Find Her A Scratching Post And Toys
Your cat may be bored, which is why shes perusing your countertops. Get your feline friend a scratching post as well as toys she can play with throughout the day. You can get her catnip toys to drive her wild and ensure she gets enough of her energy out.
Your cat will certainly love the Tower of Tracks Cat Toy, which has three levels of tracks and bright moving balls to capture her attention. She will love tapping into her natural instincts and swatting at the balls all day long.
Give Them Plenty Of Exercise Away From The Counter
You will need:
Cats are naturally curious and like exploring, as well as finding yet new spots to relax and survey their territory. Cat trees provide your cats with exactly the right combination of opportunities for jumping and climbing and resting spots, so it’s well worth investing in one. Bored and understimulated cats are more likely to act out to get attention, so incorporating plenty of playtime with them into your daily routine will also help.
Doron Wolffberg, Founder of All About Cats , comments: ‘If your cat loves to explore and counters are often one of their preferred areas to roam about on, then its worth investing or building a climbing tree or tower to keep them occupied. The different textures and levels of a cat tower will be more inviting than your kitchen worktop or other similar areas.’
The Most Important Thing About Convincing A Cat
What Ive learned is first, do no harm, because with a cat the most important thing is trust. If your cat sees you as a punisher, his trust in you erodes quickly, which means any behavior you might think youve corrected can surface as another issue in a different costume.
Cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy wrote that if a cat loses trust in youeven from you repeatedly pointing a squirt bottle at themit can cause more behavior problems, fears and phobias that you hadnt considered. Depending on your cats background, this may be a bigger Pandoras box than with other cats.
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Mutually Acceptable Ways That Your Kitty Can Keep You Company When Youre In The Kitchen
OK, youve got cat trees and other elevated platforms throughout the house, and they all have perfect views for cats and your cat uses them. But being sociable and curious, she wants to be with you when youre in the kitchen. For these occasions, provide your kitty with spots other than the counter in which she feels close to you.
- Designate a sturdy footstool or chair in the kitchen for your kitty. That way, shes right there but not sampling the dinner youre preparing.
- Depending on the layout of your home, you may be able to position a cat tree or favorite feline sitting spot outside the kitchen but close by, where you and your kitty can maintain eye contact.
- If you play with your cat and feed her just prior to preparing meals, she may settle in for a nap while youre busy in the kitchen. If she has a comfy snoozing area not far from the kitchen, your chance of success with this positive redirection increases.
Training Your Cat Not To Use The Counter Tops
If youve tried all of the above and your cat is still jumping up on the counter, its time to try some behavioral training. There are classes available that can help teach your cat not to jump up on counters, but they can be expensive and may not be available in your area.
Another option is to consult with a veterinarian or animal behaviorist. They may be able to help you figure out whats causing your cat to engage in this undesired behavior and provide a solution.
Its essential to keep in mind that behavioral training may take time and patience, but it can be successful in the end.
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Why Do Cats Jump On Counters
Jumping is a natural impulse for cats. It isnt a behavior that they can stop entirely. In nature, cats use their impressive jumping abilities to climb trees and other high platforms to chase prey and run from potential danger.
You can consider this behavior inevitably embedded into their DNA. It isnt something that can be trained out of them, but you can redirect them to more favorable high points in the home.
Tips For Training Your Cat To Stay Off The Kitchen Counter
The basic approach to use when you are training your cat for anything is to make that which you want her to do as attractive as possible and that which you don’t want her to do as unattractive as possible. Simply trying to keep your cat off the counters isn’t as likely to work as keeping her off the counter AND giving her a better alternative.
First, you’ll need to think about ways to satisfy your cat’s desire to be high up, see what’s going on outside, and spend time hanging out with you while you’re working in the kitchen. It’s likely that there is quite a lot of “high up” space in your home that you aren’t utilizing because, well, you mostly stay on the ground. Here are some ideas for using that space to satisfy your cat’s desire for height:
Giving your cat these special, tall hangouts where she can see outside will almost certainly make her happy. However, if she ignores your new kitty spots, try to make them even more appealing. Sprinkle them with catnip or spray them with honeysuckle. Place your cat’s favorite toys on them, or position a bird feeder outside of the window in front of one.
Note: if your cat suddenly begins jumping on countertops in search of food and ravenously attacks any that she finds, she may have a medical problem. Consult with your veterinarian immediately.
