HELP ! Keeping Kitten off Table and counters for health reasons

I would like to share a couple of things that may be helpful to you ...

As a breeder, I have kittens in my home for at least 3 months, usually twice per year. And because, very much like you, I am disgusted by the prospect of little feet walking around on my food prep surfaces, I have had to develop a system, or as my Mom likes to call these things, a coping mechanism. *smile*

What I do when I am getting ready to prepare a meal is this:
Kitten are all required to have a temporary confinement in my bedroom. I fill their dishes with fresh food and clean water, their litter box is already back their and so are several of their favorite toys. I put them in my room and close the door.

I then disinfect my kitchen counters, sink and stove top with bleach wipes and I sweep the floor with one of those dry Swiffer things to catch any cat fur from flying up off of the floor. Then I go about making and serving my meal. After we eat, we clean up the dishes, put away the food and I damp-wipe the counters/sink. Then we let the cats out (which successfully then answers the question of WHO let the cats out LOL).

As for the children, mother to mother here, you can try your best to keep germs and baddies from them, but unless you are prepared to make them live in a plastic bubble, you can't keep everything from them. Having raised mine now (21 is the youngest and living away from home), I can tell you that they are pretty resiliant. They catch colds, they get sick. But most of the time, they recover and grow up without a problem. *smile* You can only do so much. I commend you for wanting to keep a tidy environment for them, but take my word for it, in the end, it doesn't matter that terribly much.

Best of luck,

~gf~

Declawing can cause problems later on in the cats life, such as going to the washroom outside the litter box and pain for the cat. Try clipping the nails or using Soft Paws (you can order them online) if you want to avoid furniture damage. If you handle her paws a lot now and get her used to it, then it can be very quick and easy to do. Cats tend to calm down as they age and if you provide an attractive scratching place (boxes or sisal-rope post) your furniture should be fine. The possible drawbacks of declawing are more serious than the possible drawbacks of not declawing, since you can always clip nails but once claws are out, they're out and any problems are not easily fixed.

I am so glad this was posted because I am having the same trouble. Is how it started is my Mom cat taught her kittens to get on the table and cupboards to get food, like a natural instinct to fend for themselves. She never got on the table or cupboards until she had her kittens and it was time to ween them. So, needless to say a couple of them did pick up the bad habit, while others didn't. I haven't totally broke them of getting up on those places, but it helped taking the chairs away from the table, because they would use the chairs to get on the table. Another thing that seemed to work was... this was by total accident to find this out. I didn't have time to do dishes the last two or three days because of a crisis that happened, so the dishes accumulated on the table which by any means should have attracted them to the dirty dishes to lick them or eat any food off of them. Anyway, is how it worked is there was no room for them to even jump on the table. I'm NOT saying letting your dirty dishes accumulate, but maybe try putting some clean dishes all over your table, so there isn't room for them to jump up on there for a few days and maybe your cat will lose interest.

I also use a spray bottle, but I don't spray them in the face, I spray them from behind or on the side. I have never sprayed them in the face, because I don't think that is right. Now, my cats know that if they see me with the spray bottle they are in trouble. Just my personal opinion on a spray bottle. Although I don't use it as much now as I did, and I couldn't ever be real consistant with it, because how do you spray a cat who is on your DVD player without getting water on your DVD player and ruining it, or other electronics or when they are sitting by a surge protector behind the TV?

Pleeeeeeeeease do not declaw kitty!!

No offense to your vet, but he/she is just trying to make money off of you. It's an expensive and painful (I would go so far as to say cruel and abusive) proceedure.

Sorry that I can't help you with th ecounters...I take the Rosiemac approach and just wipe everything down with disinfectant before I make food. My cats are also terrified of the gas stove, so that's kind of a benefit...

Cats need someplace where they can be up off the ground. They have a natural perching instinct that needs to be fulfilled. Give her someplace where she *can* be, and make it attractive with catnip, treats, etc. Then the counters will be less interesting.

