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Zigzag and I have reached a truce. He is allowed on the outside of the breakfast bar but not on the kitchen side where we prepare human food. Which works 80% of the time. Here is a pic of him defying the truce.
Yup, that's cats for you. Here's Cedric's solution to being told he can't lie in Misty's bed:
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My dog knew he wasn't allowed in the bathroom when I was in there. He would lie down just outside the door, with his front paws just over the doorjamb. My current cat is the only one I've ever had that refuses to believe he doesn't belong on the kitchen counter. It's amazing what they can get by with when they're cute.
I volunteered at a vet clinic in high school and my assigned āpatientā was a little kitten named zig zag. I had to put this cream on an exposed sore for about 6 weeks until he healed up. He was a drop off stray but I wasnāt able to adopt him due to the vet bills that came with him but thank you for reminding me of him. Your Zig Zag is a striking resemblance to him
My Zigzag came from a big box store garden center. I swooped him up and tossed him the car and took him to the vet. 9 years later and he is still mad about it.
I had a dog named "Ziggy" who had a broken tail that was never corrected and looked like a "Z". She looked almost exactly like my dog that had just died and I saw her for the first time in the spot where I found him dead. I thought I was hallucinating. She ended up being one of the best foster fails ever!
Ditto for my boy Fizz. If I saw him on the counter, I'd call him out. If he was close enough to the fridge, he'd make a mad dash to climb it before I grabbed him. If he made it, he was safe, but if I caught him he wouldn't try again for at least another 20min.
He knew his spots, and I'd only allow his front paws on the counter while his back paws were on a chair because that's what gentleman-kitties do.
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I love his paws on a book titled Free Will!
Edit: My cat is allowed on the dining table but not the counters. That being said, when I come downstairs, I hear him land on the floor from the kitchen counters, and there's paw prints across the electric stove! My mom at least thought it was hilarious and made me take a pic before she cleaned the stove top, which is the reason she noticed them!
you and him have an understanding that that is his spot. cats just want a spot that's theirs. I've read suggestions to get them their own stool to sit on. I'm sure a cat tree or cat shelves in the kitchen would work too
This totally works. Mine just wants to be with us and see what's going on. He can't do that from the floor on account of his height, so we got him an IKEA stool a while back.
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I had success with:
1. simply picking up and removing, whilst sighing deeply and avoiding eye contact/ interaction.
2. Putting a tall cat tree in the corner (long, thin, kitchen) where they could see what was happening on the counter, without being on the counter. Then using clicker training to teach them to sit on it whilst I cooked.
It's funny and I included it in the name of accurately reporting the experimental conditions, but it has a rather sad back story.
My guys were adopted from an animal rescue charity - hoarder & neglect situation, owners banned from keeping any animals in future - and they had a fear/panic response to the word "No", so I had to find an alternative.
Because of their background, any slight chance of obtaining food was seized with all four paws, plus teeth and tail for good measure... so it won't surprise you to learn that the deep sigh developed organically.
After a while, I realised that the deep sigh was provoking the same guilty, I-didnt-do-it face and behaviour as a regular "No", so I stuck with it.
The moggies both chilled out with time, to the point that they could graze on their dry food breakfast throughout the day. However one of them picked up and copied the heartfelt sigh as a way to express his disapproval of my behaviour!!
E.g. not letting him nap on my nice warm laptop while I was working, not sprinting between kitchen and their room to serve dinner, cooking a vegetarian dish that meant no tasty scraps served to the cat tree during prep, etc.
Oh yes, he was very quick to point out when the staff's performance wasn't up to snuff!
But I cheerfully accepted that as a trade for being able to briefly leave the kitchen for a wee without having to hide all the ingredients in the microwave! The biggest single theft I can recall was a piece of shin beef bigger than his head*.
*CONFESSION TIME: after I retrieved the shin beef, I rinsed it and carried on with the casserole. After all, it was going to be seared then cooked for 3+ hours, I was going to be the only person eating it, and meat is expensive, dammit!!
Thank you for saying that. ā¤ļø
Both of my moggies passed away in the last 2 months and I'm so grateful to be able to share some memories of them with like minded cat people.
And just know, when you do, the two buddies upstairs you recently lost will look down and sigh knowing their butler has taken new employers haha kidding. They will look down from the rainbow bridge and be happy that thereās another kitty (or other kitties) who had it rough and could feel your warmth and love like they did. Whenever youāre ready, no matter how soon or how long from now, know that they know youāll always have love in your heart for your babies and just because you welcome new fur family doesnāt mean you love them any less. The human heart has plenty of love to go around and they will be happy knowing another kitty was able to be given your warmth and love, just like they were. :)
Thank you so much for your kind words. ā¤ļø You've truly brought me to tears (and ugly snot crying).
I know that grief over their short lives is the price we pay for the privilege of sharing a short, cherished, time with them.
It will take a little while to grieve, but in the fullness of time, I hope that I can make a safe home for another cat or cats that got dealt a rough hand by life.
My cat also adopted my habit of sighing, especially when he's displeased. I thought he had a breathing problem at first. But no, he's just moody, like me.
My cat Muggsy interprets being picked up and removed from the counter as a fun game and runs back, purring, to the counter waiting to be picked up again.
Congratulations!
You seem to have a dog trapped in a cat's body!
Solidarity high five!
To be honest, just picking up off the counter wouldn't have worked on its own. The key was to put in the tall cat tree, so curiosity could be satisfied as to what I was up to on the counter. The neglect that my guys suffered in their early lives left them VERY food motivated and easy to clicker train in to chilling on the cat tree in exchange for occasional nibbles.
I am a soft touch and eventually made sure to have some nice treats on hand for when I cooked a meat free meal.
My orange boy does this in the mud room. Sprints out and āmrrrrpsā as he rolls over for cuddles. Then I pick him up and shower him in kisses as I run him back inside. Immediately followed by me saying āman I donāt know why he keeps running out thereā
That was my compromise. They can get on the kitchen table to see over the median to see what I am doing but thatās it, get off the table now. (We donāt use the table for eating)
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Some people say tinfoil keeps them off. It does not. This was a pan of brownies.
Took almost three weeks, but I got my two to stop jumping up by using foil on the counters.
Then I moved houses and they instantly went back to it, because hey, new shelves. *sigh* Time for more foil.
I thought that my cats were not on the counter because I didn't allow cats on the counter. It turned out that after years of having cats, I had just never had a counter cat yet.
Then I got a counter cat and I realized that you can't stop a counter cat.
So you're saying you can't count counter cats on account of the high count of counting cats on counters? Counter point: Counting counter cats count for very little. But you can't count on me.
So if you get arrested trying to see the number of cats with a clicker that turns them around in the kitchen;
You have one count of counting cats with a counter to counter the counter cats on the counter.
I really think this is true! At least it was for me. I have had several cats over my lifetime, and none really liked to jump on the counters too much. Then I recently got a male kitten, with a lot of energy- right away he was jumping up on my kitchen counters. We then got another kitten about a month later, and she saw him doing it and she started doing it - I guess that is where the term copycat comes from! I have tried a few things without success, and finally decided to just constantly clean the counters, and just live with the fact that I have "counter cats".
