Keeping Cat off Table

BubbaGumps

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Can you train cats to avoid certain behaviors ? My cat has started enjoying jumping on the kitchen table. I think it is because she associates it with food more than she enjoys sitting on the table. At first, when I would go in the kitchen to get a snack or something to drink she will often jump up on the table. Now she will jump up on the table any time I go into the kitchen. When she does this, I will pick her up and put her down but she will just jump back up.
 

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she has probably been jumping on the table the entire you have had her. you just never seen until recently but you can train em though give her a better place to be on instead of the kitchen table we bought another cat tree thats placed in a corner by our table but close enough graycie can still look at us and see what we are doing etc. the table just became part of the route to jump onto the tree so she can lay on it. our cat has never shown interest in human food its more about just laying next to us for head scratches.1st pic is from the first few months after we adopted her back then jumping on the table was so she could do that(she was small enough to fit back then) :lol:i spent every meal with a cat on my shoulders tail wrapped around my facebut if you keep on picking her up off the table as you are you can begin training her to stay in a certain spot a tall comfy chair etc thats close to you using treats as a reward for her staying there takes time but can be done. but if you have given or fed her human or cat food on or at the table before its gonna take a while to correct that. buut sometimes the table is just the best spot for kitty naps personally i dont mind long as she leaves human food aone its only a lil extra cleaning before getting ready to eat the table before eating is all.
 

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ArtNJ

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Picking up and putting down sometimes works, provided you are willing to do it a few hundred times. Making a loud noise "no!" slapping the table, clapping hands, whatever, also sometimes works. As noted above, sometimes they just learn to go on when your not around.
 

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Yes you can. The trick is to make it unpleasant for them and not to connect it to you! So there is no words, picking, yelling, spraying , hitting that will work. You will just train to do it behind your back. Try motion air spray (pet stores) and dont show any reaction
 

danteshuman

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Can you train cats to stay off of or to quickly get off the table WHEN you are there? Yes.

To train them to stay off 24/7 buy motion activated air canisters like ssscat. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I would suggest a cat tree by the counters do they can watch you from up hi. The table? Pull out a chair & give it to them. Good luck! All my twerp has learned in 4 years is to never go up on the counter by the stove ...... the other one I guess I taught him to run off it...., I finally gave up and gave him a section of that counter. His water is up there. Jackie won that one! 🤣
 

DreamerRose

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Ssscat is the only thing that works. You can get it from Chewy or Amazon. The first can is expensive, but you can get refills.
 
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BubbaGumps

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Thanks for the all info. Even though I had cats in the house when younger I am new as an owner.

On a lighter note, how do you stop cats from walking on your keyboard ??

Cat likes to jump up on my desk and walk around. She just walked across the board while I was typing an email and she typed out,

poklmhbfasutcae then walked on the F2 key which closed the browser. :D
 

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having one eye on cat other on keyboard :lol: and a fast palm/hand to block kitty from using your key board to type stuff . also always remember to save any docs as your working on em. before you need to step away from your pc
 

ArtNJ

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It helps to have a basket or the like on your computer desk. Or a scratching post with a cup top nearby. Somewhere you can encourage the cat to go and still get attention and/or be near you.
 
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BubbaGumps

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Kitty decided to sit down in front of the keyboard and check out the thread. I didnt put her there to get a photo she just jumped up there and sat down while I read the updates.

sdsdadasdsad.jpg
 

ArtNJ

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I've got a long cat too. Basket right out huh? Well maybe a scratching post with a cup top would work. Mine doesn't mind curling up in those, although he is so big he takes up the whole thing even when tightly curled up.
 

theyremine

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As far as countertops and tables go, you could try using a citrus cleaner or furniture polish (lemon). Cats don't usually like citrus smells. Also keep food off countertops and tables (except when you are eating of course). And make sure you yell NO or hiss everytime your cat jumps up. Worked for me. Good luck
 

neely

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Kitty decided to sit down in front of the keyboard and check out the thread. I didnt put her there to get a photo she just jumped up there and sat down while I read the updates.
I think she's glad you joined TCS and is reading along with you. :biggrin:

All of our cats have done the same thing, I think they like the light from the monitor. :dunno: I once made the mistake of putting on a video of two cats talking to each other and our last cat kept walking around the computer to see where the cat sounds were coming from.😸
 

DreamerRose

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I put on one of those videos that entertain cats too. It was a bird hopping and chirping around. When it hopped off the screen to the right, Mingo went after it and looked behind the screen to see where the bird went. He looked all over, even off the desk.:lol:

Seriously, if you set up Ssscat pointing at the screen, that will keep her off that, too. Anything you want her away from.
 

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Tables are a tricky one! SSScat is probably your best bet - I eventually turned to this solution after trying many other methods (tin foil, tape stick side up, saying no, vinegar) for my cat's counter jumping habit. It was effective and I no longer need to have the SSScat primed at all times but he still needs the occasional reminder (SSScat back on) every month or so that the counter is off limits as he is always trying to test boundaries.

Just keep in mind that with SSScat it only works for a small area and I've also found that under certain lighting conditions it doesn't activate at all for some reason. So you may need to pair it with other strategies like using tin foil or tape on the parts of the table where the SSScat can't detect motion.

For keyboard walking, my cat does this too and he also lays in front of the computer exactly like in B BubbaGumps photo! If he gets in the way or on the keyboard I just lift him off the table as many times as it takes for him to get bored and go somewhere else. He also has a designated spot off to the side on my work table where I put one of his beds and he is allowed to stay there. Having a place where your cat is allowed to go on the table can be really helpful for keeping them off of the areas where you don't want them.
 

Caspers Human

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Your cat jumps up on the table every time you go to the kitchen because she's curious and wants to see what you're doing.

Maybe she'll get some food. Maybe you'll give her some attention. Mainly, she wants to hang out with you and check out what you're doing.

Cats are curious and they want to see what their humans are doing and they want to hang out with them. A table is a perfect place to get up on your level and see things from a better perspective.

I'd say that the best solution would be to give your cat a place where she's allowed to hang out and watch the goings-on that won't be in the way or in a place where you don't want her to go.

How about a stool? Put it in a place where she can see what you're doing. Make sure that it is always accessible. Try to make it seem more fun than just the table top.

Put some kitty cookies on the stool so she gets a treat when she jumps up there. That'll help her think of the stool as the place to see and be seen.

If she goes on the table, make her get down. If our cat, Casper, gets up on a place where we don't want him to go we just say, "Uh-uh! Get down." If he goes some place where we WANT him to go, he gets a "Good Kitty" and a quick scratch behind the ear.

You might also be able to pick her up from the table and put her on the stool. (Followed by "Good Kitty" all around.)

If you don't have a stool, a nearby shelf or cabinet would work. Any place that's NOT the table and is a vantage point where she can watch from.

After you have established a place for her to go and you have established the rules for when and where "table hopping" is allowed, it's just a matter of persistence and consistency. Never let her go where you don't want her to go. Always encourage her to go to your alternate location over the undesired one. Always do the same thing, each time, every time.

If you stay consistent, it shouldn't take her long to figure out the new rules and how to follow them.

For all the things that people say about cats being aloof and stand-off-ish, they really DO want to please their humans.

The reason why people think they are so difficult is that most cats have the mentality of a two-year old child. ;)
 

danteshuman

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I gave my last cats cat beds on my computer table; it worked to keep them off the keyboard. When I downsized my extra large computer table they got downsized to one bed. It kept working only they both tried to hog the bed until they worked out a schedule.
 

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