Frustrated with kitty ...

Hi all!

So my cat has learned to jump up on the kitchen counters and on to the stove, which I am not happy about. I know cats like to jump onto high places and that there are techniques to train them, but him being home alone all day, he pretty much does anything he wants ... and I'm not sure that if the short time I am home and try to get him away from this behaviour is going to work. I've actually become quite frustrated b/c he's always getting on to everything, tables, counters, window sills ....

I've spoken to other cat owners and they say that I should get another cat to keep him company and keep him busy, but I just don't have the space, or the finances. He doesn't have a lot of space to begin with, I live in a one-bedroom apartment and I already don't let him in the bedroom or the bathroom.

He's 7 months and he's been fixed. I don't know what else to do. My mom actually has me considering maybe giving him up to someone with other cats and more room who could devote more time to him. I just need some advice. Maybe I'm just not a cat person?

Magda

Okay, please don't give him up because of this. It is normal cat behaviour, and some people don't mind it and others it drives them crazy.

Some might suggest putting tin foil on the counters, and I guess cats don't like the feeling of it on their paws so they won't go up on there.

I am one of those people that lets my cat go anywhere pretty much, so I don't have any other ideas for you. Others should be along shortly with more advice.

BTW if the most annoying thing he does is jump up onto the counters, you've got it easy

Good luck

As Trouts mom said, try tin foil. Or double sided tape.

You'll also need to provide him with an alternative, such as a cat tree or window seat so he can look outside.

I tried the tin foil trick on my suede dining chairs b/c he would climb up them and chew at them, but that didn't work ... needless to say they are ruined now.

I just don't want him jumping up at the stove when I'm cooking or up on the counters when I'm preparing food ... or just knocking things down. I don't think I should clear my counters so he can roam free.

That's not what has me considering giving him up, it's just that I think he needs more space and someone who can give him more attention. He's home alone all day and most evenings I'm only around for maybe 3 or 4 hours before going to bed and leaving him alone again.

One thing you might consider is allowing him to join you for sleeping. Although it can be a pain at times, especially when one rambunctious kitty decides chasing your feet is a ton of fun.. or that *something* noisy in your room is only extremely entertaining at midnight.. (I just put them out of the room at that point, but they don't always do it). Anyway, that will give him more time with you.

A very good correctional item is an empty metal coffee can with about five coins in it. Shake it when he does something he's not allowed to do. In my experience it works better than the watergun, and it's a lot less messy.

The double sided tape works wonderfully for furniture. They don't like that their paws stick to it. You can get little strips of it at the pet store (it's designed to stop kitty from clawing) but works better for keeping them off of something. This particular tape will stick but not be impossible to get off of whatever you stick it to. It might work for the counters.

Another thing to consider to help with his climbing is getting him a fairly tall cat tree. These can be a little expensive, so it may not work for you. If you keep your eyes out, though, you can get them on sale with free shipping. It will help for him to have something that's taller than everything else.. it will be his preferred perch (as he'll be able to see more of everything from there). He will, though, probably still get up on other things, as it's just their nature to be curious, about everything, all of the time.

If he's ruining furniture due to clawing.. the cat tree will help with this, or you can get corrugated cardboard scratching pads for him. These completely corrected the path of destruction that Noel was leaving through the house..she'd destroyed about five really big pieces of furniture. Get one that's big enough for them to stand on and stretch to claw. In my area, they cost about $8.

If you're really creative.. you might be able to string a few coffee cans with coins in them across the edges of the counters so if he does jump up there, it will trigger the can. This is a way to "correct" him if he jumps up while you're not at home. It probably won't take a very long time. Mine learn very fast with it, and they're a very hard to discourage breed.

A second kitty would be an option for his loneliness. It's probably big enough for them. They don't take up a lot of space. It's only nominally more work for two than it is for one.