue of 'cruelty'. I recommend the Scat Mat frequently and find that most owners are delighted with the results.
Peter L. Borchelt, Ph.D.
Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
"In our view it would be acceptable "negative reinforcement" if positive reinforcement doesn't work in a particular situation.
Ernest D. Olfert, Chairman, Humane Practices Committee
American Veterinary Society for Animal Behavior
"...The only time that punishment is either appropriate or effective is while the pet is 'in the act"
Mark Twain
"A cat that has sat on a hot stove lid will never again sit on a hot stove lid, or a cold stove lid."
Mark Twain
Consumer Testimonials
"Thank you for a good nights sleep."
S.M., Ellicott City, MD
"We love it! Our cat had been coming to our bedroom door for 8 years at 6am and waking us up. She wouldn't quit till someone got up. Now after just 2 times she won't come near the door and we slept till 7:30 this am. Thanks so much, you solved a big problem for us."
B.B., Dayton, OH
"I ordered a Scat Mat about a month ago to cure our poodle of the habit of using the carpet for a bathroom. It worked like a charm! It only took two nights before she came into contact with it and she has never done it since. We have put up with this habit for a year... In just two days my headaches are over. I can't say enough good things about the Scat Mat!! It sure worked in our situation and my only regret is that I never found out about it sooner. Thank you!"
H.K., Acme, AB
"The mat works so beautifully--both as a barrier and a disciplinary device...without any harm to any of our animals."
A.S.B., East Chester, NY
"Thank you for the peace of mind we have when we leave the house."
W.M., Hilton Head, SC
"I had tried everything I could think of [to keep a cat off a car] and had no positive results. This is an excellent product. I've had no adverse affects and would highly recommend it."
J.W., Knoxville, TN
"It's the only answer to a bad problem. You have an excellent and wonderfully effective product. This worked where sprays failed."
P.G., Akron, OH
"We are delighted that our living room no longer smells of cat urine."
A.H., Lawrence, KS
"Great! Keeps my dog from thinking our leather couch is a large rawhide chewy!"
D.V., Rancho Santa Fe, CA
"This product makes the animal discipline itself without me coming across as the 'Bad Guy'. Thanks."
E.R.R., Woodinville, WA
"I've never found a more effective method for training the "Troops" (all 35 of them)?"
P.M., Auburn, PA
"You wouldn't believe how great the mat worked!"
B. & S. S., Tacoma, WA
"You saved my tree!"
L.S., N. Merrick, NY
"I have been telling all my friends about the Scat Mat. It has made me enjoy my cat again."
A.L., White Plains, NY
"The Scat Mat really helps train the dogs from going where I don't want them. I love it."
H.F., Broad Channel, NY
"Great - It works wonders!"
J.F., Sugarland, TX
"THANK YOU so much for 'Scat Mat '. I found something that 'REALLY' works!"
E.L., Gaffney, SC
"We are extremely pleased with your product. It solved the problem immediately and effectively. Thank - you!"
T.G., West Chester, OH
"Worked so well I bought a 2nd mat. Great idea - excellent product."
B.S., Wallingford, CT
"If it wasn't for the mat I would have gotten rid of the cat!"
V.L., Bartlett, IL
"Blessings on you and your product."
C.R., Kaneohe, HI
"We thought we were going to have to get rid of our black lab.... He would use his paws to open the refrigerator door and feed himself while we were at work. The Scat Mat did the trick, and we no longer have problems with him going to the kitchen and snacking."
Lason Perkins
"This may have been the greatest invention since the wheel... Your Scat Mat is great! The cat food used to disappear off the counter courtesy of my golden retriever - but not with the mat where he has to stand!"
L.B., Wolcott, CT
"Just wanted to thank you folks for the wonderful service in replacing the power pack on our Scat Mat; the replacement being delivered to our door without so much as a hesitation. Service like this is unusual in today's market place. As for the Scat Mat itself, it is the best thing we ever came across! Two wee kittens (now cats!) and after only one or two slight encounters with the Scat Mat, they NEVER cross it! A wonderful product that surprisingly to us, more people don't take advantage of. Everyone seems quick to complain these days, we wanted to be quick to compliment. Many thanks for the product and service."
Tim & Joan Connell, Carman, Manitoba, Canada
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