Have the neighborhood strays decided that your yard is the most popular restroom in town? Whether you're bothered by unwelcome pets or local wildlife, Smarthome has a variety of products that can deter animals from entering your property without doing them any actual harm..

Dogs and cats are able to hear higher frequencies than we can, so some of our most popular systems use ultrasonic sounds to irritate animals: Once exposed to high frequency sounds, animals react by turning around and running away.

Our Ultrasonic Motion Sensing Animal Repeller is a battery-operated, self-contained unit that is especially effective against cats. Operating off a single 9-volt battery (sold separately) for about a year, it contains a motion sensor that looks for movement up to 20 feet away. Once motion is detected, it turns on its powerful 124bB ultrasonic piezo siren for five seconds. It's so strong and annoying that the animal quickly scampers off. If the animal returns later, it gets another blast. While loud and annoying to the animal, it is completely safe and will not damage the animal's hearing. Best of all, since it's ultrasonic, it's silent to humans, so you won't be disturbed as your yard is protected.

For even better control, our YardContro Electronic Yard Fence will cover a 360-degree area around the sensor. This unit uses radar to detect movement up to 15 feet away for a total coverage of 700 square feet. It also offers more adjustments to maximize the effectiveness of the ultrasonic sound. The alert sound frequency is adjustable from 8kHz to 50khz. The lower settings are perfect against humans and dogs. Settings in the middle are best for deer, cats, and other small ground mammals. The detection range or sensitivity is also adjustable. Running on four D batteries (sold separately), which should last about one year, the YardContro Electronic Yard Fence is completely weatherproof.

Since these systems use ultrasonic sound, you'll never know when animals are scampering away. If you want to keep a closer eye on which neighbor's cat is visiting your garden, set up the Scraminal. The Scraminal uses heat and motion sensors to detect pets as they enter an off-limit area. Each time an animal ventures into this area, the unit emits a series of short, high-pitched beeps which are uncomfortable to a pet and are audible to humans. The unit automatically resets to guard against the next intrusion. The offending pet will eventually learn to keep out of that area. The Scraminal runs on a single 9-volt battery, which is included.

Not all animal deterrent systems use ultrasonic sounds to shoo away local strays, which is handy if you have pets of your own that might be upset by the recurring noise. Just as effective is the Scarecrow Water-Spraying Animal Repeller, which attaches to your garden hose and blasts animals with a 3- to 4-second burst of water when its PIR motion detector senses their presence. The Scarecrow's spray coverage can be adjusted from 10° coverage to 360°, and the 35-foot range lets you place the Scarecrow where it makes the most sense. The Scarecrow requires a 9-volt battery, which is sold separately.

DirectStop Animal Deterrent Spray	Ssscat	Garden Ghost

If your own pets frequently visit your yard, a handheld deterrent will be a better solution, since you'll want to determine for yourself which animals need to be discouraged from entering your property. DirectStop Animal Deterrent Spray sends out a strong, 10-foot stream with the odor of citronella to surprise the offending animal. DirectStop® does not cause pain, and it will not increase aggression, but since animals are not used to the scent, it is an effective deterrent. In addition, it won't injure the user or onlookers if the spray is accidentally blown back into the eyes.

Similar solutions are the Ssscat and the Garden Ghost systems, both of which use an environment-friendly spray to deter animals from a specific area. Since they contain an internal motion sensor, they can be set up to guard a specific area, such as a flower bed or vegetable garden so that neighborhood bunnies or cats won't root through your precious plants. Both run on four AAA batteries (sold separately). These units deliver humane sprays that are ozone-friendly, scentless and stainless but are enough to startle pests away from your property.