I need help - how do I keep Austin out of the kitchen when I'm cooking?

misty8723

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This is fairlfy recent behavior, he's become very clingy when I"m in the kitchen. I could work around that, but he always wants to jump up on stuff and he won't get away from the front of the stove. And at least once I saw him getting ready to jump. It's so stressful I just told husband we are going to be eating tv dinners from now on.

Anybody have any suggestions other than banishing him to the bedroom with the door closed (which sadly it may come to).
 

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Hi!
the bedroom with the door closed (
This isn't such a bad idea especially when you give him some cat music - there's Cat In My Arms on spotify and elsewhere, RelaxMyCat and MusicForCats :)

There's this article but since he's clingy I'm thinking cat music in his own room, when it becomes a ritual where you love on him and toss a toy a time or two before closing the door, could be just as effective as anything.
How To Keep Cats Off Counters And Tables – TheCatSite Articles
 

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Hi. Playing off of what Furballsmom Furballsmom has said - what exactly do you mean by 'clingy'? Have you made any connections with other things going on and this recent behavior? Food changes that he isn't crazy about? "Treats" of human food while you are preparing to cook, or cooking, or sometime thereafter? Something you are doing differently that is driving him to want to be in the kitchen and 'on top' of what you are doing? Food left out that he has gotten to? Fairly recent behavior means something has changed to elicit the change in him. Those are the things you need to 'weed through in your mind' in the hopes of identifying the ultimate cause.

You can always put him out of the room, or look at suggestions in the above article for clues/resolution, but there is something behind it since it is a fairly recent behavioral change.
 
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misty8723

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Hi. Playing off of what Furballsmom Furballsmom has said - what exactly do you mean by 'clingy'? Have you made any connections with other things going on and this recent behavior? Food changes that he isn't crazy about? "Treats" of human food while you are preparing to cook, or cooking, or sometime thereafter? Something you are doing differently that is driving him to want to be in the kitchen and 'on top' of what you are doing? Food left out that he has gotten to? Fairly recent behavior means something has changed to elicit the change in him. Those are the things you need to 'weed through in your mind' in the hopes of identifying the ultimate cause.

You can always put him out of the room, or look at suggestions in the above article for clues/resolution, but there is something behind it since it is a fairly recent behavioral change.
By clingy I mean he walks back and forth rubbing on me, meowing, acting like he wants to jump up on the stove. He only does it when I go in the kitchen (other than jumping up on my desk once in a while when I'm working to solicit pets). I think I know why because somewhere along the line I loved on him and petted him. He flops over on his back for tummy rubs. I can pick him up a dozen times and put him elsewhere, but he comes right back. I can distract him with his favorite toy and he comes right back when I stop. He likes being picked up. He likes the attention. I doubt he'd mind being in the bedroom for a little bit, but the music is not a bad idea. I put him in there yesterday when I went into the attic and he didn't seem to mind (Cricket went under the bed). Its just getting awfully stressful worrying he's going to jump up on the stove.
 

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A potential alternative to closing him in a room while you're cooking might be to give him his own "spot" in the kitchen, if you're comfortable with that. A cat tree, a shelf with a soft bed, a perch on the windowsill. A lot of the time when my cats are being clingy they just want to be in my space - if they can supervise from a nearby perch, they're often content.
 
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misty8723

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This is fairlfy recent behavior, he's become very clingy when I"m in the kitchen. I could work around that, but he always wants to jump up on stuff and he won't get away from the front of the stove. And at least once I saw him getting ready to jump. It's so stressful I just told husband we are going to be eating tv dinners from now on.

Anybody have any suggestions other than banishing him to the bedroom with the door closed (which sadly it may come to).
I read the article. I definitely don't like some of those negative reinforcement ideas. One of the problems is I'm pretty lenient about most things. Right now he's sleeping in the kitchen sink for example. I don't care that he gets on the counters most of the time. He has to jump up on the one counter because he goes up on the refrigerator and then up on top of the cabinets. I don't want to take that away from them.

Some time ago I tried to stop him from scratching the TV and got some of that -- well I don't know what you call it -- has raised bumps on one side -- and put it on the table in front of the TV. Didn't bother him one bit.
Hi!

