Do you let your cat up on the bathroom counter?

Since we adopted Frankie 2 months ago, we've been strict about not letting him on the kitchen counters (when we're there to see him ) and haven't let him up on the bathroom counter because we thought it would be sending him mixed messages to let him on one room's counter but not another. He's got a lot of kitty left in him and isn't one to sit still and be petted for very long. This morning, he hopped up on the bathroom counter and was licking the water faucet and was being so sweet, letting me pet him lots and purring so I let him stay up there and it was really fun having him not try to get away from me so quickly. I think this could be a good bonding thing for him to be able to sit up there every morning with me. What's your opinion on this? My DH is fine with whatever I decide on this.

The girls are allowed anywhere but the kitchen counter. THey know it and are pretty good about it!

My cats are like Phenom's. They are allowed almost everywhere except the kitchen counter and coffee table and they don't seem confused. That doesn't men they don't sometimes try for the coffee table (or kitchen counter if theres chicken or a spider plant up there) but for the most part they know where they can and can't go.

I let Gizmo do anything she wants in the bathroom (though the toilet remains with its seat down.) It's not a problem: they associate "room" with their freedoms, not 'counter'. I doubt if they could equate a bathroom sink or counter with a kitchen one.

That said, it's important to keep drugs, makeup, (especially lipstick) and other things that might not be good for cats, well away in closets with tight fitting doors.

I allow my cats any place except the kitchen counters and of coursethe stove top.They are great about not getting up on the counters.

I let my cats go just about every where, I have to keep their food on my counter so the dogs don't eat it but I'm in the process of moving it into the "cat room" so hopefully I will be able to reteach them not to get up on the counter The only time they are not allowed on the coffee table is when I'm eating, and most of them caught on to that pretty quick

Quicksilver follows me every where. (can drive me nuts somtimes) When I have a bath she sits on the edge of bath and sniffs the water every so often. She also meow for me to get out of the bath.

My kitties are free to roma wherever they please, except, the kitchen counter.

We have the sliding door mirrored cabinets above the bathroom counter so he wouldn't be able to get into anything bad for him. I think I'll let him sit up there with me in the morning. It sure started my day off in a sweet way. That makes sense that they associate the staying off the counter with the room, not just that it's a counter. The kitchen counter and bathroom counter with the sink sunk into it look completely different. We keep the lid down on our toilet too. He likes it up there.

He also LOVES getting up on the washer or dryer when the water is running out of the washer into the tub. He'll be sleeping in the livingroom and when he hears that start he jumps up and springs over and up there to watch the water. That surprises me cuz it's so loud you'd think it would scare him.

BTW, the thing that makes us nervous about Frankie getting up on the washer and dryer while the water is running into the tub is that sometimes he walks along the back of them and we're afraid that he could fall between the wall the the washer or dryer. We don't know how to get him to quit that though. He seems obsessed with watching that water.

my cat knows she can get on any surface except the ones in the kitchen and dining room. I know she knows the rule because on rare occasionns I catch her on a counter, she flips me a caught red handed look jumps down immediately. she never flashes the guilty look when sitting on the bathroom counters or on my desk.

Originally Posted by gardenandcats

I allow my cats any place except the kitchen counters and of coursethe stove top.They are great about not getting up on the counters.

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Same here. Zoey doesnt get up on any counters usually.. Saki is my naughty boy lol. He knows though when he gets up there all I have to do is look at him and say "Sakiiiii" in a stern voice and he goes 'MEOW!!' like "I know I know!" LOL. Then he jumps down.

He is allowed on the bathroom counter because his food is up on a shelf in the bathroom, because him and Zoey have different diets (she's not a good climber) so he climbs up there to eat.

Hi, they don't know 'counters', just that it's a high place, which they love, so I wouldn't worry about confusion re telling them not to go on one vs the other (they smell different, after all). Can you put a board or something across the washer/dryer gap? Maybe fixed somehow to the wall behind them.

My cats are allowed to go on almost everything, not kitchen counters or bathroom sink area. However I am recently having a problem with one of my cats has found a new laying place. It is on my gas stove. I am very nervous about this and I am trying to spray her to make her aware that it isn't acceptable. I think she likes it because it is warm. She also likes sitting on heater vents and what not. My house is not cold by any means. How do I get her to stop this before she burns herself. She used to jump off when I walked by, and this past week, I walk by and she just stays there. She doesn't even care anymore what I think. Please give me some encouraging advice.

The bathroom counter is the only counter my kitties are allowed on in my house. They even have a water cup up there!

Stephanie

I'm with the rest of the posters, the girls have pretty much free run of the house except for the kitchen counters, kitchen table or diningroom table.
Although I did come home from grocery shopping one day and found Gracie sound asleep in the middle of the kitchen table.

I said her name very sternly she looked at me, yawned, gave me a look like "So just what is your problem?" and jumped off the table.
I haven't seen her on it since...but then again God only knows what she does when nobody is home!

Originally Posted by Graciecat

I'm with the rest of the posters, the girls have pretty much free run of the house except for the kitchen counters, kitchen table or diningroom table.
Although I did come home from grocery shopping one day and found Gracie sound asleep in the middle of the kitchen table.

I said her name very sternly she looked at me, yawned, gave me a look like "So just what is your problem?" and jumped off the table.
I haven't seen her on it since...but then again God only knows what she does when nobody is home!

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Cats definitely subscribe to the theory "what the humans don't know won't hurt me ". I've had that look too.

On the whole, our cats go wherever they want with the exception of eating and food preparation surfaces, and on the whole, they're really good about it -- to the point that Fawn actually makes a distinction between the diningroom table as an eating surface (with placemats on it) and the diningroom table as a computer workshop (don't ask!). When Daddy takes the placemats off and puts his foam pad on it, she often doesn't wait for the sheet to go on top of the pad. But it's a very long time since she last had occasion to give me that look on that table.

Bathroom counters are OK. The one in the main bathroom is where they get their collars changed. And Fawn will often join me in the ensuite -- if I'm just washing my face at the sink, she'll come up and supervise, and collect some neck kisses.

Of course you also want to consider that they LOVE to play with a little stream of running (not rushing) water! They're so fascinated by it, and can spend a lot of time playing if you let them. I honestly don't see anything wrong with allowing that if you're there to monitor things and turn the water on and off, etc.

The bathroom is the only room off limits completely to my kitty. It is really small and there is so much stuff on the toilet tank and radiator cover for her to get into. I don't have any shelf space and very limited cupboard space and I don't want her getting into stuff and breaking it or spilling etc.

However, since it has started getting cold around here, I noticed that by closing the bathroom door all the time it is FREEZING in there and it is VERY unpleasant to be in there, so I am planning to do some major cleaning and reorganizing and keep the door open at least some of the time - we will see what she does.