How to stop kitties jumping on counter?

MsFifers

Hi
Would anyone have advice on how I can stop my two bold kittens (nearly cats now) from jumping up on my kitchen counter-top? I'm scared they are going to burn their paws on the cooker one of these days.

I have tried:

• Banging loudly and shouting (they jump down but come back up when my back is turned)
• Putting tin foil on counter (they nibbled at it)
• Spraying them with a squirt of water (looked bemused and continued their merry ways)

Any ideas? I haven't tried to teach them anything before (haven't needed to), but I'm sure they're smart enough to learn!

Thanks in advance!

sunny25

Kitchen Counters attract cats like a magnet, for two reasons:
• They love heights. Get any two cats together with a climbing tree or cat tower and you'll have a ready-made game of "King of the Hill." In this game, as in the wild, the top cat is the Top Cat.
• Kitchen Counters Smell Good! They're often loaded with tempting things to eat, such as raw chicken parts, ground beef, or yesterday's tuna casserole.
• Some cats also are attracted to running water in the kitchen sink, and for many cats, this is their main source for drinking water. Better than the toilet, I'm sure, but there are better alternatives.
Here are some ways of keeping cats off the counter that have been found to be successful :
• Apply Sticky Tape to the Edge. Cats hate the feeling of sticky tape, and will be discouraged after one or two tries. The disadvantage is that you may have to keep reapplying it indefinitely, and the sticky stuff may be difficult to clean up afterward.
• Tape a Strip of Aluminum Foil. It's not only the feel of it on their toes, but the noise that deters cats.
• The Pennies in a Can Trick. This is an old tried-and-true means of deterring cats from many forms of undesirable behavior. Drop a few pennies (or pebbles) in an empty aluminum can and tape the opening. When you see your cat start to jump on the counter, shake the can loudly. The problem here is that he'll learn it's okay to jump when you're not around.
• Another method is to place several of these "shaker cans" right at the edge of the counter with just two or three inches betweeen them. One jump will bring down all the cans, and make a terrific racket, which will also bring down the cat.
• The Spray Bottle. I don't generally approve of using a spray bottle for discipline, because some people just get carried away and end up drenching the cat. However, ONE very quick spray set to fine mist will do the trick for that one time. If you can manage to do it so the cat doesn't connect you with the uncomfortable feeling, it may be a permanent solution. (However it's my opinion that cats are a lot smarter than we give them credit for.)

looksee

We have had cats that lived all over the house but did not jump on the table or worktops.

From them being quite small if you see them starting to jump put a spread hand in front of their face and say firmly and confidently- and quite loudly - no! You have to catch the point when they are just starting to jump, and do it every time. I think if you stop a cat doing something that he has already started on he will get kind of embarrassed and go off and do the licking 'I didn't really want to do that anyway' thing.

If they are actually on the counter 'hoosh' them off fairly vigorously and say no! I find the current cat will occasionally sneak onto the table if there is great temptation - and a chair available to climb up by - he does not jump up, though he jumps onto window ledges and chairs etc.

comongethappy

All of the above I had heard before. My cats are fairly good at staying off the counters. From kittens, I would snap my fingers and say "no" in a very affirmative voice. If they do go on the counters now, they make sure to keep an eye out for me! Also, when they are on, lightly (not violently) push them off the counter and say no in a very authoritative voice.

However, if you have cats like mine - they'll soon find ways around it! They know they're not let be on the counters, so they'll jump up on the counter to jump up on top of the presses where I can't reach them! They truely are clever little devils ...:p

Ruu_Old

I haven't had much success with spray bottles or a firm 'no' command. What I did do is have some soda cans up there and one day she jumped off when seeing me but knocked the cans in the process making a loud noise. She doesn't go up there anymore.

MsFifers

...for the ideas!
I'll try the noisy cans - have mostly tried everything else. I spent most of yesterday evening running over to block their jumps or else whoosing them off. Not a relaxing evening!

Then had my back turned for 5 mins and there was Pugs back up on the counter with his paw stuck into the toaster!!!! (not on luckily)

I can tell by the way they look at me that they know they're not allowed - but its probably a fun game at this stage to get me running around after them!

galah

My solution: if nothing works, get used to it...

I've tried everything, from water to sticky tape, to noise - you name it, I've tried it - and nothing worked.

Now, I've simply resigned to the fact that the beasts jump onto the counter...(maybe they need to be trained in from a very young age - I got my cats when they were 1 year old - too late, I think, to teach them manners....)

Good luck!

golfgirl

My method when a cat comes near me when eating my dinner is to blow in his face ... they will go away. Don't know if it will work with kittens tho' ... good luck!

yank_in_eire

I always found chaining something heavy around their neck helps!:D

Schlemm

The whole knack to the water pistol trick is to avoid letting the cat know that it's you that's spraying it...otherwise they'll cop on very fast! If there's a window near the counter you could hide outside it and get them once they hop up without them seeing you. Or you could try noise aversion, but again don't let them know that it's you or they'll make the wrong associations! And don't try to scare them too much...;)

Ruu_Old

There are those automatic sprayers that go off when the cat might sniff beside it, have seen them in magazines.

MsFifers

No luck with anything so far! I may have to admit defeat. They will now jump down when I clap my hands at them so I'm sure they understand the rules but they are too curious about this off-limits area to behave when I'm not standing over them.

I'll just have to get into the habit of unplugging the toaster and covering the hotplates on the cooker so that they can't do any damage to themselves.

Thanks anyway to everyone for the advice.

thalia_13

Its very hard to get them out of the habit if anything you get trained to do what they want..... I am in the habit now of leaving saucepan lids on the hob once its been used, incase of burnt paws! Force of habit I do it in any house I visit, even when there are no cats...:)

watna

This is why people say cats are stupid cos they can't be trained. That's far from true, the can be trained there just too smart to let you boss them around! our cat at home regularly jumps up on the counter even though he knows it's not allowed. He just doesn't care? The only thing we do is pick him up and put him down when we're there. He won't get up again... until the next time! I think it's part and parcel of cat ownership!