P.S. - there is really no health hazard at all with having a cat on the counter or table. Just use common sense and wipe it down before preparing food. If it were really hazardous to one's health, I'd probably have gotten sick from it at least once! But I don't know anyone who ever has.

And as to declawing, it is *not* "having the claws taken out", it is amputating all of her toes! It is inhumane, extremely painful, and illegal in many countries. Vets "recommend" it because it is a huge money maker for them. Honestly, a vet who "recommends" routine declawing is not a doctor I would trust at all. Do not do it!

I guess you might think it repulsive then if I let one of my cats lick the gloss off my lips? (he loves the taste)....



Good luck in your quest for clean counters...I wouldn't have the patience or sanity I think Beckiboo's post was eloquent and to the point.

....and yes, please do not declaw.

Originally Posted by ruthiepa

I am taking her to get fixed next week and the vet recomends I have her front claws taked out. Does anyone have an opinion on that ? The vet says that she will stop destroying all out new furniture and that it is a good idea since she is an indoor only kitten ?????????????????

Thanks again everyone

Click to expand...

Wow. Your vet recommended your kitty be declawed! That really irks me. Your vet should be warning you about the pain and repercussions, not suggesting it! How much of an animal advocate can someone be if they are suggesting you have part of their paws amputated!!!

This is not directed at YOU. Thank God you had the sense to ask about it!

Originally Posted by GrayFluffy

I also use a spray bottle, but I don't spray them in the face, I spray them from behind or on the side. I have never sprayed them in the face, because I don't think that is right. Now, my cats know that if they see me with the spray bottle they are in trouble. Just my personal opinion on a spray bottle. Although I don't use it as much now as I did, and I couldn't ever be real consistant with it, because how do you spray a cat who is on your DVD player without getting water on your DVD player and ruining it, or other electronics or when they are sitting by a surge protector behind the TV?

Click to expand...

I have to agree on the spray bottle--as long as you're not getting it in their eyes, it doesn't hurt, but my cat hates getting sprayed and knows that she's doing something wrong. We hardly ever have to use it to establish boundaries anymore, but occassionally we'll have to break it out again and shake it suggestively to curtail bad behavior, though it's probably been over a year since she's actually had to be sprayed. It may not work with all cats, but it works with her, as long as it's not in regards to huffing bleach fumes. (It's more attractive to her than 'nip and requires no less than three separate barricades to stop her from getting high.)

However, your cat doesn't respond to it in this situation, or to foil, so here are a couple possiblities. I actually recently read in the paper about a woman cutting up those plastic nubbed office mats to deter kitties from a location. Most don't like the feel on their little kitty paws, so putting strips on the counter when it's not in use or putting them wherever she tends to take off from may stop her. When I first inherited my cat from her former owner, she wasn't sure that she wanted to accept me and listen to me regarding what territory was offlimits, and while I was at school she was a horrible little punk and threw things off my display shelf above the fireplace. (I undertand why her first owner named her Punk Ass, even though I couldn't call her that.) The foolproof solution in this case was to observe how she was getting onto the mantle in the first place, and then I placed tall items right along the edge in that location so she couldn't see where she was landing. My cat won't jump unless she's very clear about where she will land, so you might try observing if she always jumps up in the same place and line up some empty ceral boxes as a kitty fence. Once she couldn't see where she was landing, I watched Pandora investigate her old access spot a couple of times but never witnessed her jumping again or found my bats scattered on the floor, either, so as far as I know, it was a total success.

I agree about having a climbing apparatus of some sort, though. Pandora loves her three-tiered post and scratches and perches to her heart's content. Living in a rooming house with 11 other people and 9 other cats (I used to--not anymore, thankfully), I found that high perches seemed especially important to the girl kitties. Just make sure it's not within jumping distance of the places you're trying to keep her away from. More scratching posts like that will probably also keep her from damaging the furniture. Our cat likes carpet-coated posts, but she hates the ones with coiled rope on them. (That still works for us--we put the rope one in front of any piece of furniture that she takes a temporary scratching interest in and she promptly ignores it and goes back to her posts.) The cardboard ones with catnip in them may also work, but our cat refuses to scratch hers--she just licks it to get high on the 'nip until it's quite soggy and we eventually have to take it away.