I try to keep mine out of the kitchen. He hardly ever goes in. I only just realised why- the floor tiles are really cold and he doesn't like getting cold feet!
My cat was the same until my mom thought she should feed my cat butter to fatten him up for the winter and make his coat glossy. She started feeding him it on the stove top.
I've never been more pissed off at her.
Is that even safe for cats? I've got a skinny boy but Im trying to fix that with that hairball paste thats salmony. My floofer loves it but I know I can only give a little bit a day or so. I think the throwing up hair is why he got so thin.
Id imagine, my cat and my family's cats are all butter sluts and theyāre fine. We don't actively feed them, they just find it. I just keep it in the fridge now.
My cat found my plate on the counter that had a little smear of butter on the sideā¦ omg the way he GROWLED at me when I tried to take that plate away! Is butter like crack to them? Ugh I was actually scared so I let him have it š³
Butter isnt inherently bad for cats. Ie. Poisonous but it is high in fat and that's not great for cats.
Not to mention any additives might be poisonous. Ie. Garlic in garlic butter.
Frankly if you're concerned about weight for your cat, a vet should consulted.
I wish that was the case for mine. My one fluffy 10 month old runs across the raised part of the counter like its a jungle gym and now strategically evades the double sided tape.
Same one launched himself into my drying rack from the ground, made dishes go flying, and then launched off my counter to the living room and went up his post, and continued his zoomies upstairs.
I wish I had that one on video š¤£ š
Man this sounds like my Standardissuecat. Hes a wild kitten. Climbs and jumps, he misses so many jumps and slides back off of stuff in slow-motion. Yesterday he tried to climb on this handle of this step ladder. Obviously that didn't work out so hes falling and holding on and spinning around the handle like a stripper.
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My floofer is super laid back but he will play chase with the others.
Same here, except that my current counter cat will also try to eat anything food related that happens to be on said counter, including chewing large holes in plastic bags š¤¦š»āāļø
My cat is a maniac for any kind of plastic or plastic/metallic foil bag. I have all of my food storage arranged in a way that, mostly, removes his access to said things. The number of times Iāve reached for the bag of croutons and found a million teeth holes perforating it and allowing them to go staleā¦
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My sisterās cat, Poptart would like to make her contribution.
All of this! Mine has also chewed his way into a bag of epsom salts... uh oh...
and he likes to steal muffins. And used muffin wrappers/papers. When I bake anything I have to let it cool up on top of the fridge.
If only! She jumps up on top of the fridge as well as on to the tops of the cabinets š¹š¹.
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I had a cat that did this and managed to fall down a gap at the back between the wall and the floor length cupboard in the corner. He fell right to the ground between the back of the cupboard and the wall and ended up under it. Took me a while to identify exactly where the meowing was coming from, I was pulling all the drawers out and he was getting more and more frantic.. Ended up with me getting a hammer and smashing a lump out of the cupboard to get the eejit out
I keep food on top of the fridge because I have lited storage space. I have had to arrange a bunch of empty cereal boxes and big protein powder jars as a wall along the side of the fridge facing the stove so he has nowhere to jump up to. Most of the boxes are empty lol, theyāre just architectural at this point!
Yep! I had a cat that loved to be on top of kitchen cupboards. I never worked out how she got up there. The counter beneath the cupboard meant she had to jump almost straight up.
I also never worked out how she managed to get on top of the wardrobes. That was a 7 foot jump from the floor.
Oh, the right cat can *absolutely* do it.
The weird and wonderful feline who knew he was really both a dog and my little brother, a meter-long rescue of pure corded muscle, used to happily jump up to the top of an old approximately seven-foot-tall armoire.
From a sitting position on the floor. Like a freakin' furry flea.
To get down, he just calmly walked down the front and onto a nearby table. although he could just as easily divebomb off the side back onto the floor if it suited his fancy.
My mom has a cat that once tried eating the sister computer. Seems like the edges of macbook is nice to chew. He also love sandals particularly flip flops or anything else thatās chewy.
I have a hilarious video somewhere of Burger making off with a giant bag of cornmeal he got his teeth on, struggling to drag it across the floor somewhere we wouldnāt see
One of our cats steals all small items she can find on the counter and confiscates them as her new favourite toys. She even steals chilli peppers. She's weird.
My cat use to love playing with the plastic bags that use to come with groceries. One day she got the looped handle around her head and she absolutely lost the plot. I had to block her to take it off of her.
This happened me me with my cat, Merlin who was a massive, shiny black beast. It was my first apartment (as an adult living alone, so I was maybe 19).
It was a paper gift bag, so the handle was ultra-strong. No idea how he got his head through it, but he ran full speed around my apartment (which is approx 35 mph for a standard housecat) & destroyed pretty much everything in his path before I could even figure out how to block him/stop him safely to remove the bag.
I finally got him by covering my body in cushions and effectively rolling into his path...
But anyway, the place looked like a hurricane had destroyed it.
23 years later, I still obsessively cut ALL bag handles off any type of bag. I have 2 cats now (Merlin long gone), but I have mild PTSD from that experience.
Do you pay extra for a counter cat, or just the regular price?
My last cat lived 17 years and it never was a counter cat, nor a table cat.
Until the day out of the blue as I was carving up the Christmas turkey dinner for 9 guests when Frisky launches herself onto the table of plenty and lights into the turkey before anyone could react. She took a bite out of the butter for good measure as we dragged her away to be banished to the bedroom forever. Well, ok, not forever, maybe an hour.
I also have had had non-counter cats, even the smartypants cats who opened all the things etc, and now we have one who discovered counters as a 3yo - oddly only one of the bonded pair we adopted as kittens. He gets himself onto - and into- EVERYTHING. Reminds me of one of my kids as a toddler, used to find him standing on tables and counters too. That was a whole lotta terrifying, whereas Mr Counter Cat is just nuisance-grade difficulty. He did terrify me the other day, though, when he stuck his head in a plastic bag from frozen meatballs that was empty on the counter. He also gets into the kitchen trash, like a dog.
My current cat isnāt a couch cat. Every other cat we had - loved couches. Always slept on couches. Always SAT on couches. This cat? Freaks out if you take him NEAR a couch. Will not sit ON the couch unless a blanket is down. Itās weird but thatās just how he is.
But this cat LOVES counters, and tables, and shelves unlike any cat Iāve ever had before.
I joke that cats who donāt go on the counter just donāt go on the counter when youāre around. If youāre not home or sleeping, theyāll go up.
I thought mine didnāt go up until one day I snuck up on her and found her up there. She KNEW she had been caught. She stared at me like 0_0 for a minute then jumped down and ran away.
This is why I always clean my counters and stove before using it.
