# Do you discipline your cat for getting up on countertops?



## Maureen (Jan 4, 2012)

My Annabelle has recently started getting up on my kitchen countertop as if it is a "hangout" area. I would like to know your opinions on this topic. Do I say a loud "Ah Uh!" and snap and get her down? Or let her be?
What do you do?


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## Maureen (Jan 4, 2012)

She's too cute to yell at! ...My Annabelle.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Mine are allowed up there as long they aren't causing trouble. If they get into something then I just aim aim the squirt bottle and they scatter.

I just make sure to wipe down the counter with a disinfecting wipe before I start cooking or do anything with the counter.


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## Milky's Mammy (Oct 17, 2011)

Milky usually likes to pace around when I'm preparing food, which is not a good time for him to go up. I just tell him no, pick him up and put him somewhere else or occupy him with some toys.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I tried. I gave up. Even if you train her to stay off when you're around, the minute you leave the house, she'll be having catnip counter martini parties and inviting all the neighborhood toms.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Since you have a kitty that likes counters you could discourage it, but I don't think it's worth the effort. Some cats are just very into everything and want to be where the action is and/or want to perch up high.

Having said that, I've never had a cat like that. Blacky never jumps on counters (unless the pool table counts but that's where her food is located; she's never even shown interest in _entering_ the kitchen unless she can't get out her cat door, then she figures the kitchen door upstairs is the next best bet to make a run to freedom... weirdo) and Blaze never did jump on counters for the first ~14 years, he's a little more into it now at 16 years of age, oddly enough but only when we're opening his food.


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

marie73 said:


> I tried. I gave up. Even if you train her to stay off when you're around, the minute you leave the house, she'll be having catnip counter martini parties and inviting all the neighborhood toms.


*nods*


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

The best thing you can do is keep your counters uninteresting. My girls will jump up, look around and jump back down now. If I'm doing dishes, they like to sit on the edge and keep me company, though, which I like. :grin:


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## Maureen (Jan 4, 2012)

Oh I like the idea of her keeping me company when I clean my dishes! Yes, I have a feeling that my being gone during the day and her liking the height, I will not win the countertop war. Thanks for the advice guys!!!


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

I'm sure mine does it because he knows he'll get attention. I cab tell by the way I leave things that I'm pretty sure he doesn't go up there when I'm not home.


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## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

We've utterly given up - but we do tell Gracie "_get_ *down*!!!" over and over, and she does, so she gets plenty of exercise jumping up and down from the counters repeatedly while we fix her dinner :roll:. Sometimes she gets shut out of the kitchen completely and she sulks under the dinner table until we slip up and leave a door open by mistake. Unfortunately, she's stolen enough bits of good food that she will never stop. We tend to get distracted easily at our house, and she has scored some major wins as far as food theft goes. 

Occasionally she will get punished by getting grabbed and smooched until she pouts...

Fran


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## catinthemirror (Jun 28, 2011)

Yeah I seem to remember when I first moved in with my Dad there was going to be a 'no cats on the table or counters' rule... That didn't last very long! I honestly can't see what the problem is with letting do what they want - we clean the counters, we don't just eat directly from the tabletop, it just doesn't seem like something to make an issue out of. At least for me it doesn't


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## Lyndzo (Dec 20, 2011)

It may not be a popular answer, but yes I do discipline my little one. She gets on the counters and tables, even the stove. My finaceé and I have a water bottle (set to mist mode) and the first couple of times we would spray her when she would do it. It wouldn't be in her face and it was a bit of mist, enough to get her to stop. Now when she does it, or starts to, I point the bottle at her and say "No" and she stops it. Don't even have to spray her.


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## Dominoes (Aug 28, 2011)

None of my cats get in the counter top. The male can't even jump that high (he's very clumsy and well, bad at jumping) and the female does manage but is not very interested in the counter at all.


