Letting your cat stay on top of the counter as you prepare food may look appealing; however, that poses many risks. First, your cat may land on sharp cutleries on the counter, which means an unexpected visit to the vet.
Secondly, your cat may lick human food left on the counter, and that might result in severe tummy issues. Lastly, it’s not hygienic letting your cat access the counter. With that said, it is always prudent to stop this behavior of counter-surfing before it becomes a significant behavioral issue. Before learning how to keep your cat off the counter, here is why your feline likes staying on the counter.
Why Does My Cat Like Staying On Top Of The Counter?
Pleasant Food
Human food scraps can leave a fantastic aroma that entices your cat to access the counter. And if you leave them unattended, your cat won’t hesitate to gobble them up.
Cats like Staying on Top
It’s in cat’s genes to like perching on high places. More so, they are athletic.
Even the cat’s cousins in the wild will perch on high places to stay safe or look over their territory.
And in this case, your domesticated cat may perch on the counter to watch over where he reigns.
Curiosity
Well, we all know which animal is known for being curious, the cat! Thus the reason your cat might like spending time on the counter is to quench his curiosity. Another reason is that your cat could be bored, or he’s looking for the kitchen tap to quench his thirst.
How to Stop Cat From Jumping On The Counter
Now that you know why your cat likes being on top of the counter, it will be much easier to develop ways to nip off this budding behavior. As always, consistency and patience will be vital. And still, what might work for your neighbor’s cat might be different from yours. Moreover, you may need to augment various measures to keep your cat off the counter.
1 Keep the Counter Clean and Remove All Food Scraps
If your cat is attracted to scraps on the counter, you better remove them and dispose of them in a bin. Although you might not be a fan of it, ensure you have cleaned dishes after mealtime. If tired, throw them inside the dishwasher.
Also, ensure you have removed all distractions on the counter that may be enticing your cat to mount the kitchen counter. Instead of hanging that shiny pan on the wall, lock it inside a cupboard. Also, remember to remove those dangling folks that keep luring your cat on the counter.
2 Place an Aluminum Foil
A cat on the counter won’t stay for long if you place an aluminum foil on top. The slippery feeling of aluminum makes it uncomfortable for the cat.
Besides the slippery nature, cats also don’t like the sound the aluminum foil makes when disturbed. After sticking the aluminum foil on the counter, your cat will instead perch on his cat tree rather than stay on the kitchen counter. The only drawback is that this aluminum foil might derail you as you work on the counter.
3 Offer an Alternative
Your cat is glued on the counter because there is no other option. If you want to stop your cat from jumping on the counter, look for an alternative perching point. For example, look for a cat tree or cat tower that allows your cat to play or sprawl out easily. If you are a DIY fanatic, you can use that bookshelf that you have not been utilizing.
4 Spray a Deterrent on Counter
You can also spray a deterrent on the counter to stop your cat from accessing it. An example is peppermint essential oil, which most cats don’t like. You can also use lemon oil or lavender as a deterrent. Ensure you have sprayed it generously on areas you see your cat like staying. Worth noting, don’t spray your cat with these deterrents.
5 Apply a Sticky Tape
Another tip to keep your cat off the counter is using double-sided tape on the counter. Your cat won’t like the adhesive once on its paws. And after landing on it, your furry friend will rather sleep on the couch than stay on the counter. Make sure you have fixed the tape near the edges where your cat lands when trying to perch on the counter.
The downside of this double-sided tape is that the adhesive left may be hard to clean. Also, you might have to keep on replacing the tape every two days. Lastly, this double-sided tape might give you a hard time as you work on the counter.
6 A Cat Fountain Might Be the Answer
If your cat likes the counter since there is running water, you can quickly put this behavior to a stop. You can get a water fountain and fix it in another place in the house. With that, you will have fulfilled your cat’s desire to access running water. Still, you will have eliminated the dangers that come with letting your cat access the top of the counter.
While still at this, if your cat seems to drink lots of water, then speak to a vet. Perhaps your cat might be having diabetes or kidney problems.
7 Remove the Climbing Aid
Sometimes the availability of a launching pad makes it easier for your cat to access the counter. And removing such a launching aid will keep your cat off the counter. You might need to remove that stool or stairs that have been making it easy for your cat to access countertops.
8 Distract the Cat Before It Jumps
Distracting your furry friend before jumping is one crucial tip in this list of how to keep your cat off the counter. You can clap your hands the moment you see your cat preparing to jump on the counter. Distracting your cat using a high-valued treat right before jumping may also work.
You can get a pleasant toy that you know your cat won’t let but get into playing with you. You can also give your cat puzzle toys that will occupy it.
9 How to Keep Your Cat Off The Counter: Remove the Main Attraction
What’s drawing your cat to jump on the counter? Is it the sun rays that allow your cat to sunbathe on top of the counter? Then the best option is to pull down the blinds and block the rays. If it’s a hanging birdcage near the window, you can push it away from the view of your cat’s sight.
Essential Tips on How to Keep Your Cat Off the Counter
- Don’t kick your cat when it’s on the counter- this type of negative punishment won’t help.
- Don’t push your cat off the counter as that might lead to severe injuries– instead, pick your cat slowly and put it on the floor.
- Don’t splash your cat on the counter with water.
- Talk to an animal behaviorist if the tips provided here on keeping your cat off the counter won’t work.
Final Thoughts on How to Keep Your Cat on Counter Away
Having a cat who spends most of the time on the kitchen counter isn’t great. If you have such a furry friend, this counter-surfing behavior needs to be stopped. By following all these tips, it will be much easier to live with your furry friend without any commotions or fearing any danger might arise.
Difficult keeping our two off the worktops, they sleep in the kitchen! L 2 Norwegian Forest cats they’ve slept there since kittens with the dogs. Thier beds on the countertops! Although they spend time on the window sills/ the girl even tried the cooker hood. They’ve learnt not to jump up on the counters whilst I’m cooking, by being constantly put back down when little, I’ve an old child’s wooden chair that helped them when little. They are shut in because if we shut bedroom door the male sits meowing to be in, but he’s over 7 kg and prefers my chest to curl up on!
They are not allowed to roam (written into contract on purchase) he’s again far to friendly , so have a garden run. Missing for 40 hrs when he finally decided to come home he stopped to have a chat with an elderly couple! I was doing the rounds again calling him when I saw him lol.