[PeanutsMom]

Hi all.
Hubby and I are in disagreement about how to handle Peanut's love of the countertops/stovetop area when we're cooking.

I was using 2 burners and prepping food on the counters last night, and she kept jumping up,t rying to eat the food, etc.

I asked hubby who was not cooking to play w/her while I cooked so she wouldn't come in. he thought we should put her in the bedroom behind closed doors.

But all she'll do in there is whine and meow (and basically break my heart). I don't want her to associate the bedroom w/punishment or be scared every time we go to pick her up that she's going to be put in solitary confinement.

BUT...we cannot have her climbing on the counters during and especially AFTER food is being cooked. I don't want her to get burned, etc.

I should give hubby the opportunity to tell his side of this matter but I think I've presented it somewhat objectively.

So what do we do? Go out to eat every night until she's and adult?? :lol:

 

[Padunk]

I think the best plan of action would be to squirt her with water everytime she goes on the counters. Don't allow her up there when you're not cooking either; that way she won't be confused.

She'll be safe from burns and/or mischief and she won't have to be kept in solitary confinement. :wink:

 

[PeanutsMom]

oh yes I forgot to mention she LOVES water, we have tried squirting her and she enjoys it. One time she was in the sink and got her head wet (which I hear they are really supposed to hate) and she didn't even blink! Thanks for the advice tho it is much appreciated.

 

[Padunk]

Well that's quite the predicament :lol:

I would find a way to teach her that the counters are off limits.

 

[Littlebigcatdaddy]

OK-

I think you're right. your husband needs to do some distracting during meal prep. Gotta teach the cat the counters are bad, but, again, you're right on. Don't want to make the association that the simple activity of dinner, the time when the social group is most active (and of course she wants to be involved) into a negative, i.e., getting locked away and not knowing why.

Loud sounds, clapping, etc., might work, but redirecting her playfulness during mealtime is the best bet. Afterwards, there are some great tools that have come on the market. They are all remote tools which will work 24/7, make a negative association with the counter, but not with you (like a squirt bottle would). SSScat is a compressed citronella cannister which has a sort of 'electric' eye (it's battery operated). 1st it emits a sound, then if that doesn't make her move, a puff of citronella.
[/url]http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=10802&Ne=40000&R=899&N=2002+2017 Scraminal and Tattle Tail alarms, (also available at http://www.drsfostersmith.com/) sense her coming near the area and let off high pitched sounds. I like these tools b/c they can train without physically harming like the ScatMat, etc. Hope that helps! :lol:

 

[PeanutsMom]

Those two things sound like just what we were looking for! Thanks very much, we're going to order one (or both!) this weekend.

 

[kitkat]

My cat Twinkie doesn't go on counters so I don't have to worry about him. Sugar loves going on the counters but knows its wrong so she jumps off right when she sees me which is good. You have to teach your cat it's not ok to be on the counters. Put your cat down when they go up, feed them a treat when they stay down there and rub your legs....also maybe you can feed your cat while you are preparing dinner....obviously wet food comes in really handy at this time since my cats just stare at the dry food all the time. Just keep putting them down and say "No" when they stay give a treat...keep doing it and they will start to learn. Good Luck! :wink:

 

[petspy]

Question regarding: Scraminal and Tattle Tail alarms

I assume these are "break the beam" alarms
not just general area motion/heat detectors?

anyway, what I'm trying to do is keep the cats from
crossing a 3' doorway even when the door is open,
but obviously I don't want the alarm sounding when
I the human cross the doorway. so my idea was to
mount a Scraminal a few inches off the ground on
one side pointed to the far side of the doorway. So
I the human, will know to step over the beam area,
while my cats won't figure this out, and after a few
good scares, will know not to follow me past this door.

am I right in assuming such a product will help me?

 

[Fran]

PeanutsMom:

You're getting some good advice - feeding Peanut to distract her, etc. and the products to discourage her while you are not there. We also used the double-sided tape, which seemed to work well (the stuff they sell for furniture and other surfaces). It was a pain to remove afterwards since the glue came off after a few days, but it did keep Gracie away from the food prep counters.

Another idea would be to also give her a spot that she is allowed on in the kitchen, if that is possible. We have one counter across the kitchen which is a bit higher than the rest, like a breakfast counter, and we have left a folding step stool in front of it. Gracie jumps up to the high counter and watches from across the kitchen, and it seems to satisfy her curiosity about the cooking prep, since she can see all of it. (There's also two small fish tanks there :wink: ...)

Fran

P.S. Petspy, I haven't tried the alarm so I can't help you, but I am sure someone with some experience will chime in...

 

[TimandJen]

Double sided tape. Cats HATE anything that sticks to there feet. Eventually she will figure it out!!!

 

[marie73]

Hmmmm. This thread is 4 years old. Hopefully Peanut's Mom has solved her problem.

 

[Heidi n Q]

...double-sided tape
It was a pain to remove afterwards since the glue came off after a few day...

Helpful Hint:
Stick the double-sided sticky-tape (dsst) to a piece of cardboard or poster-board and use small amounts of tape at the corners to stick it to the surface. When the dsst isn't needed and you need to use the surface, it is easy to remove and easy to replace when you are done and want to protect the surface.

Our cats mostly stay off the counters (mostly, which means they still occasionally get up there) and I protect them from burns from the hot stove by keeping the pot/pan ON the burner until they (pot/pan and burner) have cooled sufficiently to remove.

 

[petspy]

I'm sorry, I revived this old thread.

I really just wanted to know more
about how motion detectors work.

I guess people don't pay much
attention to the posting dates.

 

[marie73]

It happens all the time, especially when people are doing searches.

Sorry - I thought it was funny. I've given up on trying to keep my cats off the counters. I just have two teeny counters on either side of my sink - they sit on one side while I work on the other one. Cali has actually had some good advice while I'm preparing food.

 

[LilRed]

I'm sorry, I revived this old thread.

I really just wanted to know more
about how motion detectors work.

I guess people don't pay much
attention to the posting dates.

I'm glad you did as I hadn't seen it and hadn't heard about the Tattle Tail or those other tools. This posts been around here longer than I! All my cats know they are not allowed on the countertops, just from me telling them no & making loud noises when they get on them. So, they wait til no ones home to get up there!!!

 

[PeanutsMom]

:lol: Well I was still watching this thread so I got notification that it had been given a new lease on life. I don't even remember posting this! Peanut is now 5, we have moved 1500 miles away and we don't really have this problem anymore.

She has calmed down a bit. But I don't know how she'll be if we have a baby....perhaps I should post now so when we are ready in a few years there will be replies! lol

Thanks everyone for your thoughts!

 

[doodlebug]

Hey! Stick around!!!!

(I'm amazed that you still have the same email address!)