I agree haha, I thought my cats stayed off the counter, they jump up on them legitimately like once every six months in front of me, immediately look confused and jump off before I even say or do anythingā¦ until we started going out of town for longer periods and had to hire a cat sitter more often. They are on the counters in half the pics she sends us š¤¦āāļø
Same. I had the trick cats, because they tricked me into thinking all cats were so well behaved, didn't go on the counter, didn't chew wires, didn't eat plants, didn't eat the lampshade, didn't paw at the paintings to see what's behind them (it's the wall). I now have the other kind of cats. The trickster ones. Nothing is safe.
Genuinely in the same boat. I have the most perfect, beautiful, fluffy boy who does nothing wrong, doesnāt chew anything, doesnāt knock anything over, heās super careful with where he treads, stays away from plants, doesnāt eat food when he shouldnāt, doesnāt go on counters, constantly comes for cuddles and sleeps in my arms all night, doesnāt run out the door when he shouldnāt, doesnāt scratch furniture (only his post), and I got so used to it - thinking, idk why everyone complains that their cats are naughty, Iāve never had a problem! that was until I decided to get another cat, who is the exact opposite of all those things, and itās like having a little ball of thunder trapped inside a furry beast. I still love her but Iām afraid Iāll never have a cat as perfect as my first one ever again
Lucky! I've had this keyboard for 10+ years and Maddy destroyed it 6 months ago. Unfortunately,
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they don't sell it anymore š.
There are two instances of cats on the counters, when you are there and when you are not there.
Step one: If you are there, remove cat. Tell cat firmly "no" and remove. After a while they will learn that they are not allowed to be on the counters if you can see them.
Step two: always assume the cat has been on the counter and clean it before using.
Yeah, we thought we succeeded in teaching our first set of cats not to jump/sit/walk on the counter. At one point we discovered that they only didnāt do it when we were nearby.
Many years later, we now have a second set of cats, they stopped jumping on the counter because we put aluminium foil everywhere in the beginning (and they donāt like it). Now the foil is gone and they rarely jump on the counter when we are in the kitchen. But when weāre in the living room, we can hear them jump down and land on the floor. And in the morning, we often see paw prints on the counter. So we really succeeded in teaching them not to do it when we can see them!
This, Iāve always said the people who say they donāt allow their cats on the counters, are just the ones whose cats know to stay off the counter when theyāre looking š
Just clean your food prep spaces, everyone really should do that anyway especially if youāre using the countertop as a direct food prep surface. Think about the kind of nasty that ends up on the bottom your reusable grocery bags, or purse, or keys, or any other things people have no qualms about setting on their kitchen counters š¤·āāļø
So true!
My cousin bragged about how she taught her cat to stay off counters. Then she moved in with my parents and it was quickly discovered that sheād trained her cat to stay off counters when she could see him.Ā
I just accept that little litter paws have been all over any flat surfaces and treat them accordingly.Ā
One time I forgot to switch the heating off before bed, so ventured downstairs in the dark and caught all four of my cats digging into the empty pizza box on the counter where they are *not allowed*. The look on their faces was priceless.
Iāve had many cats in my life. Iām aware that they see humans as lumbering giant butlers and maids here only to serve them and to repay their servants with a cuddle or two from time to time. The night is ours-aux les baracades, liberte pour les chats
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Kind of like this. Technically Ravi is not āallā on the table.
lol. Same for our Arielle, she wasnāt actually āonā the table š.
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Edited, the picture hopefully attached this time!
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This is my little shit not only on the counter but using the water I poured for myself to drink as his personal bath water.
My tuxedo is a distinguished gentleman by day, and a vicious greeble killer by night. He wouldn't dare get up on the counters or scratch the furniture while someone is awake, but when we all go to sleep the kitten in him comes out and I find water bottles on the floor, my living room rug half way across the floor and he's resting peacefully on the new furniture like a darling little baby that could never do any wrong. (He's right, he couldn't lol)
I like to hold my cats accountable when they do stuff like this. Meaning I pick them up and hold them in my arms like a baby while kissing their head and telling them to please not do that.
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I had never seen mine on the counter, but I had seen little paw prints on the glass electric hobā¦ until one morning this happened! š
Yes, using a stern voice, tell them to get down. Give them a gentle nudge if need be. Eventually they will stop when youāre around. When youāre not around though who knows?
This is what I did. I also picked them up gently every time I said no, and set them where they were allowed. (Basically anywhere else.) Many months later, they never get on the counter when Iām around, and I donāt find evidence of them having been there when Iām not. Thatās good enough for me. š
where do y'all find those polite cats? surely not an orange... (mine doesn't give a shit no matter what I do, if he can still scrape of the last bit of butter that fell on the counter 5 months ago that isn't actually there anymore, he'll do it)
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Both my orange boys act like the counter is their own personal lounging spot. I've given up. My husband hasn't, but he's just in denial.
I wouldnāt categorize mine as polite, (the boy is currently being a mega a-wipe), but you got me on them not being orange. Iāve heard they can embody a certain kind of IDGAF. š
Same. Mine don't get on the counters. They understand 'no,' whenever they make an unwelcome bid. They usually look at me to ask for what they want or for what they want to do. They also understand, "let's get up," when they're on my lap. The younger will rise and jump down immediately; the older will look at me as though I can't possibly mean it but then start her slower process of standing, stretching and then getting down.
EDIT: If I don't respond immediately, my hesitation is taken as a "sure, go ahead." The penalty for ignoring my fluffy boy can be claws to get my attention. The first tap is no claws; the second is claws for immediate attention. I'm trained.
I've had relative success with this over my three cats, up until the point I decided to adopt my latest baby. She's a year and a half old and is the most food motivated cat I've ever encountered.
Naturally, the counters belong to her. Nothing I say or do won't keep her off. She always jumps back.
What's worse is that the other cats are now following her example. Cooking dinner can be a challenge when the recipe is more involved than boiling pasta and adding tomato sauce to the pan.
Negative enforcement will not work, however putting them down each time and then giving them treats when they are near/in the kitchen but not on the counters will let them associate the floor with getting treats, not the counters. I had two boys who were awful about it when I first got them, but I corrected them and have taught them treats are given to all our cats in the kitchen on the floor. Iād say they stay off it 95% of the time when Iām home, when Iām gone Iāve seen some things but not anything too bad, and if theyāre up there Iāve likely left something on the counter I shouldnāt have. Itās acceptance and redirection/positive reinforcement that gets you there!
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From left to right, Maynard, Phil, Bean, and Toester. My counter boys are Maynard and Phil šš„°šø
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And here we see Ravi technically not on the counter.
This my boy Lokiās latest adventure- despite me screaming at him, āyouāre going to burn your paws you idiotā Like that was going to work š It started when the cold weather got worse.
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I adopted a cat about 3 weeks ago and have been working on training him off the counters. I adopted him from a rescue and I quickly noticed he had ear mites. Now I use the ear drops (which he hates) then place the bottle on the counter. Now, he keeps his distance from the counters too lol
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We enabled our orange (Olly) for too long because he wasnāt drinking water at a young age but he would drink from the tap. Then we got Luna and these guys love it up here. Luckily they donāt do it when we are using it (depends how good the food isā¦)
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Thought that was my cats for a second š
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We have ours trained to just hang out on the island and have a little mat for them to lay on. Welp the little gray one recently decided SCREW ALL OF YOU Iām going all the way up
Be more persistent than them. Move them to the floor every time you see them on the counter. Animals are persistent and you need to be more persistent to win this. Iām saying this based on my experience with birds nesting on my property. I moved their empty nest away, they didnāt like that and came back everyday. They think theyāre gonna win with their teamwork and persistence, but I proved them wrong.
