Stealing Food And Climbing On Counters

[Frankenkitty]

Hello,
I just moved in with my boyfriend who has never lived with a cat. He's very distressed about some of my cat's behaviors, specifically that she walks on the kitchen counters and steals food if he leaves the room. The counters are an issue I've been struggling with since I got Shelly nearly four years ago, but the food stealing is fairly new.

Over the years I have tried:
-Building a giant cat tree and placing it near the counter, as well as putting toys and bedding in the window sills (ours are multilevel). She has plenty of vertical space to play. She spends a lot of time in these areas and enjoys them, but still goes on the counter.

-I never leave food on the counter, nor do I feed her human food. She shows no interest in the faucets or anything in particular up there. I don't know what the draw is.

-She hates the feeling of tape on her paws, so if I put it sticky side up on the counter, she pulls it off. Even duct tape.

-She likes walking on crinkly things, tinfoil doesn't work.

-Moving her from the counter to a more acceptable area and praising her just seems to frustrate her and she almost immediately jumps back on the counter.

-She stares at me if I make loud noises or say no. It does nothing to deter her. I also live in an apartment, so this isn't ideal anyway.

-I read that some cats get on the counter for attention and that ignoring them will be deterrent enough. After weeks of ignoring her, nothing changed.

-I'm a preschool teacher, I can't afford enough of the SSSCat deterrent sprayers to cover our enormous counters.

-I have feliway diffusers

-I have multiple puzzle feeders

-She learned the range of the spray bottle and just jumped off the counter when I got in range

-She gets lots of attention when we're home (we both work full-time, however) and has a billion toys that I rotate to keep things fresh

The food stealing is new, so I don't know what to do about that. Any suggestions on how to deal with an incredibly stubborn cat (and save my relationship) would be greatly appreciated. I'm at my wit's end.

 

[Frankenkitty]

Also worth noting: my boyfriend is wonderful and has not given me any sort of ultimatum. He and Shelly have already made compromises in other areas, it's just these ones they're butting heads about. I just know it's putting a strain on him and he's expressed a lot of frustration.

 

[blumarine916]

I have no experience on this but I feel that Shelly is just acting out to a new human in her life by stealing food. She may be trying to test boundaries to see how far she can get with the behavior.

Does she steal food that you left out on the table? How about putting them away or covering the food so she can’t get to them?

As for the counter top catwalking, maybe she likes watching you while you work Does she do anything on the kitchen counter? Sorry not helpful here

 

[Maria Bayote]

Can you just put her in a room while you are preparing food, or while dining?

 

[LTS3]

There are tips here on how to keep cars off counters:

How To Keep Cats Off Counters And Tables

A trip to the vet isn't a bad idea just to make sure your cat isn't acting out because of a medical issue.

When Physical Problems Turn Into Behavior Problems
How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat
Solving Cat Behavior Problems: The Key Ingredient
The Dos And Don'ts Of Cat Behavior Modification


Are you feeding your cat enough food?

 

[FeebysOwner]

When you say the food-stealing is new - is that because when you lived alone that you never left food on the counter? If that is the case, I think step #1 is to ask your BF to stop leaving food on the counter. Not too much to ask. Even a cat that is not prone to getting on counters might be inclined to try if they realize there is food they can 'sample'.

Secondly, try a natural cat repellent that doesn't cost a lot of money (see article link below). The only thing you and your BF have to be willing to do is smell white vinegar and lemon for a while. And, if you don't want to just spray the counters with the concoction, you can always use small towels, even paper towels, sprayed with the mixture and lay them on top of the counters.

Lastly, removing her from the counter and then praising her is sending mixed messages. When you remove her from the counter, she should be told a firm 'no' (no further words or attention), and then placed in a room with a closed door for a time-out for a few minutes. And, spraying water at a cat also tends to be totally misunderstood by the cat - many times it has the opposite effect of what was intended.

Good luck and let us know if anything that any of our members have offered you here helps!!

Friendly (but Effective) Cat Repellent

 

[amethyst]

Is the cat tree you made taller then the counters? Do you make sure to give her attention when she is on the cat tree as well? You need to make the cat tree more appealing then the counter. I know one frustration my husband has is the cats on the counter. But we also has a habit of leaving dirty dishes on the counter and in the sink to deal with later (we don't have a dishwasher). It takes a cat 2 solid weeks of not getting anything out of it to learn something new/change a behavior. That means if food is ever left out, even once, even crumbs to be licked up, you have to start the two week all over again.

