How to discipline punk kitten

Our Siberian is almost 5 months old now. He is a joyous, fun-loving kitten with only two operating modes (as expected): play-play-play or nap-cuddle. We still do our best to get lots of playtime energy out of him, but he seems to almost grow more energetic over the last few months.

The boundaries we set for him are very clear. He is allowed to go anywhere in the apartment except for the kitchen counter. There really isn't anything else at that height he can go on except for my computer desk. The problem is no form of deterrence or discipline seems to discourage him. We've tried shaker cans, spray bottles, time-outs, etc. We got him from a breeder who had small, screaming children in the house, which I think contributes to loud noises not really phasing him. For the spray bottle, sadly I pretty much need to get him in the face cause he has a thick winter coat on and couldn't care less if it hits him. Even in the face it bothers him less and less with each use and he almost doesn't even run away from it anymore. Time-outs is what we did for the first 7 weeks we had him. We'd put him in the laundry room for 5 min or so. At first he would cry and get very upset. After a while he was pretty much fine with it and would just chill until we let him out so that's no good anymore...cause he goes right back to whatever trouble got him in there.

Any ideas?

Don't spray your cat. It makes him scared of you, but doesn't really teach him not to do the behavior.

Try putting foil or double sided tape down on your counter until he gets the idea that he doesn't like it up there.

talkingpeanut said:

Don't spray your cat. It makes him scared of you, but doesn't really teach him not to do the behavior.

Try putting foil or double sided tape down on your counter until he gets the idea that he doesn't like it up there.

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Yes! I forgot cats hate the sound of the foil (or something like that). 

He really doesn't mind walking on foil

ddpb2112 said:

 
He really doesn't mind walking on foil

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How long did you try it for? I had it down for a week once before the cat decided he hated it.

Try double sided tape too. It's hard with siberians because they have fluffy paws. Maybe even bubble wrap?

The trick is not to discipline him but to make it unappealing.

Foil we had out for a while, he plays with it.

I'll have to try the tape

Well, my cat goes on the dining room table and continues to do so regardless of anything I've done to get him to stop, so I've pretty much given up.

I second the advice not to spray. Not only does it damage your relationship with your cat, but it teaches him it's fine to go on the counter as long as 1) You're not around, and 2) You're not paying attention. As far as the cat is concerned, the counter is fair game until you object, and this is probably because it's impossible to be there to stop him every time he jumps on the counter. Personally, the few times I used a spray bottle, my cat was standoffish toward me afterward, and I'm sorry I even tried it.

Same as you, foil did not do the trick, and double-sided tape was impractical. Likewise, lemon peels, citrus smells and that sort of thing had no deterrent value. The only thing that *might* work is one of those automated devices that emits a blast of air or a sharp sound when the motion detector is tripped. The good thing is that it doesn't mean you, the owner, are associated with something bad. The downside is that some cats figure out how to sidestep those devices, and/or it's impossible to "guard" the whole surface so your cat will figure out where he can and cannot step.

As with pretty much everything behavior-related, I've always had better luck when I try a combination of things, but for me the kitchen table problem is the one thing I haven't "solved." Good luck.

I tried several methods of keeping Hekitty off of the kitchen counters and table, and finally found that the very best solution was a plaque that says, "In this house, cathair is a condiment."  This was after 7 years of trying.

PS...Hekitty is watching me type this from the kitchen table.  I think she may have just thumbed her nose at me...

Mamanyt1953 said:

 
I tried several methods of keeping Hekitty off of the kitchen counters and table, and finally found that the very best solution was a plaque that says, "In this house, cathair is a condiment."  This was after 7 years of trying.

PS...Hekitty is watching me type this from the kitchen table.  I think she may have just thumbed her nose at me...

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"cat hair is a condiment", I love that, lol. I think we often say something to that effect.

My cats own the counter.

Have you considered getting a cat tree or two?  There are lots of good sales right now.

Donutte said:

 
"cat hair is a condiment", I love that, lol. I think we often say something to that effect.

My cats own the counter.

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Hekitty says to tell you, "This is good and proper."

What if you try reverse psychology? Pick up your cat and put him on the counter. If he's anything like my Cleo, he'll flee immediately!

One book suggested putting the double-sided tape on inexpensive plastic place mats.  That way they can be put up while you use the counter.

I don't recommend using any kind of methods of "discipline". My cats and dog all have learned to stay off the counter, even with yummy stuff up there, just by teaching them "off". Yes, even the cats.

All of them learned "off" with purely positive reinforcement. If they jumped up somewhere they weren't allowed, they were put back on the floor (at least in the case of the cats, the dog was pushed off with a hip or shoulder since dogs associate hands with play), told "off" as they got back on the floor, and then given a treat and/or loves. I taught the voice signal along with a hand signal that's kind of like a shooing gesture and the combination works a lot better than just one or the other. The key is being consistent so they know that staying on the floor gets them the good stuff. Of course there's no way to help it when there's nobody home but making sure the cats had lots of high places to hang out and all nice-smelling, enticing things on the counter were put away helped a ton. Now the closest anyone gets is Aria watching Daddy cook from the stairs, since they conveniently spiral up right above the kitchen.

Don't get me wrong, it's not quick and easy. They won't learn it in a day or 2 but it's the most effective way that I've found and it doesn't even risk them associating anything bad with anything, which is much better for them in the long run.

Re: Cat hair is a "condiment"

I know it's funny to us, cat lovers, but guests can get skeeved out if they're over for dinner and cats are on the counter while dinner is being prepared, or like my situation with a cat who likes to put his nose in people's drinks. I do try to be proactive and warn my friends about that when they come over, because keeping an incredibly social cat away from guests is impossible. 

I try to be mindful of that stuff with other people, knowing that not everyone is an animal lover. Hell, before I adopted Bud I thought it was kinda gross for people to let their pets sleep with them. My attitude changed when I started house sitting/dog sitting for my brother and his wife, who travel a lot for work. They've got this little chihuahua/terrier mix, an awesome little dog, and he cried and cried and cried the first time I was dog sitting, because I wouldn't let him into the bedroom with me at night. Finally I relented so I could get some uninterrupted sleep, and I realized it wasn't so bad. He was like a stuffed animal...well, a stuffed animal who has the magical ability to take 80% of the blanket cover. (Chihuahuas are serial burrowers.)

Before long, I would look forward to dog sitting, and we had our little ritual where we'd watch horror movies together. That really got me thinking about wanting a pet, having grown up in a house without any pets.

Now I've got a cat who never uses his own bed and not only sleeps in my bed every night, he has to be physically in contact with me...either cozied up against me, or burrowed into the "valley" between my legs on top of the blanket.

Still, I make a serious effort to brush him, to vacuum and sweep regularly to keep the place free or cat hair, etc.