Outdoor Electric Static Mats for Cats

Training a cat sometimes means showing the animal which areas are off limits. This is especially true outside, when one has an outdoor cat they do not wish to have indoors or an indoor cat they do not want outdoors. For this type of training, an electrostatic mat is the best training instrument. It is safe for the cat, but will, at the same time, train them and protect the area.

  1. How Electrostatic Mats Work

    • Electrostatic mats work by emitting a static discharge. This discharge is not even felt by humans. Cats, however, can detect this static discharge. It is not large enough to harm the cat, but is big enough to get their attention. This static discharge is usually produced via direct current.

    Outdoor and Indoor Cats

    • There are three types of cats. Indoor cats, which do not go outside at all; these cats are masters of their domain, the house. Outdoor cats which stay outdoors all the time, and rarely-- if ever -- go inside the house. There are also indoor-outdoor cats. These spend equal amounts of time indoors and outdoors, and can go between house and yard multiple times a day. An electrostatic mat can keep outdoor cats out of the house and indoor cats in the house by being positioned at the outside of the door to the house.

    Other Uses of Electrostatic Cat Mats Outdoors

    • One of the most irritating things as a homeowner is to have a cat that is urinating around the house. An electrostatic mat can help in a couple of ways. An electrostatic mat will keep a cat away from areas where one does not want them urinating, such as near a swimming pool or patio. As a deterrent from urinating at all, the mat can be placed so that the cat sitting or standing on it will activate the static discharge.

    How to Prep the Mat

    • These mats require a battery. Most of the electrostatic mats require a fresh 9-volt battery. This can work to a homeowner's advantage as they can take one of the mats and use it without the battery attached as a training aid, similar to the stimulus discussed in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This teaches the cat that there may or may not be power to the mat and therefore the cat will learn that they may or may not experience the static discharge.