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…

DISCLOSURE: http://catloverhere.com/ is reader supported so if you buy any products featured on this site I may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure here.

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

Check Price On 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 Cat 

Show him love and affection 

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 conclusion 

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