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Counter surfing deterrent for sneaky cat?

post #1 of 5
3/6/11 at 2:00pm
Thread Starter 
My cats are not allowed on the counters. Willow stays off, but Gizmo has had a relapse. I know it's him because he knocked over a glass when Willow was accidentally shut in another room. He knows he's not supposed to be up there, so he waits until I'm gone or asleep. Last week I woke up to find a new cube of butter I had left out to soften half devoured.

Yesterday was the last straw, though. I came home to find a Teflon bag I use to grill hamburgers on the floor, absolutely shredded. I had used it and left it to drain in the sink, and I'm worried he swallowed some of the pieces.

Tape and tin foil don't work on him, he just goes around. I can't use the water or nosy can method because I can't catch him in the act. Honestly, I'm considering buying a scat mat. Anything else I can try first?
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post #2 of 5
3/6/11 at 2:25pm
Well the can with pennies/screws is meant to scare the cat off when no one is around. They think they are alone, jump up, knock off the cans, it makes a bunch of noise and supposedly deters them from jumping up again. Of course, some cats are just too stubborn. We have a counter surfer and have tried tape, foil, other sticky/slimy substances, noisey stuff but it didn't work. Buddy is TOO persistent!

You can try getting the clear mats you use on carpet with the bumps on the bottom. Or mats you put in cars. (Thats what we tried). Most cats don't like the feeling of them on their paws. Since both come really cheap, there is no harm in trying. If that fails there is the scat mat or the scat spray.
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post #3 of 5
3/6/11 at 3:51pm
In truth, you're trying to train away an inherent behavior, which is darn near impossible. Cats are both curious and natural hunters - anything you put on the counters is simply going to be an enticement they can't resist.

Your best bet, in my opinion, is to keep the counters clear of anything edible.

AC
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post #4 of 5
3/6/11 at 4:23pm
The tape method worked for me. Have you been sticking the tape down to the counters? I used the very wide brown parcel tape and laid it onto the counters only using about a cm of the ends of each strip to hold it in place.
Whenever Gilbert tried to jump up, the tape would instantly stick to his paw so he would jump back down (bringing the tape down with him) . I am at home all day so i was always there to remove the tape at once.
After four or five times he stopped. We left the tape there for a month.He has not attempted to jump on the counters since I had to take this action as one day i popped out of the kitchen for all of a minute, to find him lapping milk out a pan i was heating. I have an induction hob which stays hot long after its switched off. I was so worried that he would burn himself. I have seen other posters saying that double sided tape did not work for them. I doubt that it would have worked for Gilbert as well! It gave him a shock without hurting him -much better than terrible burns on his paws
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post #5 of 5
3/7/11 at 8:42am
The ssscat device was placed on my counter and it worked immediately. My cat has gone on my counter TWICE since putting it there in OCTOBER... and each time got a blast from it. I haven't had to put batteries in it since then and he stays OFF my counters Even WITH food on them. Though I would advise not to leave food on them to tempt them
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