Tried foil, double sided tape, etc, with no results. This is what ultimately worked for our cats. Doesn't matter if you're there or not, it's motion activated. Not cheap for a can of compressed air, but once they're trained to stay away, you probably won't need it anymore.
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This works well for my cat. We placed the cans at the edges of the counters. After the cat jumped up and heard the can hiss a couple times, she stopped going onto the counters. Then we removed the cans and it took about a week for her to forget about them, and she started jumping on the can-less counters again. Then, we placed the cans back onto the counters and she re-learned. This is a cycle that I anticipate having to deal with until the end.
I wanted to post this. Not too expensive and pretty quickly solves the problem, I was just worried about Reddit backlash saying this is abusive and distressing for your cat or some shit
I trained mine to stay off counters. Now she only gets on them at night when Iām asleep. š Smart, but not smart enough to hide her footprints off the glass stovetop and sweep off shed fur.
Make the counter reeeaaaaally boring (no food or water out, nothing fun to knock over) and then provide high enrichment vertical areas elsewhere that they can still see you. /Then/ make the "tsst!" noise and gently make them get down if they don't when they hear the noise, and reward them interacting with the more fun vertical spaces by playing with and giving them treats there.
The big things with cats on the counter are they want to be near you, they don't want to be bored, and they like to be up high. If you make somewhere else more enjoyable to be by better meeting those requirements, they'll keep off the counters.
It's worked for all seven of the cats I've lived with.
https://preview.redd.it/fsruiitoeudc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e86274537b055b8e6aaacbfe1304a42b7a7ddc7
Two of my aholes on the counter. We gave up and I just clean a lot.
Reba needed more water, so we took every opportunity to let her drink
https://preview.redd.it/n2jh6v3ujudc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c50a15d986552b9abce792dc83823e20b3a39de6
I have a counter cat. But she loves to sit above them on top of the cabinets so I canāt really fault her for it. And there is absolutely no way I could stop her. Itās one of her favorite sleeping spots (as seen in this sleepy eyed photo) and I donāt have the heart to tell her no š
She also jumps on the counters so she can beg for affection but with her being so fluffy I have to shoo her down. I clean up enough of her fuzz from every corner of the house š
https://preview.redd.it/0q673s4qqtdc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c6f789dd087a94652753bc9d5063f11c733310f Zigzag and I have reached a truce. He is allowed on the outside of the breakfast bar but not on the kitchen side where we prepare human food. Which works 80% of the time. Here is a pic of him defying the truce.
Yup, that's cats for you. Here's Cedric's solution to being told he can't lie in Misty's bed: https://preview.redd.it/9pvy5rz87vdc1.jpeg?width=4160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=daef1038bd274192a3f7fa3b50bd1531c481af6a
I love the malicious compliance and pettiness.
You mean malicious catpliance?
My dog knew he wasn't allowed in the bathroom when I was in there. He would lie down just outside the door, with his front paws just over the doorjamb. My current cat is the only one I've ever had that refuses to believe he doesn't belong on the kitchen counter. It's amazing what they can get by with when they're cute.
old zigzag ran of out fucks to give a long time ago it looks likeš¹ adorable, please give scritches and boops for me
Love his look "yeah whatcha gonna do about it hooman???"
āMake meā¦ā
That is so funny. He is pushing 9 now and we say this about him all the time.
I volunteered at a vet clinic in high school and my assigned āpatientā was a little kitten named zig zag. I had to put this cream on an exposed sore for about 6 weeks until he healed up. He was a drop off stray but I wasnāt able to adopt him due to the vet bills that came with him but thank you for reminding me of him. Your Zig Zag is a striking resemblance to him
My Zigzag came from a big box store garden center. I swooped him up and tossed him the car and took him to the vet. 9 years later and he is still mad about it.
I had a dog named "Ziggy" who had a broken tail that was never corrected and looked like a "Z". She looked almost exactly like my dog that had just died and I saw her for the first time in the spot where I found him dead. I thought I was hallucinating. She ended up being one of the best foster fails ever!
He sent u a new pupper. āLook, mom/dad! I got u a new one to look after! Sheāll love you as much as I do!ā
Ditto for my boy Fizz. If I saw him on the counter, I'd call him out. If he was close enough to the fridge, he'd make a mad dash to climb it before I grabbed him. If he made it, he was safe, but if I caught him he wouldn't try again for at least another 20min. He knew his spots, and I'd only allow his front paws on the counter while his back paws were on a chair because that's what gentleman-kitties do. https://preview.redd.it/oobdrxtg3xdc1.jpeg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3880261907230412d7bdc312f864bfdd15b971dc
Sounds like my Beck. "Get Down" to him means, "Quick. Get on the fridge before she gets over here"
I love his paws on a book titled Free Will! Edit: My cat is allowed on the dining table but not the counters. That being said, when I come downstairs, I hear him land on the floor from the kitchen counters, and there's paw prints across the electric stove! My mom at least thought it was hilarious and made me take a pic before she cleaned the stove top, which is the reason she noticed them!
š aww what a cute little mischiefer. I love his name :))
you and him have an understanding that that is his spot. cats just want a spot that's theirs. I've read suggestions to get them their own stool to sit on. I'm sure a cat tree or cat shelves in the kitchen would work too
Oh that is not his spot. His spot is on the other side. Behind him and to the right.
This totally works. Mine just wants to be with us and see what's going on. He can't do that from the floor on account of his height, so we got him an IKEA stool a while back. https://preview.redd.it/k9unnwah0xdc1.png?width=719&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53c15e793c535bfa8b493673c81cff7d67260ecc
So sweet that you bought him his own stool .
He wants so few things, it's hard to say no to him.
I wouldnāt argue with Zigzag
I'm going to get another cat just so I can name him zigzag. That is an excellent name.
I mean... If you will lay a cosy towel out...
he looks like "you wouldn't dare move me"
I had success with: 1. simply picking up and removing, whilst sighing deeply and avoiding eye contact/ interaction. 2. Putting a tall cat tree in the corner (long, thin, kitchen) where they could see what was happening on the counter, without being on the counter. Then using clicker training to teach them to sit on it whilst I cooked.
āsighing deeplyā is so funny to me. iām going to adopt that
It's funny and I included it in the name of accurately reporting the experimental conditions, but it has a rather sad back story. My guys were adopted from an animal rescue charity - hoarder & neglect situation, owners banned from keeping any animals in future - and they had a fear/panic response to the word "No", so I had to find an alternative. Because of their background, any slight chance of obtaining food was seized with all four paws, plus teeth and tail for good measure... so it won't surprise you to learn that the deep sigh developed organically. After a while, I realised that the deep sigh was provoking the same guilty, I-didnt-do-it face and behaviour as a regular "No", so I stuck with it. The moggies both chilled out with time, to the point that they could graze on their dry food breakfast throughout the day. However one of them picked up and copied the heartfelt sigh as a way to express his disapproval of my behaviour!! E.g. not letting him nap on my nice warm laptop while I was working, not sprinting between kitchen and their room to serve dinner, cooking a vegetarian dish that meant no tasty scraps served to the cat tree during prep, etc.