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## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

She's on the floor, looking at the countertop, and I say "yeah, you're welcome to jump up but there's nothing interesting...." Sometimes I put junk mail, like newspaper flyers, on the countertops which Ritz loves to smell and sometimes tear apart. 
She is also afraid of most plastic bags. About a year ago, she got her paw caught in a plastic bag with a carton of (18) eggs in it. I found the eggs on walls all over the apartment, and the bag still caught on her paw. And a claw she lost on the floor. So if I put a plastic bag with groceries in it on the countertop, she shys away.
Course when I'm preparing her food for the week (raw), then it's whole different story. But the countertop is so crowded that there is no place for her to land. And she can tell by the one of my voice that she can't jump up. 
Morale of the story: don't put anything on the countertop you don't want your cat to investigate.


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## Jannerl (Jun 24, 2011)

My Yeti was a big offender too - I don't want him walking around on the kitchen counters (yuck) so I just say "No" firmly and lift him down. I had to do this over and over again (sometimes 4-5 times in a row) and he finally got the idea. Now he waits patiently on the floor while I get his food ready.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Jannerl said:


> My Yeti was a big offender too - I don't want him walking around on the kitchen counters (yuck) so I just say "No" firmly and lift him down. I had to do this over and over again (sometimes 4-5 times in a row) and he finally got the idea. Now he waits patiently on the floor while I get his food ready.


 And the minute you walk out the door he's checking out what's so great about the counter. hehe.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

> Unfortunately, she's stolen enough bits of good food that she will never stop. We tend to get distracted easily at our house, and she has scored some major wins as far as food theft goes.


THIS! This is the reason mine will never stop getting up on counter tops and tables. They all know the meaning of "GET _down_" quite well. It's just a matter of judging several factors on their part, whether or not they actually listen
-How close is the scolding human?
-How much did she mean it?
-Is she gonna get up and enforce it?


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

You can't disipline a cat. You can't milk one either Focker.

Mine have no interest in the counter tops but if they did the litter feet would just improve my immune system.


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## Goldtanker (Jan 9, 2011)

What is it with the fascination of higher places for cats?

One of the amazing things that impressed me (no experience with inside cats) was how Midnight, the wild cat, first jumped up on the recycle bin - totally without any knowledge of what was up there. What if there was no top? - he would be trapped forever. Now one of his favorite spots is on top of a storage cabinet in the garage. (Sure I have a pad up there for him now). Is it the height that is the attraction?


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## kwarendorf (Oct 12, 2009)

I decided it's not worth the struggle. One section gets nice sun and Franny likes it very much


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## Beth_Laubenthal (Oct 24, 2011)

Goldtanker said:


> What is it with the fascination of higher places for cats?


In the wild, they are safe higher up. It allows them to observe their surroundings better. My Patches LOVES sleeping on top of the 7 foot entertainment center. She loves it so much that she has cleared everything off of it so she can lay anywhere up there.

Anyways, in the wild, a cat would not be able to see a predator easily if he was on the ground. However, higher up, they can see danger and danger may not necessarily be able to see them.


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## yksin (Jan 11, 2012)

Cats like being high up because they can keep an eye on their surroundings that way, & it's also a safety thing especially if there are dogs or young children around. It's really just in their nature — their natural geography is both horizontal _and_ vertical, unlike us humans and our canine companions, who don't spend so much of our lives climbing trees (or sitting on top of refrigerators or bookshelves).

If you don't want them on your kitchen counters, there are some ways to at least discourage it, if not necessarily completely prevent it. But cats don't get along so well with being "disciplined" (negative consequences), which mainly just cause stress which can lead to additional problems.

Two things that can help:

(1) Find other alternative vertical places for them to be that both you & the cat can live with, like a good cat tree or an empty space on a bookshelf (that kitty has some other way to get to) or perches by a window. So you give the kitty someplace else from which to safely survey the surrounds. Cat trees can be really good too for scratching, especially really made cat trees with sisal or jute-covered posts that can be made even more appealing with occasional dosing with cat nip.

