I thought cats did NOT like tin foil...

gingersmom

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Hmmmm....

I recently put a sheet of tinfoil up on a countertop that I've been trying to train Ferris not to jump up on. Silly me - I thought it was working, until this morning.

It seems that Ferris has discovered that he REALLY enjoys shredding up tinfoil and chewing it into tiny little bits.
I found it all over the floor in the kitchen this morning.
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

Hmmmm....

I recently put a sheet of tinfoil up on a countertop that I've been trying to train Ferris not to jump up on. Silly me - I thought it was working, until this morning.

It seems that Ferris has discovered that he REALLY enjoys shredding up tinfoil and chewing it into tiny little bits.
I found it all over the floor in the kitchen this morning.
It is not exactly tin foil, but I have had the same problem in the past with icicles, the stuff that looks like shredded tin foil that I used to hang on Christmas trees.
 

missymotus

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My cats never got the hate tin foil memo.

They even get into the cupboard and shred the roll. I put it up to stop them scratching the bathroom door and they delighted in chewing and shredding it.
 

zissou'smom

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Hmm... I think it was they supposedly get suprised by the noise. But yeah, Zissou couldn't care less about tin foil, one of my sister's cats is absolutely enthralled by it, and her other one hates the stuff.

Maybe it's one of those things to try it out and see how your cat feels about it.

What they all definitely do hate is sticky stuff. I've had lots of success with double-sided tape. She's not allowed under the recliner chair (as it's a death trap and all) so I coated the carpet underneath it with tape and she took one step and ran the other way. Also stops scratching on couches.

If you put it all over your countertops, the next time he jumps up there will probably be the last for a while. It won't trap him up there, regular double-sided tape is just annoyingly sticky, not fly-trap-sticky.
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

What they all definitely do hate is sticky stuff. I've had lots of success with double-sided tape. She's not allowed under the recliner chair (as it's a death trap and all) so I coated the carpet underneath it with tape and she took one step and ran the other way. Also stops scratching on couches.

If you put it all over your countertops, the next time he jumps up there will probably be the last for a while. It won't trap him up there, regular double-sided tape is just annoyingly sticky, not fly-trap-sticky.
Yuppers. Methinks it is time to buy double stick tape.

I've tried the kind made for keeping kitties off things (like the stuff DR. Fosters sells) but although it claims to be easily removable, I have found that NOT to be the case, and in fact, still have it stuck on my windowsill tops where I used it to keep Ginger from jumping up so she wouldn't fall out the window again.
 

urbantigers

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Originally Posted by missymotus

My cats never got the hate tin foil memo.
Same here. Jaffa can pretty much take it or leave it but Mosi thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread. Didn't realise he liked eating it until he vomited some back up
Now foil is kept strictly in the drawer, unless it's scrunched into balls to play with.
 

goldenkitty45

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Not good to eat tinfoil - its made from steel - not edible. Its not wise to even let them bat a tinfoil ball around cause they might chew on it.

If you want him to stay off counters, put a few pieces of double sided sticky tape in a few spots.
 

zissou'smom

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

Yuppers. Methinks it is time to buy double stick tape.

I've tried the kind made for keeping kitties off things (like the stuff DR. Fosters sells) but although it claims to be easily removable, I have found that NOT to be the case, and in fact, still have it stuck on my windowsill tops where I used it to keep Ginger from jumping up so she wouldn't fall out the window again.
If you have a hard time getting it up, maybe try putting it on pieces of paper on the counter and taping the papers to the counter with regular scotch tape. That way you don't have to bust out a scraper later.

Glad you agree, Goldenkitty45...
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

If you have a hard time getting it up, maybe try putting it on pieces of paper on the counter and taping the papers to the counter with regular scotch tape. That way you don't have to bust out a scraper later.
THAT...is a GREAT idea, thanks!!!
 

weldrwomn

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Not good to eat tinfoil - its made from steel - not edible. Its not wise to even let them bat a tinfoil ball around cause they might chew on it.

.
Actually, it is aluminum. If it were steel, it would rust. If it were Stainless, it would be too expensive and not as flexible as alluminum.
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

Actually, it is aluminum. If it were steel, it would rust. If it were Stainless, it would be too expensive and not as flexible as alluminum.
It says on the box: Aluminum Foil. We call it tin foil for short.

