Save 15% on your 1st Autoship learn more
Email us
Live Chat
FAQs
One of the most challenging things about adding a new cat to the family is keeping her from jumping up on counters and tabletops. This is an annoying habit that isn't safe for you or the kitty, but with patience and persistence, you can discourage this behavior. Here are some tips to prevent your cat from jumping on the counter.
1. Keep the Counter Clean
Cats may be drawn to counters because of the alluring smells of food that emanate from them. This can be dangerous to cats because they may ingest something toxic to them or accidentally come in contact with a hot cooking surface. It is also dangerous to humans because cats may track bacteria from the litter box onto the food preparation surface.
Your cat may not be attracted to the counter if no food is on it. Put away food after every meal. Don't store food on counters unless it is in a tightly sealed container, and even then, think about storing it somewhere else. Clean up crumbs after every meal. Don't let unwashed dishes sit in the sink.
Instead of feeding your cat one big meal per day, consider giving him several smaller ones. If he has his own food available, he may not be as interested in jumping up on the counter to forage. An automatic pet feeder serves your cat's meals at exactly the right time, even if you are otherwise occupied.
2. Distract Your Cat
Cats are curious creatures. If they see you at the counter cooking dinner, they may wonder what you are doing and jump up to get a better look. If you give your kitty something more interesting to do while you are cooking, she may get distracted and forget about jumping up on the counter.
One way to distract your kitty is with food. If he eats his meals at the same time you do, he may be too busy to take interest in your food prep. A slow feeder can help to extend his dinner time until you are finished eating.
Another way to distract your cat from jumping on the counter is with a special toy that she can only play with while you are cooking. An interactive toy that dispenses food or treats combines both techniques in one.
3. Provide Alternative Perches
A cat that jumps up on counters doesn't mean to be willful or naughty. He is just following his instincts. In the wild, birds are one of the staples of a cat's diet, and nature has given them the drive to jump up in trees to find their prey. Cats also instinctively jump up in trees, or whatever high perch may be available when they feel threatened by something. In the wild, large predators may not be able to follow them up trees, and housecats act instinctually to seek a high perch to escape from things in the home that may seem threatening, such as a large dog or a vacuum cleaner.
You can't change a cat's instincts, but you can give her an acceptable outlet for them. A cat tree is a tall scratching post that provides perches for your cat to sit and survey the world. In the interest of distracting your cat from the counters, you can place the cat tree next to the window so she can keep an eye on what's going on outside.
If your kitty seems to be jumping up on the counters out of fear or anxiety, he might prefer a cat condo. This is similar to a cat tree but provides more covered areas for your cat to hide in from perceived threats.
4. Use Smell To Direct Your Cat's Behavior
Cats are creatures of habit, so even if you provide your kitty with a new cat tree, she may still prefer to jump up on the counters because that is what she is used to. A new cat condo may have strange smells that are unappealing. You can make the new furniture more appealing to your cat by rubbing it with catnip or spraying it with Feliway, a synthetic cat pheromone that communicates messages of happiness and calm.
5. Use Deterrents
In addition to providing alternative perches for your cat and trying to make them more appealing, you can also take steps may making your counter seem less appealing. By keeping your counter clean, you have already taken a step in this direction, but you can also use deterrents to make your counters a less pleasant place to be.
For example, you could put sticky strips along the edge of the countertops. This doesn't hurt cats, but they don't like the sensation under their feet. You could also place cookie sheets on the counters so that when your cat jumps up, they make a loud noise. Some cats don't like the sound and feel of aluminum foil under their feet.
Not all deterrents work equally well for all cats. You may have to experiment to find out what your kitty finds unpleasant.
6. Look for Opportunities To Provide Positive Reinforcement
Rewarding cats for good behavior is much more effective than punishing them. Unfortunately, most people don't notice when their cat is behaving appropriately and only punish the unwanted behavior of jumping up on the counters. Look for opportunities to reinforce the behavior you want. For example, praise and reward her with treats when she uses the cat tree.
Above all, be consistent. Sending mixed messages can confuse your cat, making it difficult for him to determine which behaviors are acceptable and which are not.