This isn't such a bad idea especially when you give him some cat music - there's Cat In My Arms on spotify and elsewhere, RelaxMyCat and MusicForCats :)

There's this article but since he's clingy I'm thinking cat music in his own room, when it becomes a ritual where you love on him and toss a toy a time or two before closing the door, could be just as effective as anything.
How To Keep Cats Off Counters And Tables – TheCatSite Articles
Thanks. I read the article. I definitely don't like some of those negative reinforcement ideas. One of the problems is I'm pretty lenient about most things. Right now he's sleeping in the kitchen sink for example. I don't care that he gets on the counters most of the time. He has to jump up on the one counter because he goes up on the refrigerator and then up on top of the cabinets. I don't want to take that away from them.

Some time ago I tried to stop him from scratching the TV and got some of that -- well I don't know what you call it -- has raised bumps on one side -- and put it on the table in front of the TV. Didn't bother him one bit. He is sort of like a kid, if you tell him he can;t do something that's exactly what he wants to do.

I will look for the cat music :)
 

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I think based on what all you let him do, particularly in the kitchen, that there is no way to stop him from doing just one thing in the kitchen and still let him do the others. That is probably way too specific to get him to understand stopping just the one thing. But, that's OK, I get your point!

So, either consider the good play session and then put him in a room while you are cooking (with music or even a video of squirrels/birds) or - as corvidae corvidae suggested - you can set up a spot near you (maybe best on the floor, or where ever works for you?) that you are comfortable with him being while you are there, and then simply put him in that spot, possibly a hundred million times (jk), each and every time he comes into the kitchen to be with you while you are cooking.
 
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misty8723

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I think based on what all you let him do, particularly in the kitchen, that there is no way to stop him from doing just one thing in the kitchen and still let him do the others. That is probably way too specific to get him to understand stopping just the one thing. But, that's OK, I get your point!

So, either consider the good play session and then put him in a room while you are cooking (with music or even a video of squirrels/birds) or - as corvidae corvidae suggested - you can set up a spot near you (maybe best on the floor, or where ever works for you?) that you are comfortable with him being while you are there, and then simply put him in that spot, possibly a hundred million times (jk), each and every time he comes into the kitchen to be with you while you are cooking.
Yeah, I know, I can't keep him out of the kitchen only when I'm cooking. And honestly I wouldn't care if I wasn't worried about him jumping up on the stove. No chance he would stay anywhere I put him, no matter where it was (lol). That's my method when he's up on the table scratching the tv. Don't say anything just go over, pick him up, and put him on his scratchy on the floor. I walk away, he's right back up there. He has gotten to where he sees me get up he stops anyway. Yes, my cats are spoiled, lol.

I guess my best bet is to put him in the bedroom where he can look out the window if I'm going to be in the kitchen cooking. If I put something on and leave it on the stove to simmer, he doesn't bother it.
 
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misty8723

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A potential alternative to closing him in a room while you're cooking might be to give him his own "spot" in the kitchen, if you're comfortable with that. A cat tree, a shelf with a soft bed, a perch on the windowsill. A lot of the time when my cats are being clingy they just want to be in my space - if they can supervise from a nearby perch, they're often content.
Unfortunately he has plently of places he can be near me but he wants attention.
 

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To get a cat to stop doing whatever, you need to make the results undesirable for them. Never use physical discipline on cats. Shouting might be unpleasant for them, but it only happens when you are present. Cats come to connect this sort of thing with you, so they figure, "oh, I can't do this when that human is watching, so I gotta do it when they are not!" I have placed a minefield of empty soda cans, which can knock down an unpleasant noise. Add a few pennies to a can for an even noisier sound. You can buy mats with some unpleasant sensation when they jump and land on them. Double-faced tape attached on a placemat to make your cat discourager. Be creative but always be sure it can't hurt kitties. The bottom line is cats are no dummies, and you have to outwit them!
 

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I suggest feeding him when he gets persistent. Mine are annoying when I am trying to cook, I feed them, problem solved! They get done and look for a place to nap on the couch!
 

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You can condition him to sit on a cat tree/perch/cushion/etc. if you work at it. It does take a lot of time and patience though! But yeah, if you moved him to his spot (every single time, consistently) while saying a cue ("I'm cooking", "go to your spot", whatever you like), then give him a treat or pets when he's there, eventually he'll learn to go to his spot when you say the cue words.
 

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Yeah, my cats all know they can jump on the island in the mornings while I have my coffee. Nowhere else. They stay off the other counters period. I think because I let them on the island.
 