(2) Once you give your cat an alternative to the kitchen counter, _then_ create a deterrent. Get some plastic carpet runner and cut it down to the size of your kitchen counter, & lay it on the counter nubby side up every time you're not using the counter. Cats don't find the texture pleasant to walk on, so it deters them from wanting to be there. You can cut the runner into several pieces so that you can remove just one piece if you need to use a small part of the counter without removing the entire runner. (I've also seen mats specifically designed for keeping cats off surfaces.) You probably would only need to use the deterrent for awhile, until your cat gets used to having a much better place to hang out like a cat tree & comes to assume that the kitchen counter isn't so much fun.

You can also supplement this with other types of behavioral modification, for example by distracting the cat with play if you think s/he's heading for the counter, or clicker training techniques.

I highly recommend the book _Starting from Scratch: How to Correct Behavior Problems in Your Adult Cat_ by Pam Johnson-Bennett, who is a cat behavior expert. The book covers all kinds of behaviors that can create problems, & has a huge wealth of knowledge about they whys & wherefores of cat behavior, clicker training, playing with your cat, etc. There's also a briefer book, _Cat Training in 10 Minutes_ by Miriam Fields-Babineau, which is mainly about clicker training but also has a brief chapter on behavioral problems. Both books are available both in hard copy and in ebook forms like Kindle.

— Mel


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I don't allow Prince on the countertop when I'm handling a knife. Other than that, I myself bring dirt from outside, and I suspect not less than he does, even if I wash my hands the moment I come inside, my hair, clothes, everything is as dirty from the outside world (and from the litter in their boxes) as he is... Besides, I love for Prince to keep me company on the countertop, so I encourage him to climb up, actually. I never leave any knives with exposed blade in the sink or on the counter. I hide the blade under something he can't move.


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## littlesushi (Jun 8, 2011)

mine are allowed up there unless im cooking or preparing food (including their own). then after saying no and moving them a couple times off the counter, they stop and watch me from a distance.


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## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

LOL disciplining my cats. They discipline me.


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

Franny looks so comfortable in her sun spot.

I just keep my stock in the Clorox company since I use so many disinfectant wipes on the counters :fust.

I do keep my counters boring and that helps keep the surfing down, but it doesn't stop it completely.


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## yksin (Jan 11, 2012)

I once heard a story about a woman bragging to her friend, "My cat _never_ gets on the kitchen counter." "Oh yeah?" said her friend, and proposed an experiment. They dusted the counter with flour and went out to have coffee. Came back. The counter, of course, was covered with cat tracks.

— Mel


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Hahaha, loved it!!


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## bkitty (Aug 17, 2009)

We have a rule "no cats on the counters". And for the most part they stay off. Except for when they don't. Caught Methos sleeping on top the coffeepot the other day - apparently his toes were cold.


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

Mine very rarely get on the counter, and if they do it is usually Simone sneaking into the cabinet to get his bag of treats out (in which case he is being too clever to discipline lol). When they were little they would jump up there, and I would just pick them up and put them back on the ground. Now that they have a window seat right next to the counters, they just observe whatever I'm doing/cooking from the seat.


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## monsters mom (Apr 29, 2011)

No, when I'm cooking I'm in the kitchen and I'm only worried about them getting into food I'm preparing for my family. They have free access to any part of the house so far at least. My current long time kitty has never tried, my new kitty I'm unsure of. Now the top of the tv is another story, they seem to find the wires from everything irristable and I try really hard to discourage their interest.


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## Mhelmandollar (Dec 9, 2011)

If by raising my voice to tell them to get down is discipline than yes I do.


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## ~Siameseifuplz~ (May 6, 2007)

If they go on the counters we shoo them off, they rarely go up there anyways, there's nothing interesting. The kitchen table is a different story, no one is consistent enough at shooing them off for them to learn they have to stay down so they don't. The exception being when we are eating, they always get immediately shooed off if we are having a meal so they've learned to stay down during meal time. But during the day all of the sun in the kitchen falls on the table and they LOVE it.


