Help!! Jumping On Table And Counters

[Ninipow13]

Hey everyone
I need your help!

Our 2 youngest cats (same litter), they’re maybe about 5 months old, they started jumping on our kitchen table and counters. None of my other cats have ever done this and it’s not behavior that we tolerate. My husband is ready to make them outdoor cats but I would prefer to avoid this if there’s anything I can do to stop this behavior.

When they were little (we’ve had them since they were a few weeks old), they were on a soft food diet, then we slowly introduced hard food and right now they get both but mostly hard food. But they’ve become picky eaters and don’t eat the hard food, instead they want to scavenge the house for food or cry until it’s time for their wet food.
These cats have eaten through bags of bread and even bags of chips that were closed! They rather eat chips and bread than their food.
We can’t afford to give 3 cats only wet food, and my other cat (and cats before were fine with hard food) but these 2 are picky.
They also have plenty of cat toys and tall trees so they have plenty things to jump on. We just need them off the counters and kitchen!
Btw, we stopped leaving any kind of food on the counters or table. But that doesn’t stop them from looking.
Help me keep my kitties!

 

[Uncled]

Have you tried using lemon oil on a cotton ball? Our cats don't like the scent and keeps them away from areas we don't want them including the counters!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I don't use it, but a lot of members on this site say that Fancy Feast canned food isn't all that bad nor expensive. I guess you could price it out and see if it would fit in your budget. Most cats get filled up better on wet food than they do dry. It's kind of like you eating protein vs. a bunch of potato chips - wouldn't you typically get hungry quicker after the potato chips than you would the protein?

You can also use home made citrus sprays to apply to cotton balls, paper towels, etc. to set in a bowl or some other container on the counters - along the same idea as what Uncled said. Or, perhaps this TCS article will give you some ideas.

How To Keep Cats Off Counters And Tables

 

[Kflowers]

you have cats not dogs. If you want them to stay off your counters while you are not home or are asleep you need to shut the kitchen door. If you have a swinging door, you will need to block it. Cats can get caught in those swinging doors. If you don't have a door you will need to make one. A child gate will not do as most cats can leap over them or climb them. A hardware store will have inexpensive hollow wood doors or screen doors you can install. Most will tell you how to do this.

 

[LTS3]

5 month old kittens are still growing so they need lots of food. The jumping on counters, eating your food, etc is all because they are still hungry and are seeking out anything to eat. Please feed your cats more! How much food you are feeding each cat daily? Do you have scheduled meals? Can you leave a bowl of dry food out all day for the cats to eat and increase the amount of canned food you give? Try a different brand of dry food if the cats aren't interested in the brand you offer now.

 

[Suru]

I got my cat at around 5 months as well and he was jumping up on all my counters and tables from the get go. What I did was to pick him up and plop him on the ground with a hiss, I then repeated this many many times a day for the first month or so. One thing that really helped with his jumping up on the counter in search of food is free feeding. Once he understood that food is always available in the same spot he stopped trying to scavenge for food else where. Mine *does* eat dry food though... do your cats take dry treats? Maybe mix that up with some kibble and encourage them to eat it. them after they get past that growing phase, you can wean them off the dry. Young cats have a tonne of energy and need a loooot of food. Also I don't feed my cat my own food from the dinner table or off the counter. if I do feed him the occasional piece of fish or chicken meat, I would actually take it away from the kitchen counter surfaces and feed him on the floor in his own bowl. He now shows very little interest in human food, human food belongs to the humans and cat food belongs to him. Even now I don't let my cat roam my kitchen when I'm not around, and if I do I make sure everything is in the cabinets or the fridge. I honestly don't expect him to resist temptation when it's laid out before him. There was one time I forgot about two fried eggs on the counter and he got to them in a jiffy, I caught him in the act and put him in solitary confinement (the bathroom) for 10 minutes but really the whole situation was my fault, not his.

As for cats crying for food and attention... just let them cry. My cat went from meowing at 4am to only meowing if I don't get up at my usual 7am. Now he doesn't even bothered to check if I'm alive in the mornings anymore Don't get me wrong though, he's a very cuddly, friendly and well behaved cat.

 

[5starcathotel]

Before I answer for real...my actual opinions are:
1. You have cats, cats are jumpers, and they are all going to be on your kitchen counters at one time of the day or another....so just accept this and that you need to clean them before cooking/eating.
2. @Your husband, outdoor cats do not have anywhere near the same longevity (on average) as indoor cats. And whether they have the same quality of life is *entirely* dependant on their caregivers.
3. Canned/wet/natural food, as high quality as you can afford (note, canned food price does not necessarily indicate quality!) is important for cat health, but I think is fine (and I do) supplement this with dry food. So what I'm saying here is, you might try either a cheaper brand of wet food, so you can feed more often, or a higher-quality dry food, that your newbies will like.

With that out of the way, the easiest way to give a 'no' to a cat, is to at the same time give them a yes. Give them a climbing tree, wall-mounted cat shelves, or a kitchen hutch that they *can* be on, in the dining / kitchen areas (maybe even giving them access to the top of cabinets, if that is acceptable), without drawing anger.

Last thing....where do you fill their dishes / open their cans of food? If it's in the kitchen, on the counters there....then that is the food place! You need a different place - maybe the living room coffee table, or the laundry room dryer, or the desk in the den.......but if you show them that 'food' doesn't come from the kitchen, they will stop associating those counters as hunting grounds.

 

[neely]

Here are some threads from members with similar behavior problems that may offer some suggestions and/or be helpful for you:
Counter Cats
Please Help- Relentless Counter Surfing
Stealing Food And Climbing On Counters