My cat won’t stop getting on the counters. We have a spray bottle filled with water and we spray him with it when he gets up on the counters. The thing is I actually think he likes the water! Any advice from a fellow cat owner?
Cat getting up on the counters
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I gave up on this fight years ago. I make my counters as boring as possible, not leaving anything on them that can be pushed off and broken. I tried the spray bottle with my worst offender, little Cali, but she would just squeeze her eyes shut, wait for the spray, then carry on. It made life so much easier to just let them investigate and then wash the counters before preparing food. They don't mean to be brats, they just love high places.
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We’re having issues with the dining table!
We have two little stinkers 💕 - after repeatedly telling them “No table!” and removing them (gently), while we are eating, they are a teeny tiny bit more cooperative. We still have to sit uncomfortably jammed up close against the table edge, or they creep up into our laps and poke their heads up.
But - ever the literalists - we recently found Shelby smugly sitting in the napkin basket, and later Mickey camped on the newspaper! Technically not breaking the rules! 🙄
Fran
We have two little stinkers 💕 - after repeatedly telling them “No table!” and removing them (gently), while we are eating, they are a teeny tiny bit more cooperative. We still have to sit uncomfortably jammed up close against the table edge, or they creep up into our laps and poke their heads up.
But - ever the literalists - we recently found Shelby smugly sitting in the napkin basket, and later Mickey camped on the newspaper! Technically not breaking the rules! 🙄
Fran
If you are the only enforcer of trespass, the cat will simply wait until you're gone. Put sticky paper or aluminum foil on your counters and never leave food out. The foot pads of a cat are very sensitive and they don't like walking on sticky surfaces or aluminum foil.
There is a motion sensor system that sprays a hissing stream of air that will scare away a cat. It has the added benefit of of not being you and always present.
There is a motion sensor system that sprays a hissing stream of air that will scare away a cat. It has the added benefit of of not being you and always present.
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My little Cali fell off the counter, bringing the dish drain and dishes with it. She broke two toes when a saucer landed on her front paw foot. When we got back from the ER, I walked into the kitchen and found her hanging onto the edge of the counter with her one good paw in front. Brat!!!!
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I watch this cat guru he has a show My Cat from **** his name is Jackson Galaxy, anyways, he said if you don't want your cat to do something, give him something else to do. Don't just say "No don't do this" give him a "do this instead" For example if u don't want him on the counter don't just say no getting on the counter, show him something he is allowed to get onto maybe get a cat tree or more cat trees or little wall shelves by the counter and/or put the cat trees close to the counter so he knows his boundary that he can get on the tree and still watch what's going on but he won't be on the counter. Also I think he mentioned about putting double sided tape on the counter, that cats will feel the weird stickiness on their feet and will think " woah weird, I don't like how that feels" and the cat will eventually avoid jumping up there. My cat also jumps on the counter especially if there is food out been meaning to try thie double sided tape method myself Good luck!
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At the time Cali broke her toes, she had 5 cat trees, tons of toys and her sister to chase and play with. I simply decided it wasn't a battle I wanted to have, especially with four cats, three of which were counter surfers. It was such a relief to just let it go. But that's just me, everyone has to pick their battles.
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Put a little lemon juice with water in the spray bottle. It is bitter and they like the spray even less when they lick the water off and it's bitter.
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He is great
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You can put double sided wide tape on the counter. They will get stuck on it and not like it and won’t do it again. Another thing you can do is tape balloons on the counter. They willppop when touched and scare them so they won’t go back however hopefully you didn’t declaw them
Another thing i have been doing for my cat notto go places I don’t want them, is i bought Emergency blankets. They are silver colored mylar, 85” by 56”. Very thin and lightand come in tiny packages. Amazon sells packets of8 for around $8. I cover my furniture with them, my bed as i am allergic to the cats and one likes lying on my pillow, and on part of the ledge around my large tube which one cat thinks is a litter box. She will not go near the blanket. It makes noise when touched. No more fur on my fabric couches . The weigh nothing and fold up in seconds when i want to use the furniture.
I just started drapione over the gate to my lower level where my cats liked going but also liked using it for a litter box even when i had a litter box there. For some reason one cat doesn’t like the litter box and my only other option is to get rid of her but who would want a cat that isn’t litter box trained.
Another thing i have been doing for my cat notto go places I don’t want them, is i bought Emergency blankets. They are silver colored mylar, 85” by 56”. Very thin and lightand come in tiny packages. Amazon sells packets of8 for around $8. I cover my furniture with them, my bed as i am allergic to the cats and one likes lying on my pillow, and on part of the ledge around my large tube which one cat thinks is a litter box. She will not go near the blanket. It makes noise when touched. No more fur on my fabric couches . The weigh nothing and fold up in seconds when i want to use the furniture.
I just started drapione over the gate to my lower level where my cats liked going but also liked using it for a litter box even when i had a litter box there. For some reason one cat doesn’t like the litter box and my only other option is to get rid of her but who would want a cat that isn’t litter box trained.
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Devon Rex cats have "food hounds" in their breed description. My oldest cat Zuba is no longer a counter surfer, a few months ago when he reached his 16th birthday he tried to jump up and failed, tried again and failed, and since then he no longer tries to jump on the kitchen counter.. My other cat Fitty who's a lot younger is an enthusiastic counter surfer and food thief....Last week I even caught him dipping his paw in my coffee---never did that before--- because he could smell the cream in it! and if I turn my back or go to the fridge and there's food on the counter he'll jump up, grab and run away with it. I have used that automatic sprayer called Ssscat! and it works, but I have run out of it. What I do now is put Fitty in the cat carrier I have in the kitchen. After a while he started resisting to go in it. I didn't want to force him, as he would do it if I had an emergency or wanted to take him in the car, so I feed him his meal in the carrier now and he goes right into it. Have to try to keep one step ahead of these guys! 
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