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Invest In A Water Fountain
Some cats jump up on the kitchen or bathroom counter to drink out of the faucet, as they like the taste of fresh, running water. If this is your cats motive, give them their own water fountain. These cat-friendly foundations operate just like decorative fountains, using a small pump to circulate water for thirsty cats. Most fountains have filters to help remove impurities if your persnickety cat prefers cool water, add a few ice cubes into the reservoir each day.
Try Aluminum Foil Or Sticky Tape
Cats dont like how aluminum foil feels on their feet or the sound of lightly crumpled foil. You can line your counters with aluminum foil and, hopefully, your cat that this surface is off-limits.
Another DIY idea is to put double-sided tape on the edge of the counter. Your cat wont like how the sticky tape feels on her paws.
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How To Keep Cats Off Your Kitchen Counters
Mychelle is a writer and web designer who is passionate about a wide variety of topics and enjoys sharing her knowledge with readers.
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Anyone who has a cat in their home is familiar with the feline desire to get on your kitchen countertops. If you’re wondering how to keep cats off counters, there are several options to keep your counters cat-free.
Get Some Essential Oils
Essential oils can be toxic to cats if you spray your cat with them or your cat ingests them. However, you can create a DIY solution with cat-friendly essential oils like citronella and eucalyptus to ensure your cat stays off the counters.
Youll need to dilute them and make sure your cat cant lick or otherwise get into the oils. Never use peppermint oil, which is very dangerous to cats. Ask your vet how to properly use essential oils before trying this option.
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How To Keep Your Cat Off The Kitchen Counter
It’s one of those things about having cats in your home that isn’t necessarily ideal: she jumps on your kitchen counters. This can be a problem because you don’t want food or wayward litter or litter box contents to end up in your food. You also want to protect your cat from dangerous items such as knives, foods that are toxic , and hot items that may often take up residence on or near kitchen counters.
Apply Sticky Tape Onto Your Counter
The sticky tape method is often used to keep cats off or out of unwanted areas.
Simply apply a line of sticky tape on the edges of your counter and wait until they jump on the surface. Once their paws touch the tape you’ve placed on the edge of the counter, they’ll quickly learn that the countertop is a no-no zone.
Cats find the sensation of sticky things quite unpleasant, so there’s a high chance that they’ll stop jumping on the surface after two or three tries.
The only disadvantage is that you’ll likely have to frequently reapply the tape when it loses its stickiness. Cats may also outsmart you and avoid the sticky surfaces by jumping right above them!
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Invest In A Kitty Condo
If youve cleaned up your counters but still find your cat frequently paying this space a visit, theres something else to consider.
Perhaps your cat is using this jumping and climbing activity as a means to exercise. Cats are very active and agile creatures that enjoy exploring and letting their curiosity run free.
This is definitely not behavior that you would want to discourage. After all, your cat is just being itself, and who doesnt love watching their pet live a happy and healthy life.
It just has to be away from your kitchen counters, though.
The best way to do this is by getting its attention to something else. You should consider investing in a kitty condo, or at least a cat tree.
Cat condos are built to offer your feline buddy plenty of stimulation. They come with vertical spaces, scratching posts, and soft curved seating for your cat to rest on.
These condos often have warm, snuggly spots too for your cat to squeeze into and have an absolute blast!
It will instantly get busy climbing and exploring the condo and forget all about the boring, old counters.
Remember to pair this with lots of pets, treats, and other forms of positive reinforcement. This will help your cat associate the condo with all of its favorite things in life!
What Colors Are Cats Afraid Of
According to some research, cats are afraid of different colors. Some people believe that this is because these colorstrigger memories of when the cat was attacked or when the cat saw that person in a dangerous situation. Other people believe that it is because these colors make cats feel threatened or uncomfortable.
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Why Do Cats Like To Jump On The Counter
Cats are natural climbers. In the great outdoors, cats climb trees to evade predators, move safely through their environment, and hunt their prey. Even domestic cats have a tendency to climb, especially if you have small children or live in a multi-pet household. Children want to play with and snuggle the family cat, and constant stimulation can overwhelm your fur baby. An easy fix? Jumping onto the nearest high surface a small child cant reach the countertop.
If you have a dog, your cat may try to escape him by jumping out of reach. Cats feel secure when theyre perched up high in a location with a good view of their surroundings. You may think your fur baby is being naughty, but in her mind, shes simply retreating to a place of safety.