I know that some people feel comfortable about their animals having free reign on the counter, but I don't, either, and with a flat range it could be downright dangerous to her, not to mention that some people foods, like onions, can be very hazardous to your kitty's health, so given the circumstances it's probably a good idea to continue trying to discourage her. (A friend of mine's kitten died from eating green onions in her kitchen, and it seemed from your post that kitty likes to sample the people food.) If none of the suggestions work, I'll bet the books suggested will offer other possibilities. Good luck. Let us know what eventually works in your situation.

Pieces,

Joanne

Merlin and Freya go all over the worktops (counters) at home. The one by the kitchen sink is a nice vantage point where they can watch the birds through the window.

Merlin sleeps on top of the cupboards in the small gap under the ceiling, and both have the freedom to go where they want. They're cats - you cant stop them. Strangely though, they know to stay at floor level when food is being prepared (probably because they get thrown little treats when my wife's not looking )

All it takes is 30 seconds with an anti-bac spray or wipe before you prepare food. Spraying your kitties or shoving them onto the floor is not kind or productive

When I was a child we played in the dirt (soon discovered it tasted horrid), my mothers house was not that clean and you could not buy things called antibacterial .... we didn't die. We grew up strong and healthy and our bodies actually developed their own immunity systems.

There has been research to say we are too clean and that out children these days do not develope the immunity system they should because we destroy all the bacteria in our houses and they are not exposed to them, consiquently when they do have contact with bacterias it can have dier results ...

I am not advocating that we do not wipe up after the cats walk on the work surface (an occupational hazzard with cat ownership) but it does not hurt to put things in pespective, a cat hair in our food is not going to kill us.... if it did I would have been dead years ago.

I am 45 years old and for most of my life there has been a cat in it I suppose I have just got used to putting things out of their reach. I automatically put yummy food that they may be tempted to sample in the microwave. But I still get caught out occaisionally. I do not worry about it I would much rather lose the odd item of food than the love of my animals.

I would love my cats not to walk on the kitchen units but I have accepted that no matter what I do they are going to do it, so I take the appropriate action (wash the surfaces befor I prepare food).

The only thing I will not tolerate is sharing my plate and for this I have to admit I have resorted to a water pistol. With ALL of the cats I have only ever had to give them 1 or 2 squirts to the body, now none except the littlest persist and he does a runner if I just pick up the pistol. Although if we are neglectfull and leave the room they will take full advantage (hey ! they are only doing what is natural).... although Jessica my dog will guard a plate of food and not let anything near it, but if they do carry on and do not heed the warning (Tommy knows she is bluffing) she will just bark and let them have it...

A funny insident the other week was when the boys decided they would try to steal my OH's tea. They were caught red handed stalking the plate, the OH picked up the pistol and pointed it at them, they stopped and stared at him, he waggled the gun in a get off motion (a bit like in a gangster movie). They both backed slowly away and jumped down, I think if they could have raised their hands they would have.

Please please do not declaw, if you have a problem try Soft Paw they are cheaper and kinder.

Originally Posted by Casa De Gato

you could not buy things called antibacterial .... we didn't die. We grew up strong and healthy and our bodies actually developed their own immunity systems.

There has been research to say we are too clean and that out children these days do not develope the immunity system they should because we destroy all the bacteria in our houses and they are not exposed to them, consiquently when they do have contact with bacterias it can have dier results ...

Click to expand...

How true this is! And i've also heard that we are "too clean"

First of all, welcome to the site, and thanks for asking about your kitty. I really hope you don't feel anyone is being to hard on you. We are all here to help.

As for the counters. I don't really have a problem with that I'm lucky that my cats don't jump up there because my husband feels the same way you do about the feet previously being in the litterbox.

