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Cat scarer buying guide

Updated: October 2026

A neighbour's cat has started using the bare vegetable bed, or a fox is crossing the lawn after dark, and the amazon.co.uk results are a mix of solar boxes, a hose jet and plastic stakes for moles. This cat scarer buying guide is about matching the device to the animal, the tap and the light before you look at stars. The [animal repeller comparison](/hub/pest-control/animal-repeller) holds the twelve listings and the prices captured on 19 October 2026. Products Compared did not run a garden trial. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

A neighbour's cat has started using the bare vegetable bed, or a fox is crossing the lawn after dark, and the amazon.co.uk results are a mix of solar boxes, a hose jet and plastic stakes for moles.

Our top picks

PestBye PestBye Jet Spray cat scarer

Best overall

PestBye PestBye Jet Spray cat scarer
7.9/10about £49.99
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Famisym Famisym HSS-GH501 solar cat and fox scarer

Best value

Famisym Famisym HSS-GH501 solar cat and fox scarer
8.2/10about £25.33
View offer
PestBye PestBye ultrasonic cat repellent, set of 2

Rank 3

PestBye PestBye ultrasonic cat repellent, set of 2
8.6/10about £29.98
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three devices, three jobs
  2. 2.Power and British weather
  3. 3.Range, IP codes, and review counts
  4. 4.What to skip

Three devices, three jobs

Start with what is actually visiting. Cats and foxes move across open ground, so a passive infrared sensor can see a warm body and fire a burst of high-frequency sound, often with a flash. The Royal Horticultural Society says ultrasound works better in an open garden, that shrubs baffle it, and that some cats ignore it. A water jet does the same sensing job and then sprays. In this set that is the PestBye Jet Spray, and it only works if a hose reaches the bed. A solar mole stake is a different product. GOV.UK says there is no commercially approved mole repellent in England, and the RHS says an electronic mole device may only move the animal along the garden. If the complaint is fouling on soil, a stake in the turf will not answer it. If you are still choosing between a sounder and a hose, the ultrasonic or water jet page is the one decision. The cat fouling page is where the law sits.

Power and British weather

Solar is the default claim under £20, and it fails on a north-facing fence. The panel has to see daylight, not a shadow from the shed at noon. Famisym's HSS-GH501, at £25.33 with 3.8 from 360 reviews, is the listing in this set that states both a solar panel and USB charging. Reviewers mentioned the lead when November sun was weak. RUTIDA's bullets say solar only and no extra battery. AA cells suit a dark corner if you will change them. PestBye's ultrasonic pair takes four AA cells in each unit, eight in total, and they are not included. The jet uses AA cells as well. One review put that at four cells about every three weeks, on top of the hose. A dry PIR can stay out if the listing's weather line is one you accept. A hose jet cannot. Retailers tell you to drain it before freezing weather. No product here plugs into a 13 A socket.
PestBye PestBye Jet Spray cat scarer

Testsieger

PestBye PestBye Jet Spray cat scarer
7.9/10about £49.99
View offer

Range, IP codes, and review counts

Listing ranges in this set cluster around 8–10 metres and about 110–120 degrees. Sound does not pass a fence. A 10 metre line is the distance the seller prints, not a circle you have measured at dusk. Nelson, Evans and Bradbury's 2006 UK work, as summarised by Conservation Evidence, found a moderate effect in one ultrasonic experiment and no significant drop in the chance of an intrusion in a longer one. IP codes are seller text, not certificates we hold. IP44, on the Famisym and the RUTIDA, means protection against splashing water and against solid objects larger than about 1 mm. It is not a claim you can immerse the box. The PestBye ultrasonic pair is called waterproof and prints no IP code. If the page only says weatherproof, you do not have a rating. Stars need the count beside them. PestBye's battery pair is 3.7 from 22,905 reviews. The jet is 3.8 from 4,652. The Advertising Standards Authority does not treat testimonials as evidence that a repellent works.

What to skip

Skip a mole stake if the job is cats. Skip a jet if there is no outdoor tap, and skip a solar box if the only fixing point is a shaded fence. Skip any line that says the device stops every animal. Do not buy a bird listing to move bats, and do not treat it as a cat scarer either. Skip a unit whose target field says bat. All UK bats are protected. Before you order, write down the animal, whether a hose is required, whether USB or AA cells cover a dull week, and the review count. A box that matches the bed and still points at the pavement will look like a failed product on night one.

Common questions

How far should I believe a 10 metre line?
Treat 8–10 metres as the seller's aiming figure for an open approach, which is where the RHS says ultrasound has a chance. Shrubs and fences block it. A UK trial found only a partial effect, and a 650 metre stake claim is not usable coverage.
Is a mole stake a cat scarer?
No. The stakes in this set are sold for burrowing mammals and do not use a PIR on a path. GOV.UK lists no commercially approved mole repellent. Fouling on a bed needs a beam device or a change to the soil, not a pulse in the lawn.
Does a high star rating with few reviews mean it works?
No. The ASA does not accept customer testimonials as efficacy proof. In this scrape, 5.0 from two reviews and 4.9 from eleven sit next to 3.7 from 22,905. Read the count. A short perfect file has not had time to collect the failures.
Will ultrasound bother my dog or a pet rabbit?
It can. Lower frequencies are audible to some dogs, and rabbits and guinea pigs may react. Do not site a sounder against a hutch. The water jet avoids that sound, though it will soak whatever walks through the beam, including a pet.
Do I need a mains plug?
Not for any listing in this comparison. Power is solar, USB into a battery, or AA cells. That is useful in a border with no socket, and it means a flat battery or a shaded panel is the failure, not a tripped RCD.

Related pages

Best cat scarer UK

How to install a cat scarer

Animal repeller

Stop cats fouling garden UK: soil first, then a scarer

Ultrasonic or water jet cat scarer: which one to pick

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these 12 listings. Last checked 19 October 2026.

  1. RHS, cats (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Conservation Evidence, ultrasonic cat deterrents (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, foxes, moles and mink (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. RSPCA, cats in gardens (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. RSPCA, foxes in the garden (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. ASA, pest repellents (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. RHS, moles (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. nidirect, foxes (retrieved 19 October 2026)