Table climbing

Ok, Mishka is an angel... i really honestly could not ask for a better kitten, EXCEPT for one thing....she will not learn to stay off the counter. And it is not just the counter either... i have a fairly tall bookcase that she somehow manages to hop up on and eat my bamboo plant!! I've tried catching her in the act and spraying her in the face with water, and clapping my hands loudly to startle her..... and even swatting her on the behind....
Does anybody have any suggestions on how to keep her off of these things???!

I have to say, in the 23 years of my life so far, all of which have been spent with cats, the one thing I have learned is the best you can do is teach them that being on the counter/table will get them in trouble. For some cats, that'll keep them off the counter/table. For most of them, it just means they'll start running when they see you coming.

I don't know what it is, but they just refuse to give in on that. My mom and I have tried every discipline method we can think of, and they work only to the point that AFTER the cat has jumped on the counter, once we threaten them, they jump off. None of them ever seem to start considering the counter or the table off limits.

Cats. They're so... precious.

Does she have her own kitty grass? It might keep her away from the plant which just may keep her off the bookcase... But maybe not.

hmm.. thank you all for your responses!!
Its funny you should say that many cats dont care that its wrong until they know they're caught.....I was just outside putting up our picnic table, and i look up to see that Mishka has crawled up on the counter and into the window sill to see what i'm doing outside.... AS SOON as she saw that i'd seen her... she got a look of horror on her face and jumped down immediately!! hahaha.... A friend of mine just told me that cats do not like the smell of anything Citrus...? Is this true? if i cleaned my counter with an orange or lemon cleaner might that help? or is this just a myth??

Originally Posted by Mishkas Mom

hmm.. thank you all for your responses!!

Its funny you should say that many cats dont care that its wrong until they know they're caught.....I was just outside putting up our picnic table, and i look up to see that Mishka has crawled up on the counter and into the window sill to see what i'm doing outside.... AS SOON as she saw that i'd seen her... she got a look of horror on her face and jumped down immediately!!

hahaha....

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Tee hee --

how they react tells a lot about their personalities! Our boy cat always looks super guilty and jumps right down but our girl cat always looks back at you like "What? A rule about the table? Surely you don't mean to say that applies to ME?"

She's quite the little princess.

I've tried many of the standard suggestions to stop Blossom from getting on the kitchen bench, table etc. But she goes where she wants. It's usually because she's about to be fed or she sees some kind of bug crawling or flying around. She just has to go after it, no matter where it is.

Citrus didn't work in my case, sorry. There is a long list of things you can try, double sided sticky tape, carpet runners turned on the other side, foil, buying lots of cat trees that are tall, water bottle, etc. you can look around for more suggestions, there are a lot and maybe some of these will help your particular cat.
I have the same problem, mine is an adult though, never "outgrew" it or was trained out of it. Cats, they do what they want. They don't give a crap about what we want (well, unless we want to feed them or pet them, mine really likes these things ), it is ALL about them It is her world, I just happen to be existing in it. At one time I was foolish enough to think kitty didn't get on the counters anymore, then I discovered she just didn't when someone was in the room with her - which is an improvement!!! Litter paws on the counters
Petsmart now sells SSS cat containers, they spray a poof of air when kitty goes where kitty shouldn't be. I am thinking about getting some of these, they are somewhat expensive which is why I haven't tried this method yet.

I don't like mine up there either and have tried water bottles,loud noises and everything.Nothing worked,so now I don't care.However when I am making food or eating,the cats are NOT allowed up.

Cats dislike peppermint.My mom used some around her Christmas tree,because her cats kept tearing the tree down.After she put peppermint around the tree,they stayed away from it.I personally have not tried it yet,but it seems to work well.

Originally Posted by 709Juggalette

Cats dislike peppermint

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Not necessarily. Peppermint and catnip are very closely related, and for some cats the effect is similar. Check out this thread and this thread for examples.