Regardless, I'm NOT feeding it to my cat on purpose, the little bugger decided on his own that it is fun to shred and chew. I'm still finding little bits of it on the floor all around the house, and I made sure after I caught him the other morning to pick up and throw away all that I was able to find!
 

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I personally think that the idea that cats dislike aluminum foil is a myth. I put foil near the railing on the upstairs hallway (it overlooks the family room). to keep Lucy away as a kitten. I had to pick it up because is actually attracted her.
 

wildflower79

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I tried the foil thing myself to keep Gizmo off the counter. At first he was afraid of it but after a week or two his curiousity got the best of him and like Ferris, he keeping trying to bit the edges of foil.
I've given up on it now, another battle that the cat has won.
 

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*sigh* You know, I wished I had actually tried it myself before suggesting it to others…

Earlier this year my husband was complaining about our new dining room table getting scratched up (Blue likes to tap dance on it with his claws out- the sight is worth the table getting scratched
) so I told him we could just bunch up the foil and cover the table with it because they wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like how it felt on their feet. We used the whole roll on the table and within two hours everyone was laying on it and it was completely flat.
 

tiffanyjbt

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Duke likes to bat around balled up foil, but I wasn't too comfy with that so we usually just ball up a piece of paper or a paper bag (if he's not already INSIDE the bag!) Of course, he has toys like a light up shiny red and yellow ball that squeaks, but if you throw that and a piece of balled up paper at the same time... Well you guess which one gets attacked first.


The double sided tape thing worked for us too. We had a glass table in the kitchen and it was a pain to clean up. It also attracted every crumb, dust bunny and cat hair in the house (wich is pretty gross on a kitchen table!). We did the paper trick for a while and that worked, but its pretty unsightly. The last thing we tried was clear plastic rap with doublesided tape on one side and regular tape on the other side. Not as ugly as the paper, but not exactly appealing either *sigh*. We actually remodeled and removed the large glass table. Now we have a much smaller marble table in there and a breakfast bar. He rarely climbs on them (while we're around) even though we no longer use the tape. We tell him NO as soon as he looks like he might want to get up there and that works... while we're around...
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by tiffanyjbt

We tell him NO as soon as he looks like he might want to get up there and that works... while we're around...
And isn't THAT a key statement, LOL!!!

See, Ginger gets up there too, but she knows not to do it while I'm actually HOME.
Ferris hasn't quite got that "What meowmy doesn't know..." thing down pat yet.


He's 7 months old, and has turned totally teenager on me. I'm coming home to new and different destruction on a daily basis now!
 

miao_kitty

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Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Hmm... I think it was they supposedly get suprised by the noise. But yeah, Zissou couldn't care less about tin foil, one of my sister's cats is absolutely enthralled by it, and her other one hates the stuff.

Maybe it's one of those things to try it out and see how your cat feels about it.

What they all definitely do hate is sticky stuff. I've had lots of success with double-sided tape. She's not allowed under the recliner chair (as it's a death trap and all) so I coated the carpet underneath it with tape and she took one step and ran the other way. Also stops scratching on couches.

If you put it all over your countertops, the next time he jumps up there will probably be the last for a while. It won't trap him up there, regular double-sided tape is just annoyingly sticky, not fly-trap-sticky.
heehee, i think Luna missed the "hate sticky stuff memo" too. I put double-sided sticky tape on the couch to keep her from scratching and she just chewed it off. I tried to spray it with bad tasting stuff, but she still chewed on it. who knew?
 

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Originally Posted by miao_kitty

heehee, i think Luna missed the "hate sticky stuff memo" too. I put double-sided sticky tape on the couch to keep her from scratching and she just chewed it off. I tried to spray it with bad tasting stuff, but she still chewed on it. who knew?
Lucy just loves tape. I put sticky paws on the couch to keep her from scratching on it and she had more fun pulling it off. She would pat it with her paw and pull.


I think she should have been named Mary as in Mary, Mary, quite contrary. I read the cat behavior books and she always disputes them.
 

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Never heard of cats hating tin foil! Unfortunately, my boys would love nothing better than to bat it around - not good for them, though! The double-sided sticky tape is wonderful. I buy this stuff called Sticky Paws and it has worked wonders with them.
 
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