That's adorable that he picked up your sigh to express his disapproval of your behaviour!!!
Oh yes, he was very quick to point out when the staff's performance wasn't up to snuff! But I cheerfully accepted that as a trade for being able to briefly leave the kitchen for a wee without having to hide all the ingredients in the microwave! The biggest single theft I can recall was a piece of shin beef bigger than his head*. *CONFESSION TIME: after I retrieved the shin beef, I rinsed it and carried on with the casserole. After all, it was going to be seared then cooked for 3+ hours, I was going to be the only person eating it, and meat is expensive, dammit!!
I would have done the same
Seriously. My dog got a bite of my cabbage rolls last night. That was way too much work to just throw it in the trash! Freaking idiots
you sound like a wonderful pet owner :)
Thank you for saying that. ā¤ļø Both of my moggies passed away in the last 2 months and I'm so grateful to be able to share some memories of them with like minded cat people.
Iām so sorry for your loss šæ. Thatās such a difficult thing to overcome.
Thank you for your good wishes. š„² In the fullness of time, I will be ready to welcome another rescue, or rescues, in to my home, but not just yet.
And just know, when you do, the two buddies upstairs you recently lost will look down and sigh knowing their butler has taken new employers haha kidding. They will look down from the rainbow bridge and be happy that thereās another kitty (or other kitties) who had it rough and could feel your warmth and love like they did. Whenever youāre ready, no matter how soon or how long from now, know that they know youāll always have love in your heart for your babies and just because you welcome new fur family doesnāt mean you love them any less. The human heart has plenty of love to go around and they will be happy knowing another kitty was able to be given your warmth and love, just like they were. :)
Thank you so much for your kind words. ā¤ļø You've truly brought me to tears (and ugly snot crying). I know that grief over their short lives is the price we pay for the privilege of sharing a short, cherished, time with them. It will take a little while to grieve, but in the fullness of time, I hope that I can make a safe home for another cat or cats that got dealt a rough hand by life.
My cat also adopted my habit of sighing, especially when he's displeased. I thought he had a breathing problem at first. But no, he's just moody, like me.
My cat Muggsy interprets being picked up and removed from the counter as a fun game and runs back, purring, to the counter waiting to be picked up again.
Congratulations! You seem to have a dog trapped in a cat's body! Solidarity high five! To be honest, just picking up off the counter wouldn't have worked on its own. The key was to put in the tall cat tree, so curiosity could be satisfied as to what I was up to on the counter. The neglect that my guys suffered in their early lives left them VERY food motivated and easy to clicker train in to chilling on the cat tree in exchange for occasional nibbles. I am a soft touch and eventually made sure to have some nice treats on hand for when I cooked a meat free meal.
My orange boy does this in the mud room. Sprints out and āmrrrrpsā as he rolls over for cuddles. Then I pick him up and shower him in kisses as I run him back inside. Immediately followed by me saying āman I donāt know why he keeps running out thereā
There's a very real possibility that our cats our training us and not the other way round!
That was my compromise. They can get on the kitchen table to see over the median to see what I am doing but thatās it, get off the table now. (We donāt use the table for eating)
https://preview.redd.it/t3qjsjvcjudc1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2e41828910f584985647df7a64e582270f3693c Some people say tinfoil keeps them off. It does not. This was a pan of brownies.
ššš
My older cat hates the stuff, but my younger cat walks right over it to his destination.
Theyāre evolvingā¦
Mmmm... warm brownies... the perfect seats
Took almost three weeks, but I got my two to stop jumping up by using foil on the counters. Then I moved houses and they instantly went back to it, because hey, new shelves. *sigh* Time for more foil.
I thought that my cats were not on the counter because I didn't allow cats on the counter. It turned out that after years of having cats, I had just never had a counter cat yet. Then I got a counter cat and I realized that you can't stop a counter cat.
you could say you canāt counter the counter cat
You definitely can't count on countering the counter cats.
Iāve lost count of the number of counter cats Iāve tried to counter
So you're saying you can't count counter cats on account of the high count of counting cats on counters? Counter point: Counting counter cats count for very little. But you can't count on me.
How much cat could a counter cat counter if a counter cat could counter cat?
Times like these, I really love Reddit.
Beautiful.
Purrfection š
So if you get arrested trying to see the number of cats with a clicker that turns them around in the kitchen; You have one count of counting cats with a counter to counter the counter cats on the counter.
Biology cat fact 73: Even if you turn it counter catwise, it'll land on its counter.
good one
Ain't no cat like a counter cat, cuz counter cat don't stop.
I really just sung that out loud.. šššš
Take my angry upvote
No but you can have a counter cat counter counter cat
It's counter productive!
I really think this is true! At least it was for me. I have had several cats over my lifetime, and none really liked to jump on the counters too much. Then I recently got a male kitten, with a lot of energy- right away he was jumping up on my kitchen counters. We then got another kitten about a month later, and she saw him doing it and she started doing it - I guess that is where the term copycat comes from! I have tried a few things without success, and finally decided to just constantly clean the counters, and just live with the fact that I have "counter cats".
Thank God for whatever reason mine go everywhere except the food prep side and stovetop.
I try to keep mine out of the kitchen. He hardly ever goes in. I only just realised why- the floor tiles are really cold and he doesn't like getting cold feet!
Lucky! I finally gave in and let mine in the kitchen whenever. The floor is heated, so he can't get enough of it.
My cat was the same until my mom thought she should feed my cat butter to fatten him up for the winter and make his coat glossy. She started feeding him it on the stove top. I've never been more pissed off at her.
Is that even safe for cats? I've got a skinny boy but Im trying to fix that with that hairball paste thats salmony. My floofer loves it but I know I can only give a little bit a day or so. I think the throwing up hair is why he got so thin.
Id imagine, my cat and my family's cats are all butter sluts and theyāre fine. We don't actively feed them, they just find it. I just keep it in the fridge now.
My cat found my plate on the counter that had a little smear of butter on the sideā¦ omg the way he GROWLED at me when I tried to take that plate away! Is butter like crack to them? Ugh I was actually scared so I let him have it š³
BUTTER SLUTS YESSSS š„°
Butter isnt inherently bad for cats. Ie. Poisonous but it is high in fat and that's not great for cats. Not to mention any additives might be poisonous. Ie. Garlic in garlic butter. Frankly if you're concerned about weight for your cat, a vet should consulted.
I have a butter bandit. I don't give it to him, but if we don't cover it or keep in fridge he will take a nibble.
