Is your kitchen counter off limits to your cat but he hasn’t gotten the message yet? It can be frustrating keeping cats off counters, here are
some suggestions to make the counter less attractive:
- Your cat may be on the counter because he’s looking for a higher vantage point. Be sure your cat has appropriate climbing surfaces available, such as a cat condo to satisfy the urge to climb.
- Make the counter surface less attractive by covering them it items that don’t feel good on cat’s paws; aluminum foil is one item cats usually don’t care for, they don’t like the sound of the foil and it doesn’t feel good on their paws. Another idea is covering pieces of cardboard with two sided tape, then placing them at random spots on the counter. Cats are not fond of the tape sticking to their paws.
- Place empty cans or bottles on the counter where your cat would knock them over. The sound will startle him and hopefully deter his climbing up there again.
- If you catch your cat on the counter, try spraying him with a quick squirt of water. A friend of mine did a variation of this, she and her husband purchased a bottle of compressed air and set it to spray a puff of air when one of the cats jumped up on the counter. Either a quick squirt of water or air will startle your cat and he’ll think twice before jumping on the counter.
- Cats don’t care for citrus scents, so place a citrus scented candle or air freshener on the counter as a deterrent.
Written by Karen
