Puddles has started counter surfing... usually when my back is turned. I'm researching methods to discourage it. Anyone have luck using tin foil on the counters? So far the CatSite articles have given me other ideas, too.
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The Counter Surfing has Begun...
- Thread starter vampiric_conure
- Start Date
Can't help, I have never tried to stop them doing it! These days I am quite pleased when Daisy does it, because it's usually to remind me it's time for her Special Drink (Osmolax).
Though as a friend on another site said, "It's a loaf on a counter. Nothing to see here."
Though as a friend on another site said, "It's a loaf on a counter. Nothing to see here."
i just accepted the fact its a losing battle since there is no possible way to prevent it. i was able to teach graycie to keep off the breakfast bar while i am in the kitchen cooking. by just picking her up and placing her on my tarantula cages while i cook then giving treats each time she stayed. also helps if i feed my spiders first then she can make sure they eat.
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For me it's just about consistent yell and put them down. Am I under any false pretenses that they're not up there at night or when we're out of the house? No. I know they go up there when I'm not around. But, they have learned to not do it when I'm around (mostly) or else they get yelled at.
The first thing to note is "why?"
Attention? Curiosity? Wanting to be close or see what youre doing?
Our rental home is older and has a pull out cutting board, so letting the cat sit there and watch from a distance solved it.
Our friend's cat was curious and keeping the counters empty solved it.
Our other cat thought it would get him food. Having a button he could press for hungry solved it.
But always know, they have the capability to get there and youll need to clean the counter before doing human food prep.
Attention? Curiosity? Wanting to be close or see what youre doing?
Our rental home is older and has a pull out cutting board, so letting the cat sit there and watch from a distance solved it.
Our friend's cat was curious and keeping the counters empty solved it.
Our other cat thought it would get him food. Having a button he could press for hungry solved it.
But always know, they have the capability to get there and youll need to clean the counter before doing human food prep.
it kinda dbls or triples the table and counter cleaning needed each day
Yeah, I'd be scrubbing surfaces all day if I did that.
Our cats aren't counter surfers but Casper will, occasionally, jump up on the counter to get a height advantage on Elliot.
I have never had either one of the cats jump on the counter to get food or attention. I don't remember coming down in the morning to find anything left on the counter, overnight, that has been disturbed.
When Elliot starts acting like a little upstart, Casper will try to use height advantage to dominate. Usually, that's ledges, bookshelves and furniture but, when it come to the kitchen, he will use the counter.
When he gets up on the counter, I just give him "the look" and say, "Casper, you know better!" Four out of five times, he'll jump down by himself. Every so often I have to go over and give him a pat on the bum to coax him down.
In either case, Casper always gets a pat on the head and a "Good Kitty" for getting down when he's told.
I have never had either one of the cats jump on the counter to get food or attention. I don't remember coming down in the morning to find anything left on the counter, overnight, that has been disturbed.
When Elliot starts acting like a little upstart, Casper will try to use height advantage to dominate. Usually, that's ledges, bookshelves and furniture but, when it come to the kitchen, he will use the counter.
When he gets up on the counter, I just give him "the look" and say, "Casper, you know better!" Four out of five times, he'll jump down by himself. Every so often I have to go over and give him a pat on the bum to coax him down.
In either case, Casper always gets a pat on the head and a "Good Kitty" for getting down when he's told.
Get a motion activated toy that sings, screams or dances when it senses motion. Lots of them available around Halloween and Christmas. After a few scares your kitten will decide counters aren’t safe.
some times you just need to offer or accept a compromise like graycie and i did here its an older pic youll see the breakfast bar above her so technically she got off the counter when i asked her toso clearly i cant say anything more to her about that move she pulled on me
so grateful shes not a 2 legged kidAttachments
I'm dealing with this right now with my new girl, Pretty.
I think with Pretty, it's all three. Or at least two: curiosity and wants to be close to me.