What Are Some Tips To Keep Cats Off Countertops
To keep cats off countertops, McCarthy recommends providing appropriate high perches that they are allowed to explore like a tall cat tree, a window ledge, or other homemade cat perches attached high up on the wall. Providing cats with these areas are great environmental enrichment for indoor cats, she says. You can entice cats to climb the appropriate perches and make them more appealing than the countertops. You can use positive reinforcement with treats and catnip on the appropriate perches, while making the counters less appealing.
She also suggests using tinfoil, parchment paper, or double-sided tape on the counter, explaining, Cats tend to dislike the feeling of these materials under their paws and will hopefully learn to avoid this area. If these materials on the counter are not working, you may have to resort to using a spray bottle with water to discourage the cat from jumping up on the counters.
Whatever you do, dont resort to pushing your cat off the counter. Again, despite the folklore, cats dont always land on their feet! The last thing you want to do is hurt your family feline.
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How To Keep Your Cat Off The Kitchen Counters
The Spruce / Charlotte Engelsen
A cat that likes to jump on the kitchen counter creates a variety of problems and hazards. Although some people think cats should be allowed to sit on counters, this is a bad cat habit that should be prevented . A cat who thinks the counter is an acceptable place to be might walk onto the stove, eat left-out foods that will poison them, or ingest residue from countertop cleaning products. For humans, there’s a health risk, as cats can track poop onto the counter if they walk on it after using the litter box, spreading bacteria across the area where people prepare food. It’s best to keep your cat off the countertops. Using deterrents and rewards, you can keep your cat off the counter.
Be Consistent With Saying No
You will need:
- Plenty of patience
Contrary to what you may have read online, cats do respond to negative enforcement. They are very attuned to their humans’ tone of voice and body language and know when they are being told off. So, saying ‘no’ firmly whenever they jump up on your counter does work, but only if you do it consistently. They say that all it takes is forgetting to say ‘no’ one time out of ten for the cat to decide that the unwanted behavior is, in fact, acceptable. Firm and consistent discouragement of behavior does not amount to punishment and your cat will learn, but you will need to give it a good few weeks to see results.
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Don’t Reward Them For Jumping Off Counter
Counter surfing could also be a cry for attention from your cat and the countertop positions them closer to you. In many cases, we reinforce that behavior by giving attention to the cat at that moment.
However, when a cat is displaying attention-getting behavior, owners should just pick the cat up without petting, kissing, making eye contact or talking and gently place them back down on the floor, Johnson-Bennett told Newsweek.
The ABC says: “Don’t forget that negative attention can often be positive to a cat who doesn’t get enough attention overall. If your cat only receives attention when she climbs up on a counterâby you yelling at her or picking her up and placing her on the floorâ it’s still attention in the mind of an animal who is constantly ignored.”
How Can You Train A Cat To Stop Jumping On The Counter
Dr. Simpson says that its easier to train a behavior from the start rather than trying to modify it later, but that doesnt mean its impossible. Youll need a little patience and a few handy tools along the way. If your hungry kitty is licking the counter for scraps after youve cleaned up and stored food away, then invest in a food puzzle, or make a DIY onethey are an active and fun way to engage a cats love of the hunt.
For the more curious cats, there are a few ways to change their feelings toward the countertop. You can give the cats the high vantage points they desire in other parts of the house.
“Some people go all out and build walking ledges around the room or install shelves for their cats to explore uncharted territory, but you can more easily provide vertical living space for your cat with a cat tree,” says Dr. Simpson. “When placed near a window, a cat tree is even more entertaining for your cat.”
If the kitty condos and cat trees dont work for your feline friend, you may need to make your kitchen counter an unpleasant or unattractive place for him or her to be. Try covering the area with double-sided tape or aluminum foil to make it texturally undesirable. There are some commercially available products that deliver static charges or loud tones when the cat jumps onto the area you’re trying to protect.
Some products also deliver a burst of unscented aerosol spray when motion is detected in the area.
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Why Do Cats Like To Jump On Counters
There are a few reasons why cats like to jump onto counters. They include:
- Cats like high places. Even a moderately high-up surface such as a counter gives cats some feeling of safety and lets them survey their territory.
- Cats like to look out windows.Many times, counter-tops provide cats with access to windows.
- Cats are curious.Whats on the counter?Whats up there? “What are you doing?”