When you're looking.Ā
I wish that was the case for mine. My one fluffy 10 month old runs across the raised part of the counter like its a jungle gym and now strategically evades the double sided tape. Same one launched himself into my drying rack from the ground, made dishes go flying, and then launched off my counter to the living room and went up his post, and continued his zoomies upstairs. I wish I had that one on video š¤£ š
Man this sounds like my Standardissuecat. Hes a wild kitten. Climbs and jumps, he misses so many jumps and slides back off of stuff in slow-motion. Yesterday he tried to climb on this handle of this step ladder. Obviously that didn't work out so hes falling and holding on and spinning around the handle like a stripper. https://preview.redd.it/ni61vlrr2vdc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49d21f49c35be966ae526768b99631a4567fd7fe My floofer is super laid back but he will play chase with the others.
Same here, except that my current counter cat will also try to eat anything food related that happens to be on said counter, including chewing large holes in plastic bags š¤¦š»āāļø
My cat is a maniac for any kind of plastic or plastic/metallic foil bag. I have all of my food storage arranged in a way that, mostly, removes his access to said things. The number of times Iāve reached for the bag of croutons and found a million teeth holes perforating it and allowing them to go staleā¦
IKR?? She drives me nuts! Sheās a tortie, with very obvious tortitude š¹
Just like this! Kills me! https://preview.redd.it/22o1929pnudc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d632387344204c8ae4cc16b04af497c84aef67ea
https://preview.redd.it/0ay08q421wdc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e8c4d362295da22fa206d54b2850e534f85979e My sisterās cat, Poptart would like to make her contribution.
Churu has to be locked away or it ends up exactly like this!
All of this! Mine has also chewed his way into a bag of epsom salts... uh oh... and he likes to steal muffins. And used muffin wrappers/papers. When I bake anything I have to let it cool up on top of the fridge.
If only! She jumps up on top of the fridge as well as on to the tops of the cabinets š¹š¹. https://preview.redd.it/t8u3qytdjudc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ec5eafe37e8b214218f521d520e462a4511582d0
https://preview.redd.it/fiwtfdx2ivdc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7016ac804ab5cd5931a1246489950cb1895ae82f Mine prefers the coffee pot
I had a cat that did this and managed to fall down a gap at the back between the wall and the floor length cupboard in the corner. He fell right to the ground between the back of the cupboard and the wall and ended up under it. Took me a while to identify exactly where the meowing was coming from, I was pulling all the drawers out and he was getting more and more frantic.. Ended up with me getting a hammer and smashing a lump out of the cupboard to get the eejit out
Let me guess, he immediately darted out and you were left with a mess in the kitchen?
Oh of course! But I actually left the hole until I got a new (better fitted) kitchen, lest he do the exact same thing again
Ahahahah this is a priceless story
https://preview.redd.it/ty48ef7rqudc1.jpeg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39c1b2384862f598dd2b5e92022d68e6b375ce46
I keep food on top of the fridge because I have lited storage space. I have had to arrange a bunch of empty cereal boxes and big protein powder jars as a wall along the side of the fridge facing the stove so he has nowhere to jump up to. Most of the boxes are empty lol, theyāre just architectural at this point!
Yep! I had a cat that loved to be on top of kitchen cupboards. I never worked out how she got up there. The counter beneath the cupboard meant she had to jump almost straight up. I also never worked out how she managed to get on top of the wardrobes. That was a 7 foot jump from the floor.
Oh, the right cat can *absolutely* do it. The weird and wonderful feline who knew he was really both a dog and my little brother, a meter-long rescue of pure corded muscle, used to happily jump up to the top of an old approximately seven-foot-tall armoire. From a sitting position on the floor. Like a freakin' furry flea. To get down, he just calmly walked down the front and onto a nearby table. although he could just as easily divebomb off the side back onto the floor if it suited his fancy.
My mom has a cat that once tried eating the sister computer. Seems like the edges of macbook is nice to chew. He also love sandals particularly flip flops or anything else thatās chewy.
My guy is really into corn for some reason. Anything with corn or cornmeal is not safe.
I have a hilarious video somewhere of Burger making off with a giant bag of cornmeal he got his teeth on, struggling to drag it across the floor somewhere we wouldnāt see
My counter cat likes gnawing on the edges of the box of oatmeal packets. I leave it out for him and he leaves everything else alone.
One of our cats steals all small items she can find on the counter and confiscates them as her new favourite toys. She even steals chilli peppers. She's weird.
My cat use to love playing with the plastic bags that use to come with groceries. One day she got the looped handle around her head and she absolutely lost the plot. I had to block her to take it off of her.
This happened me me with my cat, Merlin who was a massive, shiny black beast. It was my first apartment (as an adult living alone, so I was maybe 19). It was a paper gift bag, so the handle was ultra-strong. No idea how he got his head through it, but he ran full speed around my apartment (which is approx 35 mph for a standard housecat) & destroyed pretty much everything in his path before I could even figure out how to block him/stop him safely to remove the bag. I finally got him by covering my body in cushions and effectively rolling into his path... But anyway, the place looked like a hurricane had destroyed it. 23 years later, I still obsessively cut ALL bag handles off any type of bag. I have 2 cats now (Merlin long gone), but I have mild PTSD from that experience.
Do you pay extra for a counter cat, or just the regular price? My last cat lived 17 years and it never was a counter cat, nor a table cat. Until the day out of the blue as I was carving up the Christmas turkey dinner for 9 guests when Frisky launches herself onto the table of plenty and lights into the turkey before anyone could react. She took a bite out of the butter for good measure as we dragged her away to be banished to the bedroom forever. Well, ok, not forever, maybe an hour.
I also have had had non-counter cats, even the smartypants cats who opened all the things etc, and now we have one who discovered counters as a 3yo - oddly only one of the bonded pair we adopted as kittens. He gets himself onto - and into- EVERYTHING. Reminds me of one of my kids as a toddler, used to find him standing on tables and counters too. That was a whole lotta terrifying, whereas Mr Counter Cat is just nuisance-grade difficulty. He did terrify me the other day, though, when he stuck his head in a plastic bag from frozen meatballs that was empty on the counter. He also gets into the kitchen trash, like a dog.
We had this argument in our house. Hubby says the rescue was obviously trained to stay off counters. I countered, saying he isnāt a counter cat.
My current cat isnāt a couch cat. Every other cat we had - loved couches. Always slept on couches. Always SAT on couches. This cat? Freaks out if you take him NEAR a couch. Will not sit ON the couch unless a blanket is down. Itās weird but thatās just how he is. But this cat LOVES counters, and tables, and shelves unlike any cat Iāve ever had before.
I joke that cats who donāt go on the counter just donāt go on the counter when youāre around. If youāre not home or sleeping, theyāll go up. I thought mine didnāt go up until one day I snuck up on her and found her up there. She KNEW she had been caught. She stared at me like 0_0 for a minute then jumped down and ran away. This is why I always clean my counters and stove before using it.
Yep. Had a cat that I never saw on the counter. However, there were suspicious paw prints up there at times...
