How can I stop my cats jumping on the worktops?!?

Re: How can I stop my cats jumping on the worktops?!?

loopylou711 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:47:05 GMT

No advice am afraid! My cat Niamh has a thing for the cooker! She loves to sleep on it! And Luka likes the bin and will raid it and eat what he can find!

I have found the best solution is that the kitchen is mummys room which they are only allowed in if I am there, they seem to behave when am around and do not to jump on the units. I hate spray water bottles as I find it isn't effective and does nothing! Keep the kitchen shut is my only advice really!

Re: How can I stop my cats jumping on the worktops?!?

Louise B — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:14:36 GMT

Hi, I am with your other half on this one as cats on work surfaces make me feel ill and I moved out of one set of lodgings because I got so upset that the cats were always trying to get on the kitchen table/worksurface when I was preparing or eating food!

I would keep them out of the kitchen completely so that it can never happen if this is possible. My reasoning for this is as follows: the problem with spray bottles, etc is the cat can elarn to associate you with being sprayed and simply learn not to jump up onto the work surface in your company/or jump off very quickly if they hear you coming. You need to make jumping up onto the worksurface all the time and irrespective of humans being present or not aversive. Putting a sheet of tin foil (?flimsy bubble wrap) across all the worksurfaces and keeping it insitu for a lengthy period of time so that you cat has several negative experiences can work as you need every experience to be aversive if learning is to be most effective. You can also (or you used to be able to) buy 'scare-cat mats' that you placed across horizontal surfaces that sound an aversive-sounding buzzer when they jump up and land on the mat. The problem with all such techniques is they all work by being aversive. In most cats it won't be a problem - they'll pick themselves up, dust themselves down and carry on with life and just accept that doing X is not pleasant but, with all aversive techniques, they could be totally disasterous if you have a cat that is already finding its environment stressful or is predisposed to being anxious (i.e. has a nervous disposition, etc) or if your cat happens to spook so badly that, in jumping/slipping down it injures itself/knocks into pans, etc creating even more stress, etc.... and potentially more problems for you!

One compromise would be to keep the cat out when you are not in the house and, when you are, try to set up the situation such that you could fire a water pistol, etc in such a way that your cat doesn't realise that it has come from you but, again, the same potential risks apply.

I am sure you don't do this but just incase you do, if you feed/water the cats on work surface or let them drink from the sink then stop that immediately as that's giving the cats mixed signals and there is few things more powerful in supporting a behaviour then their main food allowance (its amazing how many people don't do that and then moan when they get up at other times - e.g. during food prep - I hold my hands up as I have been guilty of this too).

Therefore, all in all, I would just avoid the situation by preventing the cat access unless you are in a position to prevent jumping up which will keep your other half happy and avoids stressing out your cats. You could always compromise by letting them in the kitchen when you guys are in the room, identify why your cats are jumping on the work surface under those circumstances (the motivation) and then provide the focus for that motivation as a reward for staying on the floor (e.g. food on floor, make a fuss of your cat when on the floor, put dogs/children out of the room if jumping up to avoid them, etc. This is not teaching them not to jump up but it is reducing their motivation to jump up as they can achieve what they want by not doing so.

Guess it depends on your circumstances. You could always PM Jenny T as she'll have lots of more ideas, etc I am sure.

Re: How can I stop my cats jumping on the worktops?!?

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:23:51 GMT

If he's made a game out of it, it's possible he's trying to tell you something. Watch what he does before he gets up there, see if he's trying to communicate with you. It could be something as simple as play time, or I'm hungry, or let me out. just watch the signs leading up to the counter jump, sometimes you can spot it before it happens and just prevent the behaviour in prediction. incorporate some more play time or distract him with a toy. Just be careful how you go about it, you don't want to encourage the bad behaviour, so like for instance if he thinks that he's gonna get a treat or play time when he goes for the counter then obviously he's going to go for the counter! but usually they do other things to 'tell' you that they want something. So just try to be observant. It could be something as simple as rubbing on your leg or starring at you, or playing by themselves near you and then stopping to wait for you to join them. Catch it then and play for a little while wear him out. :) The counter jumping maybe the last thing he will do because they know it will get your attention.

Re: How can I stop my cats jumping on the worktops?!?

Jo Mackenzie — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:03:22 GMT

Aaah Steph don't tell me that! Was counting on you to have some trick up your sleeve! I do keep stuff off the worktops and try to keep them out of the kitchen when I can, but then they scratch at the door which is worse! The older cat isn't too bad but the kitten's just got big enough to be able to get up and he thinks its a great game!!!

Re: How can I stop my cats jumping on the worktops?!?

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:32:34 GMT

the best way to keep cats off your worktops is to not have anything on them that they want! other than that, honestly there is no way to stop them from going there once they start. once they go up there and get a 'reward' of food or tidbit or just your attention, i'm afraid you're done for life. Just get some antibac cleaner and put it by the sink. keep things that will tempt them off the counters and it will be less inviting. you can try every trick in the book, but at the end of the day if they get that one instance that you aren't there to spray them, or tell them off, they will be up there like a shot. not a damn thing you can do about it once it starts.

Re: How can I stop my cats jumping on the worktops?!?

Glucia — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:59:09 GMT

with my cat i found spraying her with a bit of water workerd.

i purchased a empty plastic spray bottle n every time she jumped up i sprayed her little.

she soon learned jumping up = water.

and has never done it since.

hope thats a help to you!