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## wolfsnaps (Dec 26, 2011)

I am not a fan of cats on countertops. I made the mistake of putting Otis' food bowl there though, as I had nowhere else to feed her without my dogs eating it. I did find another place though, and now when she jumps I say "Get get get!" And shoo her off. We are getting to the point where just the words "get get get" are enough. 

Another tactic I may try is double sided tape or pepper. People have told me this works. Idk. I do find myself cleaning counters more often these days.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

It has taken me many years to learn that you cannot "discipline" a cat. If you have a need, you make far more progress by figuring out a way to guide it's behavior in a way that you would like.

I realize that doesn't have a heck of a lot to do with this thread. I just saw the word discipline and thought it would be a good time to remind myself that there is no form of post action punishment that I've found successful. Ever. lol

btw... Cat's aren't allowed on the kitchen counter tops in my house, and they do stay down when we are home. I won't be naive and say that they never get up there when we're gone though. They eat on a counter top in our laundry room so they have a habit of jumping up on them.


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## sprinkles (Dec 18, 2011)

Dave_ph said:


> You can't disipline a cat. You can't milk one either Focker.
> 
> Mine have no interest in the counter tops but if they did the litter feet would just improve my immune system.


Too funny!!

I personally don't mind, as long as I'm not preparing human food. I feel mean when our kitty enjoys it so much. He likes high places. I so want to get a bunch of shelves for him to have for his own.

Now, my hubby on the other hand...well, he's not happy at all about it. He reminds me frequently how he never wanted a cat! :-?


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

sprinkles said:


> He reminds me frequently how he never wanted a cat! :-?



At which point I would remind him that I don't really NEED a husband.  My SO is visiting this week and when he was staring at the cat on the counter I handed him a tub of clorox wipes and reminded him to only use them after they have vacated and are doing something else.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

My blind foster cats never knew there were counters to jump on! Adopt a blind cat!


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## ronss (Dec 12, 2010)

do not hit or yell at your cat, its a form of abuse...and they will not forget......cats will get on top of things, just there nature,,,,


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

I don't mind Robin getting on tabletops,or even countertops,but anything with WIRES... He's fascinated with the T.V. and dvd player. When I eject a disc,he starts to stalk the dvd player. He likes some shows,and loves the fade-out/tune-in pattern. But I don't let him ON,or BEHIND the T.V. I shoo him off.


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## 6cats4me (Apr 30, 2011)

Everything is fair game for my cats in my house! I gave up on knick knacks 
and ornaments a long time ago.....it's like having a house full of toddlers with six cats. 
I keep everything dangerous put away in cupboards or closets; less stress for all 
of us here that way.


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## Montesdad (Apr 6, 2012)

Soooo glad I'm not alone on this one, we tried, just cant keep them down, and we have a trouble maker that thinks hes entitled to try everything your cooking or preparing.
In fact we just got done bathing our Monte again because he thought he'd try some of the greasy ham glaze we had up there and managed to spill it all over himself before we could get him down. keeps us laughing for sure, by the way Dawn dishsoap worked wonders.


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## Kitty-The-Cat (Apr 8, 2012)

Maureen said:


> My Annabelle has recently started getting up on my kitchen countertop as if it is a "hangout" area. I would like to know your opinions on this topic. Do I say a loud "Ah Uh!" and snap and get her down? Or let her be?
> What do you do?


I can think of nothing more futile than trying to get a cat to stop jumping up on the countertops.

It doesn't bother me at all when my cat does this, I just let her do it whenever she pleases. It's a tad annoying sometimes when I'm making dinner, but really isn't a big deal.


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## Kitty-The-Cat (Apr 8, 2012)

Goldtanker said:


> What is it with the fascination of higher places for cats?


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