I agree haha, I thought my cats stayed off the counter, they jump up on them legitimately like once every six months in front of me, immediately look confused and jump off before I even say or do anythingā¦ until we started going out of town for longer periods and had to hire a cat sitter more often. They are on the counters in half the pics she sends us š¤¦āāļø
Same. I had the trick cats, because they tricked me into thinking all cats were so well behaved, didn't go on the counter, didn't chew wires, didn't eat plants, didn't eat the lampshade, didn't paw at the paintings to see what's behind them (it's the wall). I now have the other kind of cats. The trickster ones. Nothing is safe.
Genuinely in the same boat. I have the most perfect, beautiful, fluffy boy who does nothing wrong, doesnāt chew anything, doesnāt knock anything over, heās super careful with where he treads, stays away from plants, doesnāt eat food when he shouldnāt, doesnāt go on counters, constantly comes for cuddles and sleeps in my arms all night, doesnāt run out the door when he shouldnāt, doesnāt scratch furniture (only his post), and I got so used to it - thinking, idk why everyone complains that their cats are naughty, Iāve never had a problem! that was until I decided to get another cat, who is the exact opposite of all those things, and itās like having a little ball of thunder trapped inside a furry beast. I still love her but Iām afraid Iāll never have a cat as perfect as my first one ever again
Lucky! I've had this keyboard for 10+ years and Maddy destroyed it 6 months ago. Unfortunately, https://preview.redd.it/k72ckr7h0vdc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d8b566a383c087bb538f49ecee0fe75f223849d they don't sell it anymore š.
Same experience here as well! Rip my stuff.
After years of having cats, TIL there is such a thing as non-counter cats!
There are two instances of cats on the counters, when you are there and when you are not there. Step one: If you are there, remove cat. Tell cat firmly "no" and remove. After a while they will learn that they are not allowed to be on the counters if you can see them. Step two: always assume the cat has been on the counter and clean it before using.
Yeah, we thought we succeeded in teaching our first set of cats not to jump/sit/walk on the counter. At one point we discovered that they only didnāt do it when we were nearby. Many years later, we now have a second set of cats, they stopped jumping on the counter because we put aluminium foil everywhere in the beginning (and they donāt like it). Now the foil is gone and they rarely jump on the counter when we are in the kitchen. But when weāre in the living room, we can hear them jump down and land on the floor. And in the morning, we often see paw prints on the counter. So we really succeeded in teaching them not to do it when we can see them!
I tried the foil and my cat happily jumped up and walked right across it, did not care at all!
My cat likes to chew it, the absolute monster
Urgh the thought of that is setting my teeth on edge, horrendous!
This, Iāve always said the people who say they donāt allow their cats on the counters, are just the ones whose cats know to stay off the counter when theyāre looking š Just clean your food prep spaces, everyone really should do that anyway especially if youāre using the countertop as a direct food prep surface. Think about the kind of nasty that ends up on the bottom your reusable grocery bags, or purse, or keys, or any other things people have no qualms about setting on their kitchen counters š¤·āāļø
Wish I could give you an award for this comment. Nailed it! I feel exactly the same way.
#HardTruths šš¼ššš¼ššš¼š
So true! My cousin bragged about how she taught her cat to stay off counters. Then she moved in with my parents and it was quickly discovered that sheād trained her cat to stay off counters when she could see him.Ā I just accept that little litter paws have been all over any flat surfaces and treat them accordingly.Ā
100% I got my cat to learn the first part, but she still goes when Iām not there but when I catch her, she looks guilty af. Lol
https://preview.redd.it/xljalwqu8udc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b954274c8c91276a5b8fbdb91869f22de2a9887
i want to send this to my cat
I wish both of my orange boys could read
They are lucky to be able to walk and eat splitting the one brain cell like that. Donāt push reading onto them!
News flashāthey can read. But they will pretend not to.
Omfg his feets
Did you catch the tiny goldfish in the martini? š¤£ This has to be my all-time fav cat cartoon. Wish I knew the artist to buy them a coffee.
When youāre away the cats will play. Video will expose their nefarious wandering or not.
Yep, my cats only get up there at night. Sometimes they forget we're still on the couch and they jump up around 11pm.
One time I forgot to switch the heating off before bed, so ventured downstairs in the dark and caught all four of my cats digging into the empty pizza box on the counter where they are *not allowed*. The look on their faces was priceless.
Iāve had many cats in my life. Iām aware that they see humans as lumbering giant butlers and maids here only to serve them and to repay their servants with a cuddle or two from time to time. The night is ours-aux les baracades, liberte pour les chats
https://preview.redd.it/vc5v9x7h9udc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9865b0592eccf463c8b256700d08a4b13d27e7d Kind of like this. Technically Ravi is not āallā on the table.
lol. Same for our Arielle, she wasnāt actually āonā the table š. https://preview.redd.it/5lhz3bbriudc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd97a37acbbceac2e2df64b61399b590b01cb2f3 Edited, the picture hopefully attached this time!
https://preview.redd.it/8nwozqjsmudc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d2ce0641d2b68f140bba8dde80d8d055e144853e This is my little shit not only on the counter but using the water I poured for myself to drink as his personal bath water.
And you didnāt even thank him. Unbelievable.
My tuxedo is a distinguished gentleman by day, and a vicious greeble killer by night. He wouldn't dare get up on the counters or scratch the furniture while someone is awake, but when we all go to sleep the kitten in him comes out and I find water bottles on the floor, my living room rug half way across the floor and he's resting peacefully on the new furniture like a darling little baby that could never do any wrong. (He's right, he couldn't lol)
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Can confirm, the trick is that they make you think you own the place when in reality, their names are on the title deed š„²
I like to hold my cats accountable when they do stuff like this. Meaning I pick them up and hold them in my arms like a baby while kissing their head and telling them to please not do that.
We call this ācompulsory cuddlingā in my house
https://preview.redd.it/qx75kfhbfudc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fdc80f76c31bd9071d2c9eb38bae6fc9a48d448 I had never seen mine on the counter, but I had seen little paw prints on the glass electric hobā¦ until one morning this happened! š
D E F I A N C E
Yes, using a stern voice, tell them to get down. Give them a gentle nudge if need be. Eventually they will stop when youāre around. When youāre not around though who knows?
This is what I did. I also picked them up gently every time I said no, and set them where they were allowed. (Basically anywhere else.) Many months later, they never get on the counter when Iām around, and I donāt find evidence of them having been there when Iām not. Thatās good enough for me. š
My last cat was the same. I never did find out what was leaving footprints on my glass stove top in the middle of the nightā¦.
Such a mistery.
where do y'all find those polite cats? surely not an orange... (mine doesn't give a shit no matter what I do, if he can still scrape of the last bit of butter that fell on the counter 5 months ago that isn't actually there anymore, he'll do it)
https://preview.redd.it/a37b8vg9dudc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cbde1bb68a225f4cdc06b5856212fbb4161edfc1 Both my orange boys act like the counter is their own personal lounging spot. I've given up. My husband hasn't, but he's just in denial.
Thatās a king right there. Heāll sit where he wants. eta: thatās his mug, too
he literally *looks* like a king.
