Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought it to deter the neighbor's cats and some other, unidentified, animal that left a big turd next to the iris patch. These animals come out, or are let out, at night so I have no way of knowing if it works. However, it works wonderfully on that same neighbor's three dogs. They avoid the area covered by the beam, which means they stopped barking on my side of their house. I hope it lasts! UPDATE (July 18, 2016): ... AND THEN THE POLICE CAME... They came yesterday, asking if I had an electronic device that would sound like an explosion, like a fourth-of-July firework. Of course I did not, and I said so. Then my son reminded me of that little black box: apparently, it had been reported to the police, with some exaggeration, presumably by my neighbor' s cats and dogs, when I moved it next to the fence after noticing that an animal had jumped over the fence and landed in a flower bed Before that, I had used the device all over the garden: next to the hole in the fence that the rabbit uses to come in; next to newly-planted areas to protect emerging bean and pea seedlings from birds, etc. I do not know how effective it is because pests and pets usually visit gardens at night; but it sure annoyed at least one pet owner. By the way, the police confirmed that this device is not illegal in any way and that I do not need a permit to use it. SECOND UPDATE (August 9, 2017) -- ... AND NOW THE LAWYERS. This year the cat-and-dog lady next door hired a lawyer who wrote a very polite letter asking me to "immediately cease & desist" from using this "Halloween motion-sensor device that emits a loud screech whenever the wind blows" -- never mind that the sound is about as loud as a cricket chirp, and is produced only when someone walks past the device. I would add that thanks to this device (and three others) the neighbor's cats seem to avoid my garden. So, yes, IT WORKS. THIRD UPDATE (May 24, 2018) -- ... AND NOW THE POLICE AGAIN. I own two of these devices, one bought in 2017, the other probably in late 2015 or in 2016. They still work perfectly and the batteries seem to last a long time. I took them out last month to keep the local rabbit from eating my podded peas. I probably pressed the sound button inadvertently because they both beeped. No big deal: the beep is not even as loud as the birds chirping at the feeders. Nevertheless, the cat-lady next door (actually a cat-and-dog lady) called the police again. So, I turned the sound off -- which, of course does not mean that "my" rabbit and "her" cats won't be inconvenienced. As I wrote before, it seems to work to repel the rabbit and, probably, the neighbor's cat(s); its main appeal, however, is that it considerably disturbs cat owners -- worth the money. Note: the policeman did not dispute that the birds were louder than the PestAway but, he said, the township is not concerned with birds. (The real reason for all this nonsense is that my neighbor has three dogs which can bark for hours on end, with other dogs nearby feeling that they have to answer. Whenever someone complains to the police, she thinks I am the one who did it. It is not me though; my philosophy is always to "let someone else complain" -- and usually someone does, then I get a visit from the police or a letter from her lawyer. Well, it can't be helped!) FOURTH UPDATE --July 12, 2018 - These devices work so well for me that I bought a third one of this kind. I now have spent a total of $247 on devices like these just to keep the neighbor's cats away from my garden* (setting out bait is illegal, of course, but probably less expensive -- consider it if you have "that kind" of a neighbor). The police department is no longer involved; they unloaded the customer on the Canton Township Ordinance Department: in his first e-mail, the ordinance inspector (one of several) stated: "I can testify that during that period,** your "Pest Away" devices were activated several times resulting in a high-pitched noise which can be a disturbance for surrounding residences". No indication of what activated the "devices" (note the plural); I guess he kept his eyes closed so he could hear better. * I was successful in part only because the neighbor in question "scaled down" from four cats to only one or two (unless she keeps more at home). ** i.e. the 10-15 minutes during which he was sitting in his car, at the curb, about 80-85 away from the nearest Pest Away device, the other two being on the other side of the house, audible sound turned off. August 1st, 2018 -- I had to turn the audible sound off on order of the Canton Township's Ordinance Department, but that is only temporary as someone in the police department is about to "begin an internal investigation" of my "concerns" (my main "concern" being that I was given a violation by their inspector just out of spite because I pointed out to him that he was "prepared to testify" to something that was not true). For the moment, I use these devices (I have three PestAway) to protect my tomatoes: I think it was an oppossum that took a bite out of a low-hanging tomato a couple of weeks ago. With the PestAway (set to "ultrasound") in strategic locations this has not occurred again. The ultrasound seems to work, although I would say the audible sound may work better on cats. For rabbits? I don't know, but I spread blood meal around the pole beans and the bottom flowers were not eaten (blood meal, however, had to be replaced after every rain). My question: will it work on birds? I gave a hard-pruning to my blueberry bushes