what really works to keep kittens/ cats off countertops?

[Anonymous]

Ignore it

[Anonymous]

I threaten my cat with sprays from the sink when we’re home, so that turning on the sink sends him running. When we’re not home I don’t think he goes on the counter. He does it to piss us off because he wants more food.

[Anonymous]

I had luck training my kitten to stay off the counters by using tinfoil. A lined a bunch of sturdy placemats with tinfoil and placed them around the edges of the counters. Cats hate the feel of it on their feet, the fact that it moved, and the sound it makes. It worked like a charm. He’s an adult cat now and we have moved three different times since I first trained him and he won’t even try getting on the counters even when in a new house.

[Anonymous]

Do you have a tall cat tree? My cat quit jumping on the counter when I got a cat tree. He didn't really care about the counter. He just wanted to climb and be up higher.

[Anonymous]

I had pretty good success with the spray bottle. But who knows what those jerk cats do while all the humans are asleep and/or out of the house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not having cats.

Only this.

[Anonymous]

Wait until they’re old and fat and too lazy to jump up on the counter.

[Anonymous]

Spray bottle or tin foil.

Don't count on the stove doing the training work for you. When I was a kid, our cat regularly walked across the dining table (which, as an adult, I think is super gross, but my parents were not bothered). At any rate, he semi-regularly caught his tail on fire from the candles and was completely unfazed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait until they’re old and fat and too lazy to jump up on the counter.

They don't really have to be that old, just fat. One of my cats never jumps up on the counter (although despite her heft, she can actually jump high enough). But she doesn't THINK she can, which is the important thing.

As to the range, the cat who does jump up did step on it once when it was hot, and he's super wary now. I don't think cats are the brightest, but sometimes I do think they're smarter than we give them credit for, and their stupidity can be selective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Motion detector bottle that noisily spurts air. Bought it at the pet store and it works great.

My cat hated that damn thing. But she figured her way around triggering it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait until they’re old and fat and too lazy to jump up on the counter.

My 17-year-old cat still jumps up when he thinks we're in bed. He can even get on top of the cabinets. It is amazing the way he can still fling himself up there.