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Keeping Nala off the kitchen table/countertops

3K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  katdad 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

So I've had Nala for a while now and so far everything has been pretty good. The only thing that I have a problem with is the fact that she keeps insisting on jumping up and laying on the kitchen table and countertops. She used to jump on the counter and get up to the top of my cabinets and sleep there. But I just put all of my extra pots and pans up there so she stopped that. I'm ok with her jumping up on the couch, and entertainment center. She actually found a way to get on top of the wall mounted air conditioner which is pretty much the highest point in my apartment. I've never actually seen her get up there I just kinda see her already sitting there. And I have no problem with that either. It's just that I feel like the kitchen should be free of animals. I think it's unsanitary to have a cat sleeping on your table where you eat and prepare food. Although if I'm in the kitchen or eating at the table she won't jump up which is good.
Is there a way to keep her from wanting to jump on the tables? I've heard if people wiping restricted areas with vinegar/water mixture. Have any if you guys tried this?

And I don't want to sound like a bad person, or like I don't love my cat because I do very much. I just would prefer that she stay off certain areas
 
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#2 ·
I have a small kitchen, rectangular, and a cabinet at one end near a window. Guess I got lucky cause that is where I store some stuff and a slow cooker....but they have a place at the end of it that lets them sit by the window (or in the window ledge in the warmer weather) and there is also a large picture window next to that and it has south sun so I kinda extended the sill a little and they like that. I think that keeps them off of the rest of the counters cause I don't see them there.

the wall mounted a/c. Can Nala get hurt jumping down? Can you put like a small shelf or two on the wall that would make it easier to climb to it and down? I'm thinking she enjoys the height and maybe if there were alternative places, she would leave the tables alone?
 
#3 ·
I think most of us here have given up that battle and keep our counters as uninteresting as possible. I simply wipe them off before I use them. Cats loving being up high and they also love to be with us and watch us.

I like it when Cleo jumps up and keeps me company while I wash dishes or prepare food. She has her own little spot on the other side of the sink, and she gets to be with her Mom, but she's not too close to get in the way. win-win
 
#4 ·
I have been successful (for the most part) with this. Our new girl Coco is very energetic and was apparently never taught not to jump on the table and counters - amazing, huh?? There should be a block on shelter forms for "counter trained - yes or no". Just kidding.

I use my BIG MOMMY VOICE and yell EH!! or NO! and she gets right down with LOTS of praise for being such a good girl afterwards. If she is stubborn I point down to the floor with my finger and repeat. I ONLY use that tone of voice and command when I mean it (which is getting very rare as the weeks go by). Poor girl is confused because I don't enforce it in the laundry room at all. I actually like her jumping up there and visiting me nose to nose (room doubles as a sewing/craft/bill paying room).
 
#5 ·
One of my cats like to cruise my counters, and one sleeps on my dining room table a lot. I'm not really that bothered by either one - I keep a flannel-backed plastic tablecloth on my dining table and when the humans actually want to use it (which isn't often tbh, we're 'in front of the tv' eaters in my house lol) I remove the table cloth, wash the table, etc. It's not a big deal to me.

Sunny is my counter cruiser and if I had my druthers I would prefer he didn't go up there. But I'm not that fussed about it to go to great measures to prevent him. He doesn't try to get up there when I'm preparing food or doing things in the kitchen, so we have a truce.
 
#6 ·
I think sometimes it depends on the cats too... Shadow hardly ever gets up on the counters or table. He prefers sitting on the cushion on the kitchen chair. The few rare times he does hop up there and i dont want him there i just have to say 'Down shadow!' Sometimes i have to say it a few times... n sometimes he sits there and looks at me as if to say 'what u gonna do?' So i'll act like im going to stand up and he hops down lolz.

Mystery used to hop up there allll the time. Now its gotten to he only hops on the small area by the fridge so he can hop on the fridge to get to the top of the cabinets near our ceiling. Shadow gets up there sometimes too. Mystery learned very fast that counters and tables were a no-no. All i have to say when he jumps on em is his name and shake my head at him and he hops down.

Ashes... is an ongoing battle for the last 8 months we've had him -.- he plays games with me. He hops up there alll the time. So i pick him up and put him on the floor and tell him no. Soon as i turn my back on him tho i hear him hop back up there. Then he just stares at me. Lolz sooo some cats just cant be taught not to it seems xD tho it dont help that he cant figure out how to get on the top cabinet like the big cats. He wants to, but dont know how yet. Not quite ready to make the jump from the counter to fridge so he seems to think he has a right to the counters lolz
 
#7 ·
I don't keep anything good on the counters and I DO keep a tub of antibacterial wipes on it for when I want to cook/prepare something.

