On tables-nothing seems to work....

[tash]

My cat cailin wont stay off tables and counters. She is a little over a year old and has been doing this forever. First I tried the spraying with water, but she would just look at me like "why did you do that? now i have to clean up...." Then I tried the tape, but my husband got stuck more then the cats (hippy is learning to walk on the tables by cailins example), and I think they learned to walk around the tape anyway, but it did stop them from sleeping on the tables/counter. Then I tried a time-out like thing, I would put cailin in her timeout area whenever I saw her on the counter. (after putting her back on the table and saying NO, I had to put her back, because she knew I was upset and would jump off and try to hide). But she learned how to escape her time out area, then I put a chair in front of the door to her timeout area, and she would scratch at the door anyway, I dont want her doing that either.

My husband is away on buissness right now, so I have anything I can covered in tape, but now she is just jumping on the stuff that is on the tables (my husbands mail mostly). I think she is too smart for her own good, this must be what its like to have teenagers.....

Does anyone have any other ideas?
I was thinking maybe put her in her traveling box and leave it on the table so she starts veiwing that place (the height/location of the table) as a bad place, but I am afraid she would blame it all on the travel box and instead view the box as the bad place. I dont want to add any problems to traveling since we take her on most of our trips...

thanks.... tash

[luci]

Try stacking empty soda cans on the table, which will fall over and make lots of noise when the cat jumps up.

Personally, I let my cats walk on the tables, in the rooms where they are allowed to hang out. This because it is in their instinct to climb onto higher surfaces, and especially if the cat is indoors a lot, this is a part of their territory. If we use the table, I just pick them up and move them elsewhere, after sweeping the table down for cathair..

They are not allowed on the kitchen work tops, but I just keep the door to the kitchen closed.

The only thing I think works with our cats is repetedly saying no and removing the cat from what it´s doing wrong. they still do it when they think they can get away with it, but at least they look as if they know they did something wrong.

[Doeremi]

I would definitely recommend you not do the spray bottle anymore. It just means they run from you when you're near and that they can get away with it when you're not home. The tattle tale will probably do the trick or perhaps the bitter apple. Here's what Dr. Jean says about cat training - http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?a ... tbehavior1 .

Here's another discussion that might help http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... t=counters

[tash]

ill try the pop can thing... but she will probably just play with them, she likes things that are shiny and make noise (like my husbands car wash quarters).

I didnt do the water thing long, after the 3rd time she understood what was happinging, not that it was an extension of my arm, but what was really going on, and she didnt care that much, she was a little annoyed that she now had to go lick herself somemore, but she was going to do that anyway so whatever. just like a teenager. She is TOO SMART. she even hid the bottle from me. I do like intelligence though, and idependence, i just dont like hair on my eatings/work surfaces.

she figured out that we keep the treats on top of the fridge. she also figured out how to get up there to get them down.

they are allowed on anything that we sit on, chairs, couches, beds.... and the couch is higher then all of the tables, the only higher place they can get to is the top of the fridge. I even put the bar stools by the window so they can sit there and look. They are also allowed in the window sills so they can catch flies.

the tattle tale sounds like a good idea, but I am afraid it would bother my husband and I when we use the tables, or when we knock into them, the cats also like to play under the tables, and that is fine. I also think that cailin just being too smart will figure out that it wont hurt her and think its a toy or something.....

[kittykat44]

go to (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... =2002+2017), and the tattle tale alarm works very well
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[EqusArch]

We have this and it works great. Ours didn't just sit on the table(that would have been fine) but they peed on it and all over the counter tops.

http://www.emrkt.com/comtrad/scram/scram.html

[bogolove]

Originally Posted by kittykat44

go to (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... =2002+2017), and the tattle tale alarm works very well
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I was going to suggest that also. They have several different things you could try in that magazine (or on the website).

[tash]

the tattle tale sounds like a good idea, but I am afraid it would bother my husband and I when we use the tables, or when we knock into them, the cats also like to play under the tables, and that is fine. I dont want to punish them for just bumping into a table leg.

I dont really know how we would set up the cat scram. It says it has a 90degree 6' range. If we put that on the coffee table they would get beeped at for being on the couch, I dont want that. I also dont want the thing going off as my husband or I used the kitchen, or set the mail on the dining table...

has anyone tried the scat mats? they seem kinda expensive, but cai doesnt like it when I pet her and accidently shock her....
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... 017+113563 we may still be able to work around something like that, although if it shocks my husband he may get upset....

[Doeremi]

Originally Posted by tash

has anyone tried the scat mats? they seem kinda expensive, but cai doesnt like it when I pet her and accidently shock her....
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... 017+113563 we may still be able to work around something like that, although if it shocks my husband he may get upset....

Dr. Jean doesn't recommend that or anything that would shock or potentially harm a cat. Other bad behaviors might result. Plus kitty gets hurt.

Our new kitten used to climb all over the table and she has done it less and less just by us saying "Off!" and clapping our hands. You do not want to use her name. If she doesn't get off we gently remove her. You do not want her to associate her name with anything bad. You just need to try something and be consistent with it. It will work. And, both of you need to reinforce it, not just one of you. In no time you will have well trained kitties!

Edit: If she likes heights you might invest in a cat tree. Maybe kitty is trying to tell you and hubby something... www.catfiesta.com has some great prices on cat trees.

[tash]

electricity doesnt really hurt, especilly at low levals. Its just a weird sensation.

Cailin doenst respond to the clapping either, she used to just look at us when we claped, like "yeah, what do you want?", but now she just ignores it and goes about her day.

Both of us dont want her on the tables, my husband just also wants to be able to use the tables. Since he is gone I have all the tables taped excpct one end table and part of the kitchen counter so I can still make food and set my drink down. The other tables I cant use at all.

I dont think its a heights thing either. The end and coffee tables are lower then anything else she can sit on (couch and bar stools). She only goes on top of the fridge to get her treats. when they are not there, she is not there. The dining table is maybe 6 inches lower then the back of the couch, but it does get morning sunlight. So I put the bar stools in front of that window so they can sit on those and see out the window too. That satisfied hippy, but cailin will just hop right from the stools to the table on the way to the other side of the room. Thats really the main thing she does, use the tables as a shortcut. couch hop table hop other couch hop hippy, then they usueally both run outside if I have the door open (they are allowed on our balcony, we live on the 2nd floor). like that lava game that kids play.