last fall so no berries this year. Birds do not seem interested in raspberries; no problem there then. But next year my new red, black, and white currant bushes should start producing. I expect to get more than enough berries so I could share but, still, if I want to keep the birds away I will have to use the audible sound. Will it work? I will let you know next year. 2019 UPDATE (posted October 30, 2019) -- (continued) -- At the end of July, I noticed that one of the three devices was not working anymore, another one was malfunctioning (worked nonstop for a short time, until the batteries were dead). I thought of throwing them away, and then had a better idea: I REMOVED THE BATTERIES and put both devices between my neighbor's house and mine, where she/they (her grown-up teenager lives there too) could see them. I just wanted to see what happened: two days later, I had a violation ticket stuck on my front door: "No operation/activity shall be carried on which creates an annoying or disruptive effect. See attached ordinance. Audible pest away devices. *Next violation will result in citation." When I called the Ordinance Department and pointed out that there were no batteries in the devices, I was told that they had "a video disc with the date stamped on it". Questions: (1) Is it very difficult to fake the date on a video disc? (2) Once you have recorded a sound, is it difficult to turn up the volume and make it sound much louder than it ever was? (3) How stupid and/or ignorant and/or gullible do you have to be to find a job with this Ordinance Department? Addition (November 2, 2019) -- I managed to fix the device that was malfunctioning. It must have been a bad contact somewhere; I just put the batteries in and took them out until they were "comfortable" enough for the device to work. The other one is dead. Since these PestAway come with a three year warranty, starting from the date of purchase, there is no point in buying more right now. However, I intend to buy two more next spring plus, perhaps, one or two from other brands. If you are interested, note that there are a lot of ultrasonic cat repellers on the market; I would avoid all those that are solar-powered. The reason: when it rains, they will get splashed with mud and the mud will dry; then you will be tempted to scrub the solar panels and that (take my word for it) is not a good idea. That is quite a lot of money, just to deter cats but, at least, I don't have to feed them -- or should I? In the "questions and answers" section, the manufacturer mentions using citronella to deter cats. I never tried citronella, but for a couple of years I tried another recipe (found on the internet): collect your early morning urine (for a woman, that means using a small pail and a funnel, or directly just a funnel) and put it into a gallon bottle; when the bottle is full, put the cap on and take it to the basement where you let it "ripen" for a couple of months; then, pour the "repellent " all around your property (do that when all your neighbors are at work). It is supposed to deter cats; I tried it for a couple of years, but one gallon was never enough to cover the entire perimeter of my backyard. Also, I did not want to pour it along the backyard gates, as it would have killed the grass there -- unfortunately, "under the backyard gate" is how the animals enter. So good luck to you, and since it is the wishing season: a plague on all wandering cats, their owners and the Canton Township Ordinance Department (I mean Canton in Michigan, not the one in Ohio). July 2020 Update (and probably the last) -- This year, I put these devices where the neighbor cannot see them; if she can't see them she is unlikely to imagine that she hears any "loud" noise (as mentioned before, birds at the bird feeders are louder than this device which, in addition, has to be triggered by someone or some animal walking past it; otherwise, it is just sitting there). I do not plan to spend my time watching but, if I am lucky, I may see again what I saw two or three summers ago: the neighbor walking up and down behind the fence, trying very hard to hear something that she could not hear (and pushing her hair back to hear better). Did I leave the audible sound on this time, or am using the ultrasound? Either way, the lights flash when someone goes by. Besides, the neighbor has the gift of "imagination", so it does not make any difference. To be complete (and fair): I did not see her cats in my yard so far this year; twice I caught a glimpse of two of them in the neighbor's backyard, and they now qualify as "fat cats" (that might mean that she no longer lets them roam at night). Also, I informed the Ordinance Department that, if I had to go to court, it is the township that I would sue, not the neighbor; that may encourage them to ask complaints to be made in writing, with the plaintiff's name signed to it (so far, I have just been "given to understand" who it is who complains; nothing "official"). So, good bye, enjoy the summer and, of course, stay safe! Update - April 2, 2022 - i found out last week that an arrest warrant had been issued against me (three years ago!) by the Canton Ordinance Department, for "breach of peace" (they just 'forgot' to tell me). Plaintiff: Township of Canton (the one in Michigan, not the one in Ohio). I guess they want to teach me that plain citizens/taxpayers (i.e. all those without a uniform) are not allowed to notice when their "betters" (i.e. those in uniform) tell lies, or assume they hear a noise from electronic devices without the batteries in.