When I'm cooking they have a section they are allowed on. The bar section. It's too far for my little stumpy arms to reach for it to be usable for me so it's their spot. When I'm cooking they aren't allowed past that spot. They get their name drawn out in a warning voice and they back right up.

Otherwise, it's a losing battle in my house. I can keep them off the counters all I want but when I walk out the door, I KNOW they are up there doing the hokey pokey and laughing at me. In fact MowMOw probably takes a dump, runs through it, and THEN jumps up on the counter just to mock me.
 
#8 ·
Otherwise, it's a losing battle in my house. I can keep them off the counters all I want but when I walk out the door, I KNOW they are up there doing the hokey pokey and laughing at me.
Yeah, I woke up this morning to find a small metal pan (the type that sometimes comes with toaster ovens) on the floor and I knew absolutely that it had been up on the counter when I went to bed. I also noticed a stack of books on the kitchen table that had been neatly stacked now sitting crooked.

I asked a Certain Someone if she had any idea WHO could have done this. I got the big-eyed look in return and a repeated request for breakfast.:angel:eek:rcat
 
#10 ·
I gave up. I only have one who takes the counters and table probably to get away from her son. Anyway she knows, and jumps down when I see her. At night there is plenty of evidence she has been on table and counters. I also keep old table cloth over my nice people table cloth for when we want to eat. Counters sanitized as others say.
BTW she has a tall kitty tree and lots of other places to go up high but basically the only space in my house that is safe are bedrooms with the doors closed and closets with baby locks.
 
#11 ·
I've given up too. I wipe the counters regardless before I prepare food and decided it wasn't worth the hassle. She knows she needs to sit on the barstool and not any closer when I cook. She's on the counters when I'm away or sleeping i am sure, but I can actually open a can of tuna in the kitchen and she will stay on the barstool, so I look at it as my victory!


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#12 ·
Well, I've had cats for about 30 years now, and I highly recommend the old standby, squirting water at them.

Buy a $1.25 plastic plant sprayer, the typical kind with the squirt trigger and the adjustable nozzle. Rinse it thoroughly and fill it with plain water, and adjust the nozzle for a water jet, not mist.

And this is required: take a felt-tip pen and write "Bad Cat" on the bottle, ha ha.

When the cat jumps onto a forbidden zone, firmly and loudly say "Down!" or "No!" and then let loose with the water. Nobody gets harmed, no pain, and you won't make a mess otherwise.

Remember to FIRST call out the "NO!" and then squirt a couple seconds after. It won't take many squirts before the cat will hear that No and realize that next comes the water, and will jump down.

And oh yeah... after getting squirted, your instinct will be to pet and soothe your cat. Do not do this despite your wish to be good. This will send conflicting messages. Remember, the cat's totally uninjured, just a bit damp. So let the cat alone for a while and let the cat sulk.
 
#15 ·
Well, I've had cats for about 30 years now, and I highly recommend the old standby, squirting water at them.
So, what happens after you leave? You don't think they clmb all over the counters once they know squirt gun guy is gone?

Seems to me that basically this is a placebo for the human. "The cats never go on the counters (when I can see them) so it's all good."
 
#13 ·
Squirt Bottles, Punishment, and Cat Behavior | Little Big Cat

The scenario plays out with cat guardians everywhere: the cat is always getting into something, like jumping onto counters, climbing up screen doors or drapes…and the list goes on. It seems like everyone these days is armed with a handy squirt bottle or squirt gun; sometimes, as I’ve seen in clients’ homes, in every room of the house. Somewhere along the line, this punishing tool has become as prevalent and acceptable as just saying a loud “NO!” In response, we’ve had many queries, both on line and in consultations, about the efficacy of this method.
I believe that the squirt bottle is NOT an effective way of changing a cat’s behavior. When I say this, often I’m met with quizzical or defensive looks. The guardian might say, “But, I’ve seen it work. I squirt, and Tigger jumps off the counter. Nowadays, he just has to see the bottle in my hands, and he runs away.” Yes, exactly my point. Tigger is responding, but is it for the right reasons? No.
What is the cat actually learning in this scenario? Is he learning that the counter is a bad place to be be? No. What Tigger is learning is that, first, the counter is a bad place to be when you are present and holding the squirt bottle, and second, he is learning to be afraid of you. The bottle appears to him as an extension of your arm, and it is you, not the bottle, that is getting him wet.