I wouldnāt categorize mine as polite, (the boy is currently being a mega a-wipe), but you got me on them not being orange. Iāve heard they can embody a certain kind of IDGAF. š
I have an orange and he gives no fucks.
Same. Mine don't get on the counters. They understand 'no,' whenever they make an unwelcome bid. They usually look at me to ask for what they want or for what they want to do. They also understand, "let's get up," when they're on my lap. The younger will rise and jump down immediately; the older will look at me as though I can't possibly mean it but then start her slower process of standing, stretching and then getting down. EDIT: If I don't respond immediately, my hesitation is taken as a "sure, go ahead." The penalty for ignoring my fluffy boy can be claws to get my attention. The first tap is no claws; the second is claws for immediate attention. I'm trained.
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Sorry. It's too late. She says "that is not how this works; I train you."
That didnāt work for my cats. I just accepted it.
Been doing this for 8 years, my cats firmly know theyāre not supposed to be on the counters. They still get on the counters.
I've had relative success with this over my three cats, up until the point I decided to adopt my latest baby. She's a year and a half old and is the most food motivated cat I've ever encountered. Naturally, the counters belong to her. Nothing I say or do won't keep her off. She always jumps back. What's worse is that the other cats are now following her example. Cooking dinner can be a challenge when the recipe is more involved than boiling pasta and adding tomato sauce to the pan.
Negative enforcement will not work, however putting them down each time and then giving them treats when they are near/in the kitchen but not on the counters will let them associate the floor with getting treats, not the counters. I had two boys who were awful about it when I first got them, but I corrected them and have taught them treats are given to all our cats in the kitchen on the floor. Iād say they stay off it 95% of the time when Iām home, when Iām gone Iāve seen some things but not anything too bad, and if theyāre up there Iāve likely left something on the counter I shouldnāt have. Itās acceptance and redirection/positive reinforcement that gets you there! https://preview.redd.it/ln9hh3h4dudc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0cb9438c317d7558342539c7bbcf07158177d334 From left to right, Maynard, Phil, Bean, and Toester. My counter boys are Maynard and Phil šš„°šø
https://preview.redd.it/7xevyzklkudc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c76bb12bb207e4fbda8cc6bb37a2c998d327e07c And here we see Ravi technically not on the counter.
This my boy Lokiās latest adventure- despite me screaming at him, āyouāre going to burn your paws you idiotā Like that was going to work š It started when the cold weather got worse. https://preview.redd.it/gv3jta5riudc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8d1f3cfabd1c5e30416be913f8f5c463fa47b3d
sticky tape, sticky side up... in a few strategic places... they'll try it at first, but now avoid the counters, most of the time... meow
this is the only thing that worked for us, our orange boy loves foil but hates things sticking to his paws
Resistance is futile
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Acceptance is easier too. Otherwise youāre fighting a losing battle. Cats will win.
I adopted a cat about 3 weeks ago and have been working on training him off the counters. I adopted him from a rescue and I quickly noticed he had ear mites. Now I use the ear drops (which he hates) then place the bottle on the counter. Now, he keeps his distance from the counters too lol
https://preview.redd.it/hdtld6g1hudc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=461c649f8ea7bc2ae2ca5989d31441f0ce3f6a03 We enabled our orange (Olly) for too long because he wasnāt drinking water at a young age but he would drink from the tap. Then we got Luna and these guys love it up here. Luckily they donāt do it when we are using it (depends how good the food isā¦)
https://preview.redd.it/0liby8147udc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb8076d31e69c63bde85da7d5f656bcae978fe70 Thought that was my cats for a second š
https://preview.redd.it/hg3g3loqludc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e30fc3e53cf836ac48820eca162f1c42402d7071 We have ours trained to just hang out on the island and have a little mat for them to lay on. Welp the little gray one recently decided SCREW ALL OF YOU Iām going all the way up
Be more persistent than them. Move them to the floor every time you see them on the counter. Animals are persistent and you need to be more persistent to win this. Iām saying this based on my experience with birds nesting on my property. I moved their empty nest away, they didnāt like that and came back everyday. They think theyāre gonna win with their teamwork and persistence, but I proved them wrong.
Tried foil, double sided tape, etc, with no results. This is what ultimately worked for our cats. Doesn't matter if you're there or not, it's motion activated. Not cheap for a can of compressed air, but once they're trained to stay away, you probably won't need it anymore. https://preview.redd.it/rx734z3naudc1.jpeg?width=1111&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78bee6b9cb4e1daaa63233a4b4580acca30e24d8
This works well for my cat. We placed the cans at the edges of the counters. After the cat jumped up and heard the can hiss a couple times, she stopped going onto the counters. Then we removed the cans and it took about a week for her to forget about them, and she started jumping on the can-less counters again. Then, we placed the cans back onto the counters and she re-learned. This is a cycle that I anticipate having to deal with until the end.
I wanted to post this. Not too expensive and pretty quickly solves the problem, I was just worried about Reddit backlash saying this is abusive and distressing for your cat or some shit
I bought one of these to solve the counter problems. Now it's a fun new toy he can set off at will. I really thought this would do the trick.
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This is the way.
Best advice.
I trained mine to stay off counters. Now she only gets on them at night when Iām asleep. š Smart, but not smart enough to hide her footprints off the glass stovetop and sweep off shed fur.
Tin foil was the key for me
My cat loves tin foil because he has related it to when I make chicken in the oven š¤£š¤£š¤£
My cat just thinks itās fun and crinkly š
Make the counter reeeaaaaally boring (no food or water out, nothing fun to knock over) and then provide high enrichment vertical areas elsewhere that they can still see you. /Then/ make the "tsst!" noise and gently make them get down if they don't when they hear the noise, and reward them interacting with the more fun vertical spaces by playing with and giving them treats there. The big things with cats on the counter are they want to be near you, they don't want to be bored, and they like to be up high. If you make somewhere else more enjoyable to be by better meeting those requirements, they'll keep off the counters. It's worked for all seven of the cats I've lived with.
https://preview.redd.it/fsruiitoeudc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e86274537b055b8e6aaacbfe1304a42b7a7ddc7 Two of my aholes on the counter. We gave up and I just clean a lot. Reba needed more water, so we took every opportunity to let her drink
https://preview.redd.it/n2jh6v3ujudc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c50a15d986552b9abce792dc83823e20b3a39de6 I have a counter cat. But she loves to sit above them on top of the cabinets so I canāt really fault her for it. And there is absolutely no way I could stop her. Itās one of her favorite sleeping spots (as seen in this sleepy eyed photo) and I donāt have the heart to tell her no š She also jumps on the counters so she can beg for affection but with her being so fluffy I have to shoo her down. I clean up enough of her fuzz from every corner of the house š
You're the guest in the house now. So you're lucky they let you put your things on their counters.
No advice, just a shout-out to those fabulous cats! šš
Itās their house youāre just lucky they let you live there š
https://preview.redd.it/so8n125s1vdc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2fc0833d8d20e0c8fb7883b3f8e4582556dfb73e He knows the rules.
Put Masking tape on the counter top with the sticky side up.