Can't keep cat off the counter

[biggiy05]

Callie is about a year old now and her nick name is terror or terrorist. She's fearless and likes to take on the other cats and act like she's boss. Problem is she thinks she's allowed to do whatever she wants and that includes getting on the counter and licking plats or getting into drinks. I've tried squirting her with a bottle of water but it hardly phases her now. When I get up and walk over she takes off running but comes right back up a few minutes later.

Anyone else ever have this problem? How can I keep the terrorist off the counter for good?

 

[geckoluv2187]

This is a very common that people have with their cats. Cats are much more stubborn than dogs. The best way to train cats is REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT. Choose a word that you will say to the cat when you don't want them to do a specific behavior. For example, ours is "get down". Every time you notice your cat doing the specific undesired behavior, say the word in a firm voice immediately (you may have raise your voice a bit). Make sure that you use the same word everytime, because cats do not speak english, they will not understand multiple different words.. You will probably need to repeat yourself, and if they don't listen then you should physically stop them from doing it, so that the point drives home. Cats have short attention spans, so if you wait too long to say your buzz word or stop the behavior, they won't understand why they're being punished. Your word can also be followed by a squirt in the face, I know it seems cruel, but most cats are less concerned about being squirted if its on their body, and they'll get over it pretty quickly. Training a cat takes diligence and patience. Just like the dog whisperer would say, you have to train yourself to train your animal. I hope this helps, don't loose faith, let those kitties know who's boss! I have a lot of experience with cats, I worked with cat rescue for 6 years and have been a vet tech for 5. I have 8 kitties living together. So if there's any questions I can answer for you, or if you need anymore advice, feel free to ask!

 

[OSUgecko]

I've also heard of people putting a small concentration of vinegar in the squirt bottle water. Cats are supposed to hate the smell/taste and it's supposed to give an added "punch" to the punishment of being squirted. I've never tried it myself so I can't testify to its effectiveness.

 

[BalloonzForU]

I swear my one cat knows by the tone of my voice when I say her name if she's done something wrong. But she's 11 not 1. She never got up on the counters so that was always a safe place to keep food. However if it's in reach and you have left it unguarded she'll steal it, then the dog steals it from her.... he knows better than to take food off my plate just steals if from the cat. lol

 

[geckoluv2187]

I've also heard of people putting a small concentration of vinegar in the squirt bottle water. Cats are supposed to hate the smell/taste and it's supposed to give an added "punch" to the punishment of being squirted. I've never tried it myself so I can't testify to its effectiveness.

I wouldn't recommend this. Vinegar is corrosive and if it gets in their eyes, nose or an open wound, it could potentially have harmful effects. It can also be toxic if ingested (say by cleaning themselves). There are special sprays that are designed to keep cats from chewing or licking undesired things, but I wouldn't spray those directly on the cat unless the bottle says its ok to do so.

 

[MSMD]

I have 6 cats, all with their own individual personalities (most of them naughty lol). This is a big issue with us. All of the cats KNOW that being on the counters is bad "when Mom or Dad is around". The have been scolded (sprayed with a water bottle, etc.) when up there, so they have simply learned that it's ok when we're not around. I NEVER see them up there, just hear little kitty feet hitting the wood floors when I'm on my way downstairs. Smart little buggers!

Anyway, I have combined my dog training background and a little bit of inginuity and found that remote training devices to be the best thing. "Remote" as in I am not directly correcting them, not as in I put a shock collar on the kitties! Sometimes double stick tape works, as they hate the feeling on their feet! You can do this by taking a sheet or sheets of poster board, cut, taped together to fit the counter and put the tape on that and set it on the counter when not around. My more persistant kitties don't seem to care. The BEST thing I've found is the plastic carpet-runner stuff with the pokey back (like the kind Grandma has on the carpeting so no one actually walks on it :main_yes: ). I just cut this to fit counter/table tops and put the pokey side up. It's not sharp enough to harm a cat, but is uncomfortable to walk/sit/lay on.

Sorry about the long thread! Hope this helps!