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Yeah, my cats all know they can jump on the island in the mornings while I have my coffee. Nowhere else. They stay off the other counters period. I think because I let them on the island.
I also decided to let my kitty up on my counter table, in the hope that it would help me hold the line on the actual counter/sink/stove. It seems to have worked (mostly). Kitty mostly just wanted to be where the action was, and now that she can watch me cook from the counter table, she doesn't interfere with what I'm doing on the counter. (She does occasionally jump up there when I'm not around).
 

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I put a stool with a seat that is 17" long next to where I cook. The cats (mostly) know that is the only place acceptable to perch and watch me. Boden and Diamond are the only two of my five cats who are interested in cooking.
 
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misty8723

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Thank you everything for the advice, I've tried some of it but I guess maybe if I can be more persistent with it?.. I usually do feed him in the dining room and then close the door when he starts. He's not a dumb cat and just comes back around the other way into the kitchen. I say loudly DANGER! DANGER! and move him somewhere else. Nope, right back. Then he velcros himself until I acknowledge him, and he flops on his back for belly rubs. The last time I cooked I just took him upstairs and put him in the bedroom with the door closed, which may be the best solution. It's a good thing
I love the little PITA.
 

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Like W Willowy and Boris Diamond Boris Diamond suggested, I trained minish to sit on a barstool reserved for her in the kitchen and she's never jumped on a counter in my presence.

It took about a month. Every time she jumped on, I grabbed and put her down without any kind of emotional engagement. No scolding no petting. If she insisted I removed her to another room. I also encouraged jumping on the stool separately (during clean dull counter times) with praises and treats. She got the idea then accepted. We have great fun in the kitchen. She's my food quality expert sniffer. We even cry together over chopped onions.

A cat wants 3 things with the counter:see what's there, be involved in activities and eat if it's yummy. Perch takes care of the first 2. I take care of the third by bribery ;) but she has to wait until I finish. She's not happy about that but I'm persistent so she doesn't pester (much)
 
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misty8723

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Like W Willowy and Boris Diamond Boris Diamond suggested, I trained minish to sit on a barstool reserved for her in the kitchen and she's never jumped on a counter in my presence.

It took about a month. Every time she jumped on, I grabbed and put her down without any kind of emotional engagement. No scolding no petting. If she insisted I removed her to another room. I also encouraged jumping on the stool separately (during clean dull counter times) with praises and treats. She got the idea then accepted. We have great fun in the kitchen. She's my food quality expert sniffer. We even cry together over chopped onions.

A cat wants 3 things with the counter:see what's there, be involved in activities and eat if it's yummy. Perch takes care of the first 2. I take care of the third by bribery ;) but she has to wait until I finish. She's not happy about that but I'm persistent so she doesn't pester (much)
I know this is considered bad, but I don't really mind if he gets up on the counters, I just want him to not think about jumping up on the stove when it's on.
 
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misty8723

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I also decided to let my kitty up on my counter table, in the hope that it would help me hold the line on the actual counter/sink/stove. It seems to have worked (mostly). Kitty mostly just wanted to be where the action was, and now that she can watch me cook from the counter table, she doesn't interfere with what I'm doing on the counter. (She does occasionally jump up there when I'm not arouInd).
I encourage him to be on the side counter near the sink. He's usually fine with being there, I pet him and interact with him, and then he'll curl up in the sink.
 
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misty8723

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Like W Willowy and Boris Diamond Boris Diamond suggested, I trained minish to sit on a barstool reserved for her in the kitchen and she's never jumped on a counter in my presence.

It took about a month. Every time she jumped on, I grabbed and put her down without any kind of emotional engagement. No scolding no petting. If she insisted I removed her to another room. I also encouraged jumping on the stool separately (during clean dull counter times) with praises and treats. She got the idea then accepted. We have great fun in the kitchen. She's my food quality expert sniffer. We even cry together over chopped onions.

A cat wants 3 things with the counter:see what's there, be involved in activities and eat if it's yummy. Perch takes care of the first 2. I take care of the third by bribery ;) but she has to wait until I finish. She's not happy about that but I'm persistent so she doesn't pester (much)
I'm trying to use that method to teach him to stop scratching the TV. He's not as bad as he used to be, but he still does it. If he gets up there on the table, that's fine. If he starts to scratch I'll pick him up and put him on his scratchy. It's to the point he'll stop if he sees me get up.
 
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