Does he get anxious and run when he sees the bottle sitting neutral on the end table? No. He only reacts when he sees you holding it and pointing it in his direction. In my opinion, this doesn’t make for a trusting relationship. In fact, it can cause more behavior problems, fears and phobias that you hadn’t considered. Depending on your cat’s background, this may be a bigger Pandora’s box than with other cats. Specifically, I believe the risk of developing secondary behavior problems is greater in rescued cats, since they may have been subject to unknown abuses, so that something as “mild” as the squirt gun can trigger response to latent trauma.
 
#24 ·
Well, proof of the pudding's in the eating. My cats do not fear me at all. They are very close to me and at night I've got a cat on either side of me, snuggling up close.

A few nights ago, our new adoptee cat Bobby was hassling my old timer cat, and he got squirted. It was once and from a distance (I'm a very good pistol shot and that transfers to the squirt bottle nicely) and he took off into the next room.

The next night he tried it again and I simply clapped my hands and said NO! and Bobby quit immediately.

And on each night, about 15 minutes after, he was on the bed and coszying up to me. So he wasn't afraid of me at all.
 
#16 ·
Well I definately found the answer to keeping Lucky off our table while we eat, off of the night stand and out of the venetian blinds at 4:30 a.m. - it is called Scaat which is a motion detector can of air. It has been a life saver after he sees the can you can move all over the house and he doesn't know if it is on or not, then my husband and I can just holler at him if he is into something and make the pssst sound of the can and he stops immediately. Definately money well spent and a great training tool! We now don't worry about fur in our food while we are eating and get a full night sleep!
 
#17 ·
I found a cheap and very effective solution with our cat Shadow, former stray. She started jumping up on the counters. . .she hates tin foil, so every night I simply covered the counters with big sheets of foil, letting them hang off the edges.
She stopped her counter hopping.
When I wanted to stop laying down the foil every night, I put the sheets down, but away from the edge so they were not visible from the floor -- that way, if Shadow did jump up, she would find the dreaded foil and jump back down -- and she would never know if the foil was there, or not. Kind of sneaky, but effective.
Hope this helps.
 
#18 ·
I tried this in the beginning, but once they figured out the foil wasn't actually going to attack them, it stopped working.
 
#19 ·
I too, have given up that battle.

My female cat never jumps on the counters, but my male cat does. Especially if I am getting their wet food ready or open a can of tuna.

No amount of "NO" or "DOWN" phases him. I resort to a squirt bottle. That gets the point across real quick (for the moment).

Tried tin foil, tape, he doesn't care.
 
#21 ·
After Cali broke two toes falling from the counter, I would personally be hesitant to use any "scare tactics" with cats, even though that wasn't how her accident happened.
 
#26 ·
Agree completely. It's a situational thing and if there's some danger, such as the cat being on a high shelf, then absolutely, anything that frightens the cat should be avoided.

For those times, grabbing the cat gently off the shelf and a firm "NO!" and put the cat down on the floor with zero violence, just a sharp voice. Maybe a clap of your hands. They don't like the loud sound and will learn to avoid trouble.
 
#22 · (Edited)
tin foil doesn't do anything! LOL

When the kittens were new to me, and life was frantic and I was desperate with trying to litter box train Belle AND get her to a healthy state, I thought I would put tin foil in the spots where Belle decided to poo.

It got to the point where I had the whole living room covered in tin foil with a small area in the middle for humans to walk. LOL About the only thing the tin foil did was make it super easy to clean up the poo! and the one and only time there was a wee, the foil contained it beautifully!
Other then that, it was useless.

I have to laugh to myself whenever I hear someone suggest tin foil as a deterrent.

When it comes to the table and counter top war with the kitties, the BEST I've ever managed was to get them to respect me enough not to jump on them while I was there. It seemed when I went to bed, there was always some kind of party on the counter tops! At least they didn't do it in front of me. Now that I'm way older and have other things to worry about, I just give the counter a wipe, do what I need to and let them have at it when I am done. <shrugs> It doesn't bother me anymore
 
#23 ·
I've given up too. Mashka walked all over the counters until I remodeled the kitchen. By then she was older, and counters were a little higher. With my current kittens, they weren't interested until a few weeks ago when first Hansel and then Gretel discovered they can jump there. They are even more persistent than Mashka ever was and jump every time I am there. One of them managed to open on of the cabinets though I suspect it was a little ajar.

I have no real issue with it, but I do have a concern about what would happen if they jump when the range is on. They have no qualms with walking across it. When I cook it's not as much an issue as I am quick enough to get them down when I cook. But I have an 83-year old father, and I am really worried about his handling it when I am away.

So the main question for me is how to keep them away from the range when it's on.
 
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