You can't really leave food unattended around a cat, it either comes with me if I leave the room or is covered/closed up/put away so the cats can't get it. I know it's a hard thing to learn if you aren't use to having a cat, but cats think of themselves first. If they see or smell something they want they take it, and if it's something tasty they will do it again. Dogs you can teach to "leave it" with training, cats not so much, they don't care.

 

[susanm9006]

As others have said,,don’t leave food setting around. But if she is stealing while you are preparing, cooking or eating food, then shut her in another room until you are done eating and cleaning up. If you have a persistent cat it is the only way to eat/cook in peace.

 

[kuanggol]

How about using a motion activated deterrent spray you can set on the counter? That way you are not spraying the cat so it won't be upset at you

 

[neely]

She learned the range of the spray bottle and just jumped off the counter when I got in range.

Here is an Article that explains why it's not the best idea to spray water on a cat:
5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat

Other members have given you a lot of good tips and advice. Fingers crossed one of them works for your kitty. Please keep us posted on her progress.

 

[1 bruce 1]

When you say the food-stealing is new - is that because when you lived alone that you never left food on the counter? If that is the case, I think step #1 is to ask your BF to stop leaving food on the counter. Not too much to ask. Even a cat that is not prone to getting on counters might be inclined to try if they realize there is food they can 'sample'.

Secondly, try a natural cat repellent that doesn't cost a lot of money (see article link below). The only thing you and your BF have to be willing to do is smell white vinegar and lemon for a while. And, if you don't want to just spray the counters with the concoction, you can always use small towels, even paper towels, sprayed with the mixture and lay them on top of the counters.

Lastly, removing her from the counter and then praising her is sending mixed messages. When you remove her from the counter, she should be told a firm 'no' (no further words or attention), and then placed in a room with a closed door for a time-out for a few minutes. And, spraying water at a cat also tends to be totally misunderstood by the cat - many times it has the opposite effect of what was intended.

Good luck and let us know if anything that any of our members have offered you here helps!!

Friendly (but Effective) Cat Repellent

Years ago we had a horse who we'd turn out into an arena (indoors) that was attached to a feed room, outside the feed room was a large bucket with sweet feed in it. One day we turned the horse out and got busy, a few minutes later we realized he'd knocked the lid off the tub and was helping himself to the feed. I was worried about colic or something like it but he was fine. But every single day until that horse died of old age he'd investigate that bucket and try to get the lid off. Once they discover an all you can eat buffet, breaking the habit can only be done if you're 100% diligent in preventing them from getting the food, because food is rewarding after all
Make "keeping the counters clear of food" something that's on the back of your mind all of the time, you can toss things like chips or bread into a cabinet or cupboard.
If she's onto your food preparation and likes to scour the area after you've eaten and left the kitchen, we've used a damp sponge to "litter" the counter with little puddles of water. If the food is gone and stays gone, and the counters are always a little wet, most cats will learn to avoid it (unless she likes water, in that case, don't do that part )
The best part is, this is a turn off to cats but they figure counter tops are usually wet and just avoid them. They don't associate you into the equation. Punishing a dog sometimes works, punishing a cat, it rarely works and usually backfires. They don't think like us all the time, and the odds of her becoming scared of you is probably more than the odds of her learning that you don't want her jumping on the counter and eating what she finds.
They're like little kids. If something happens to work out to their advantage, they're going to repeat it because why not.
Make your focus on controlling the environment, not controlling her. You'll be much happier and less frustrated, and she'll be happier and less frustrated too

 

[danteshuman]

My teen kitten and I are still working on his counter habits .... just today I wound up smacking the counter in front of him with his place mat while I told him off. Basically you can invest in sssss cat or you can chase her off hundreds of times until she learns not to do it front of you (my boy as small side table in the kitchen he is allowed on and well I felt bad for using the penny can on himhence the counter smacking. He will learn. Also I don’t feed him people food and he sits for his food.

I would buy the air canisters one by one. I would also work on getting her to stay off one counter first. You can also buy car mats and put them poke-y side up to keep her off that one counter.

 

[daftcat75]

At almost 15 years, if she hasn't learned by now...

I let Krista be a cat and I take it upon myself to keep the counters clean and safe. I have ammonia-free wipes I can use in-between her jaunts when I want a clean surface to prepare food.