Is it possible to keep cats off of counters and tables?

Hi all!

Lookin' for some advice on Mischief. Now that he's bigger (a whoppin' 4#'s at 11 weeks, ), he's learnin' he can do all sorts of fun things...

...like jump onto the dining table while we're eating...
...or counter surf while I'm preparing meals...

He is our first kitten, the cats that we had in the past never did either of these so we had no idea they have to be taught not to. Dh thought it was cute, him scurrying around the table at 2#'s, at 4#'s it's not so cute and when he's full grown it'll be downright gross.

So can a cat be trained? I don't mean like dogs, I know they don't work that way, but can they be taught that tables and counters are no-no's? My parents use a spray bottle to keep Cooper off but after 7 months, Cooper still gets up on their's so I'm thinkin' that spray bottles don't really work as a permanent solution. Whatever the previous owners of the adult cats we used to have did worked because those girls never even tried.

You can try! Seriously, there have been some ideas posted here before about putting tin foil down for one, but we've had no luck. I just basically make sure I clean all the counters and table off well before cooking and eating.

I've taught my cats to stay off the counter while I'm preparing food and to stay off the table while I'm eating. The way I did it was EVERY SINGLE TIME A CAT JUMPED UP HE GOT SHOVED OFF. I emphasize that because it only works if you're 100% consistent. What happens is that eventually the cats give up because they just know they're going to get shoved off.

BTW - they only stay off while I'm right there. If I walk away, they'll jump up as soon as my back is turned. Some people have been successful in keeping their cats off counters and tables, but I suspect it's because those cats don't really want to be up there all that much any way. A really determined cat is going to jump up despite any cat deterrents you might use.

I got lucky with Twitch, she stays off the kitchen table(but she has the dining room table to sit on with kitty beds) & she stays off the "island" counter. She has access to the other counters. Lily however, is a stinker! I figure as long as she isn't on the "island" counter, then she can be on the others. The two windows over the counter are the ones that you can see the dogs from when they are outside & the occaisonal cat that comes for a meal.

Good Luck keeping Mischeif off the counter! He might actually live up to his name!

I have been able to keep my cats off the table and counters. Each time they jump up I pick them up and put them down on the floor and say NO. I don't shove them off I pick them up and set them down. In time they will stop as they know they will be set back down on the floor.

Well, maybe "shoved off" isn't quite the right description.

What I do is give a little push on the behind in the direction of the edge or lift and guide the front end of the cat toward the edge so the cat has to jump off. The cat is in complete control of his departure from the top, it's just that he has no alternative but to depart.

I have no trouble while eating or cooking with Kandie ... Zoey though I just let her help she only uses the table as a stepping stone so she doesnt bug me while eating..

I don't know what it is, but I've never had a problem with a cat on the counter or on the table! *runs to find some wood to knock on, since there's a new kitten in the house now*

you can but it takes some money and effort. Buy those pastic runners you put under a computer chair, and trim them to fit the areas being jumped on. Put the mats on the surfaces prong side up. The cat does not like that feeling on their pads and they will jump down.