I need to find a solutions as soon there'll be no more food in the freezer to microwave for meals. LOL
Scat mats ( used for gardens) are about the best deterrent imo for when you are not around to correct Puddles.... I always suggest if you want to deter a pet from a particular area,object or specific place then you should offer an alternative that is just as effective & you can reward the behavior you desire
In other words a harsh " No" as you immediately take kitty down( gently) is much more effective followed through to placing kitty where he is permitted in a similar vertical space( "GOOD Puddles" & a treat or petting)
I have a high stool where my cats are allowed to watch me cook or do dishes right next to the counter by the sink & stove and where food prepping etc is done...... there's another small counter on the opposite wall that is for their use So it's pretty simple for them to learn which is for them and which is not ....
What makes correction effective is when the cat associates his action to your negative response,it must be immediate or your cat only knows you are displeased with HIM but doesn't know you are displeased with where he is.The typical response I've heard 1000 times is" oh yes he does know becsuse when he's on the counter and I look at him cross he jumps down"....No,he's not jumping down because he knows he doesn't belong there,he's jumping down because he knows you are not happy for some odd reason and when you're not happy in the kitchen you chase him off the counter- see?
But if you give a sharp " No" as he's jumping,remove him and place him elsewhere with high praise & reward he will get the idea
Hope that helps- correction works very well when followed by reward.....Action/consequence Action/reward
I personally prefer environmental modifications to attract and deter, like scat mats,use the environment to train and form good habits because these are really not behavioral issues,they are just being a cat- cats like vertical space
Hope that helps
In other words a harsh " No" as you immediately take kitty down( gently) is much more effective followed through to placing kitty where he is permitted in a similar vertical space( "GOOD Puddles" & a treat or petting)
I have a high stool where my cats are allowed to watch me cook or do dishes right next to the counter by the sink & stove and where food prepping etc is done...... there's another small counter on the opposite wall that is for their use So it's pretty simple for them to learn which is for them and which is not ....
What makes correction effective is when the cat associates his action to your negative response,it must be immediate or your cat only knows you are displeased with HIM but doesn't know you are displeased with where he is.The typical response I've heard 1000 times is" oh yes he does know becsuse when he's on the counter and I look at him cross he jumps down"....No,he's not jumping down because he knows he doesn't belong there,he's jumping down because he knows you are not happy for some odd reason and when you're not happy in the kitchen you chase him off the counter- see?
But if you give a sharp " No" as he's jumping,remove him and place him elsewhere with high praise & reward he will get the idea
Hope that helps- correction works very well when followed by reward.....Action/consequence Action/reward
I personally prefer environmental modifications to attract and deter, like scat mats,use the environment to train and form good habits because these are really not behavioral issues,they are just being a cat- cats like vertical space
Hope that helps
I was just trying to explain to my mom that my cat peaches is only interested in the food on the counter and my back is turned for one sec and she snatches it from me. I was sure I bought more chicken. Then hours later raw meat on the floor. She wouldn't do that if I watch her 24/7.
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Usually it's seeking attention, curiosity, AND wanting to be close to you. So yeah, all three.
I have a kitchen with two counters and I've made it far easier for Krista before her and now Betty to get up to one counter over the other. That counter has my coffee maker, the sink, and her food/meds prep area on the other side of the sink. The other counter has the knife block, the stove, and the microwave. It also has a piece of furniture I put before it to make it harder to get up there. Cats being cats, if they want to get up there, they will. But since it's much easier to get to the first counter and because I will actually give them love and attention on one counter and pick them up and put them down on the other counter, clearly one counter is getting more needs filled than the other. If you don't have two counters or you just prefer they stay off all of them, I recommend putting a tree next to the counters and without fail, correct their behavior picking them off the counter and putting them in the tree. You might even put treats in the tree to reinforce that location over the counter. It still puts the cat close to you, up high to supurrvise, and within attention's reach.
The trouble with deterrent-based training is that it's not as effective with cats as with dogs. Dogs will learn. Cats will constantly test it. If you go lax and forget to put the foil down or turn on the Ssscat or whatever you are using, they'll figure that out because they are often testing when you aren't looking. The other issue with deterrent-based training is that it's likely to annoy you far sooner than they'll give up on testing you. There's only so many times you get sprayed with an Ssscat before you just stop turning them on.
