In this article you are going to learn how to keep Cats off counters naturally
You will learn why they do this and how you can stop this behavior and continue to have a awesome relationship with your Cat
If this is something that you are interested in then you’re in the right place
Sound good? Let’s dive right in…
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As a proud Cat parent myself
I completely understand that annoying habit of your Cat jumping on the Kitchen counter
Grabbing this stuff
Tipping this glass of water over
Trying to eat that piece of meat
They don’t give you peace at all
And this can be frustrating
Especially when you’re trying to cook
Will our Cats ever let us do something in the kitchen in peace!
The answer is yes
The best part?
You can get your Cat to stop jumping on the Kitchen counter
I’m sure you don’t want to ruin that relationship with your Cat by shouting at him
Shouting at your Cat will not get you anywhere
So that is a big NO
You see Cats are naturally inclined to jump and climb
It’s in their nature
And this leads to jumping on Kitchen counter tops
This is not very convenient
Especially when food is being prepared
So before we get into how we can stop our Cats from jumping on the counter
Let’s understand why our Cats love to climb
Why Do Cats Like To Climb
Like I mentioned before
It’s normal for your Cat to jump and climb high
They do this because they want to explore the enviroment
Cats climb for a number of reasons
- They like to climb and jump on high vantage points to get a good view of their territory (Your house is your Cats territory)
- They leap onto high places to get away from another Cat or something that is scaring them
- The top of the refrigerator and table tops keeps your Cat often provides your Cat warm and sunny places where they can take a snooze
- Cats love to look for anything that is left behind which makes them want to check out what’s on the Kitchen counter
These are some of the reasons why your Cat jumps on to the kitchen top.
How To Keep Cats Off Counters Naturally
Never reward your Cat when they jump on the counter top
For example
If you feed your Cat on the counter
Then your Cat will jump on your Kitchen counter because
That’s where food is
It only takes once
And they’ll figure out that
“Hey, there’s good stuff up here so I better check it out just in case I miss something good”
Whenever you feed your Cat
You want to feed them on the floor
Make sure there is no food on the Kitchen counter which may attract your Cat
If you leave food lying around on your Kitchen counter tops and your Cat has the habit of jumping on the counters
Then every time your Cat jumps on the counter and gets something delicious to eat,
This will be something fun for them to do
Even if is once in a while then this will be like playing the lottery for them!
So again, removing food from the kitchen counter would be a good place to start to keep your Cats off counters naturally
The other trick you can use is
To make the kitchen counter as unappealing place to be for your Cat
What you can use is Sticky Paws which is basically double sided tape
This will come in strips
So place the strips right on the edge of the counter where your Cat is likely to hop on to
The sticky paws will not leave anything that your Cat could see
Now let your Cat jump on to the kitchen counter
And his paws will get stuck
Cats hate being stuck
Instead of your Cat thinking the Kitchen counter is a great place to be
They will find it less appealing
Your Cat wants to be in a high place
So I would really advise not to scold your Cat when he does jump on the kitchen counter
Don’t give him any attention
Don’t talk to him
Or shout at him
Try making the Kitchen counter less attractive
Cats love high places
It’s in their world to be in high vertical places
What you can do is
Create other high spaces for them
Divert their attention away from your Counters
You can maybe get a Cat tree
This will keep your Cat busy for most of the day
They got the high spaces they love
They can take a nap in them too
And if you have 2 Cats, it’s a great way of both your Cat playing with each other
This will even stop them from coming into the Kitchen
Here’s a awesome Cat tree you can get
It’s called AmazonBasics Large Cat Condo Tree Tower with Scratching Post – 18 x 18 x 46 Inches, Beige
It actually looks really cool right?
I was shocked at how cheap you can get this from Amazon
Or you can empty a shelf that you’re not using and make it appealing to your Cat
Maybe a window perch too
Creating high spaces for your Cat, they’re less likely to be in places where you don’t want them to be
Finally,
Spend quality time with your Cat
Take some time out to understand your CatÂ
Make his surroundings appealing to him
You should at least spend 10 – 15 minutes of play time with him
Try and find something that you and your little kitty like to do
This will help keep your Cat off the counter naturally and without too much hassle
Do Cats Learn If You Punish Them?
Punishing your Cat will not make them learn not to jump on the kitchen counter
If you punish them then you’re basically going to break the bond between you and your little furball
I’m sure that’s not what you want right?
The worst part?
It’ll make things worse
Your Cat will continue jumping on the kitchen counter
Not only that,
Shouting at her will make her stress
And when a Cat gets stressed you know what they tend to do?
Pee everywhere in the house!
They won’t use the litter box
You see how this punishing your Cat can lead to so many other troubles
That is why I always stress to NEVER punish your little feline friend
Instead
Take a calm and loving approach
Yes, you can be stern and say no to them
But also show them affection
That’s all they want
Follow the steps I have mentioned in this article to stop your Cat jumping on Kitchen counter surfaces
In conclusionÂ
Look
The best way to keep your Cat from jumping on the counter is to not reinforce this behavior in the first place if that is possible
Whatever you do
Do not shout or punish your Cat for jumping on the counter
By disciplining your Cat will make your Cat think that you’re just upset
They won’t understand that you’re upset because of their behavior
The other thing is,
When you’re around they won’t jump on the counter
But when you’re not around they’ll still continue with this behavior
If you follow the guidelines above your Cat will soon understand jumping on the Kitchen counter is not the right behavior and will hopefully stop this
Thank you! Very helpful!
Wonderful site, soooo helpful ?…from previous dog family to new cat family yikes!
Trying to get info on how to get get 2 indoors to play together nicely. Can’t seem to find anything on this site. Any suggestion most appreciated!