How can I keep Swanie off the stove?

I need help! Swanie has taken to hanging out on top of the refrigerator, which is fine. However, his method of getting up there is to jump up on the counter next to the stove, walk across the stove, across the other counter, and up onto the refrigerator. I don't want him doing this because, obviously, there are times when the stove is on and hot. I've taken to when I cook only use the back burners (not always possible) and pretty much hang out in the kitchen until I'm done and the stove cools (again, not always possible). Even that isn't foolproof. I've already had to just about throw him off once because I was facing the stove and he tried to jump up. I'm just freaked out he's going to get himself burned. Anybody have any suggestions?

Perhaps tinfoil on top of the counter?

Our kitten Jack hasn't even attempted the counters--he's gotten a few dirty looks and has realized I think that he will not be allowed up there.

Good luck,

Leslie

The cat is not interested in the stove. He's interested in the fridge. If you give him another way to get to the top of the fridge, he will lose all interest in the stove. Stove way, he gets you panicked and you say, "Oh my god, you'll get hurt!" Alternate way, he gets sweet talk.

This way, the retraining happens in one evening.

I do all my cooking on one burner and then when I'm finished I cover the hot burner with a heavy cast iron skillet cover. You can buy burner covers that are made for that. I've found that a cat can learn that burners and pots and pans are hot and need to be checked out before touching. But a cat can't tell by sight if it's hot or not, so by putting something on the hot burner it's a signal to my cat that is a place to avoid, and also protects him from getting burned.

My kitchen supervisor:

Another option, though you may or may not like it.

Make it so he cant get on the fridge. Stack something on top and make it non habitable.

That would prolly keep him from trying after a few days.

Originally Posted by Werebear

The cat is not interested in the stove. He's interested in the fridge. If you give him another way to get to the top of the fridge, he will lose all interest in the stove. Stove way, he gets you panicked and you say, "Oh my god, you'll get hurt!" Alternate way, he gets sweet talk.

This way, the retraining happens in one evening.

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Thanks, I've tried that. Even gone so far as to pick him up and put him on the other counter near the fridge.

Originally Posted by coaster

I do all my cooking on one burner and then when I'm finished I cover the hot burner with a heavy cast iron skillet cover. You can buy burner covers that are made for that. I've found that a cat can learn that burners and pots and pans are hot and need to be checked out before touching. But a cat can't tell by sight if it's hot or not, so by putting something on the hot burner it's a signal to my cat that is a place to avoid, and also protects him from getting burned.

My kitchen supervisor:

Click to expand...

I was actually thinking about getting covers for the burners. I didn't know you could get cast iron skillet covers. Any idea where I might find them?

Your kitchen supervisor is a cutie! Here is mine.

Originally Posted by EricSS

Another option, though you may or may not like it.

Make it so he cant get on the fridge. Stack something on top and make it non habitable.

That would prolly keep him from trying after a few days.

Click to expand...

Nah, I don't want to keep him off it, just don't want him to get burned getting there :-)

You know my cats get on my fridge and use the stove all the time to cross.

Cats are not stupid and should not be under estimated. They know when things are hot.

My cats have been crossing the stoves path for 3 years and so far so good.

I think it's good that you are concerned, but I wouldn't worry too much. Unless your cat isn't that bright, which does happen. LOL...

Originally Posted by Breal76

Cats are not stupid and should not be under estimated. They know when things are hot.

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Cats are definitely not stupid, but stoves aren't in their instinctive repertoire of knowledge, so a learning curve is necessary. Consider yourself and your cats lucky. Rocket burned a paw pad on a red hot burner when I was dumb enough to leave it uncovered for just a few seconds and turn my back on it when I thought he was in another room. I turned around, there he was on the counter right next to the stove, and my shout and my lunge made him jump ONTO the stove. In my mind I can still hear the sizzling sound as he got burned.

Originally Posted by coaster

Cats are definitely not stupid, but stoves aren't in their instinctive repertoire of knowledge, so a learning curve is necessary. Consider yourself and your cats lucky. Rocket burned a paw pad on a red hot burner when I was dumb enough to leave it uncovered for just a few seconds and turn my back on it when I thought he was in another room. I turned around, there he was on the counter right next to the stove, and my shout and my lunge made him jump ONTO the stove. In my mind I can still hear the sizzling sound as he got burned.

Click to expand...

Chances are if you had not yelled and startled him, he would have proceeded more slowly and realized the stove was hot and backed away from it.

Yes, of course. I realized that about 0.005 seconds too late. But the point is, a cat still needs to learn that a stove is hot and is a hazard. And until a cat learns, it's still a hazard. Circumstances like mine, or others, can cause an accident. And the other point is, that something on the burner when it's hot makes it different from when it's not hot, and so stimulates a cat to check it out before proceeding, if the cat is used to walking across the stove. He might not avoid a burner that's hot enough to burn but not hot enough to glow if it looks the same as when he's used to walking across the stove without getting hurt.

I have always had counter tops and above off limits for my kitties, never want to risk anything! Maia has a safe high place to hang out and sleep, and she has no interest in the kitchen area. When gazelles cross a river, they don't always know when and where the alligators are, but they have to cross to get to the other side. If you provide all needs on the same side, they don't have to cross . Of course this is more difficult if you introduce the surrounding areas as safe, free roam zones.