It's far better to take a moment to understand the appeal and redirect it in a way you're both happy with (e.g. tree vs. counter.)
I have a kitchen with two counters and I've made it far easier for Krista before her and now Betty to get up to one counter over the other. That counter has my coffee maker, the sink, and her food/meds prep area on the other side of the sink. The other counter has the knife block, the stove, and the microwave. It also has a piece of furniture I put before it to make it harder to get up there. Cats being cats, if they want to get up there, they will. But since it's much easier to get to the first counter and because I will actually give them love and attention on one counter and pick them up and put them down on the other counter, clearly one counter is getting more needs filled than the other. If you don't have two counters or you just prefer they stay off all of them, I recommend putting a tree next to the counters and without fail, correct their behavior picking them off the counter and putting them in the tree. You might even put treats in the tree to reinforce that location over the counter. It still puts the cat close to you, up high to supurrvise, and within attention's reach.
The trouble with deterrent-based training is that it's not as effective with cats as with dogs. Dogs will learn. Cats will constantly test it. If you go lax and forget to put the foil down or turn on the Ssscat or whatever you are using, they'll figure that out because they are often testing when you aren't looking. The other issue with deterrent-based training is that it's likely to annoy you far sooner than they'll give up on testing you. There's only so many times you get sprayed with an Ssscat before you just stop turning them on.
It's far better to take a moment to understand the appeal and redirect it in a way you're both happy with (e.g. tree vs. counter.)
I made wid rice and was letting it cool. Turned away to wash dishes and my cat was eating it. She loves bread. Always be sure that's immediately put away. Wid rice? Seariously!
In this I agree 100% plus a deterrent is good along with replacement and redirection with reward for the time you are NOT there so without you it is not.a pleasant place to be....
It's funny because if you could watch my Bengal "Sami" it would give you the perfect demonstration of
daftcat75
statements proving it true - lolSsscat is a joke imo and very annoying- I watched Sami 'test' these burst of air,go behind the can,tilt his head & stick his front paw around the front several times to activate the sensor- he figured out exactly where to walk so it would not activate - I even adjusted the setting several times to expand and redirect the spray - he bravely & carefully walked through the burst to get behind the can an retest his configurations..... He would then NEVER set it off yet I set it off every single time
Two sided tape he walked in between the strips and I kept covering more and more of the spaces ,finally Sami figured out it's not such a big deal to step on this stuff after all,if you stay calm you just pull your paw off and nothing bad happens--same with anything,tin foil he taps a few times to see what it is and either pushes it out of his way or walks carefully across it
The only thing he doesn't like is the plastic scat mats because the plastic spikes are too close together & too high to get 4 paws in between- I used putty to hold them in place or he'd just get hold of an edge and pull it across the room..... That was all after he started to pick up the front door dash habit ( my fault btw as I used to tack him up my the front door,hook his leash to the knob and open the front door so he'd be waiting outside for me to get myself with the walker out the front doorway).....I actually trained him to dash out and sit out front to wait which might not seem like a big deal because he doesn't go anyway BUT you never know what can startle,distract or get a cats attention in the blink of an eye so it's a bad habit
After my knee surgery I was able to back track and retrain to sit inside until I say" let's go' as I'm able to move freely without assistance..... Plus,I had a hallway with a second door built as a safety measure because I transitioned a feral to indoors and was not comfortable with that dang door right in front of a busy parking lot full of cars for when oblivious people come over-
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When we had three cats, our two and my mom's cats Izzy taught them all the ' good ' things to do. I had been in the basement with mom we came up all three where on the portable island my two sitting Mom's just standing there. Mom starts yelling for her to get down, so she sits down on the island. I said to my mom please STOP screaming.Well she is not listening and she has to know that's wrong.I told her she does not know it is wrong, she thinks you lost your mind. I went over to each each of them pointed to the floor said down.They jumped down ran out to the living room and went about their day.Her cat would not sit with her the rest of day, she would only sit with me. I guess you know that did not go over well, not at all.