What does work with Gracie - she gets on the table (to get to a chair) to watch the birds out the window. I say her name (to get her attention), then start snapping my fingers (3-5 times), then I put her down. Now, when she gets on the table, sometimes when I say her name, she gets down, and almost always when I start snapping she gets down... it's only rarely that I have to get up to get her down.

As for the declawing. I would really do some research on your own first, as well as listen to the others here who know a lot about it. I have had a declawed cat (we did not do it, we got him that way). One thing I do know about declawed cats... they can become biters. That would be something to think about with your 5 kids.

Good luck with your kitty. When you can figure out how to post pics... we would all love to see pictures.

Originally Posted by Casa De Gato

There has been research to say we are too clean and that out children these days do not develope the immunity system they should because we destroy all the bacteria in our houses and they are not exposed to them, consiquently when they do have contact with bacterias it can have dier results ...

I am not advocating that we do not wipe up after the cats walk on the work surface (an occupational hazzard with cat ownership) but it does not hurt to put things in pespective, a cat hair in our food is not going to kill us.... if it did I would have been dead years ago.

I would love my cats not to walk on the kitchen units but I have accepted that no matter what I do they are going to do it, so I take the appropriate action (wash the surfaces befor I prepare food).

A funny insident the other week was when the boys decided they would try to steal my OH's tea. They were caught red handed stalking the plate, the OH picked up the pistol and pointed it at them, they stopped and stared at him, he waggled the gun in a get off motion (a bit like in a gangster movie). They both backed slowly away and jumped down, I think if they could have raised their hands they would have.

Click to expand...

I certainly agree that we are too concerned about being bacteria-free. Our children are growing up without the immune systems we had. We (and our neighbours) were always very healthy even after pulling veggies out of the dirt, wiping them on our jeans and proceeding to eat them (the same earth my dad spread manure over in the springtime).

I always assume our cats have been up on the counter whether I see them or not so I clean my counters before preparing food. As for cat hair - I try to avoid them but no guarantees but so far I haven't thrown up any hairballs.

I mean no disrespect but I personally feel that folks who want sterile environments or designer furniture shouldn't have animals because animals aren't children that you can make sit and behave or suffer the consequences. Animals IMHO are our companions and not our property to dispose of as we see fit or however the mood strikes us.

(I had a vision of the cats with their little hands up and backing away and cracked up! Thanks for the good laugh of the day.)

Don't worry about it, my cats aren't allowed to be up on the counters or kitchen table either. When we trained them, it was actually pretty funny. We'd hide behind other walls, and doors and whatnot, and let them act like they were going to jump up on there, and as soon as they started to jump, we'd squirt them in the rear. we NEVER squirted them in the face, and honestly, they never even knew it was us squirting them. The reason we did this, was so that they thought that the counters were startling them. We do allow them up on the table chairs, and will catch them checking out something on the table, not because it's up high, but because it's something interesting. Usually a "HEY!" and a clap of the hands is enough to get them down.

And I feel the same way you do. I am an adult, and i have the immune system, blah blah, and the thought of a cat going to the bathroom and then jumping up on the counters grosses me out. Has nothing to do with being bacteria free, has to do with the thought just grosses me out.

Oh, and another thing that worked for my dad's girlfriend was pieplates. She'd ut them upside down on the chairs and the counters, and as soon as they jumed up on there, the crackling noise made them jump right back down.

Good luck!

-Jade

For declawing, please read this article: http://straypetadvocacy.org/html/dec...ernatives.html It gives a non-biased (as as close to unbiased as you can get...) view of what the surgery is, possible complications based on medical studies, and alternatives to declawing. If you are having problem with inappropriate scratching, we can help you with that here too. I have to ask, did your vet explain what the surgery involves? I'm a VERY strong advocate of education, especially about declawing, including alternatives to it by the vets themselves. Part of the reason I chose my current vet is that their policy is to educate and try to dissuade people asking for it by offering alternative behavior modification assistance.

With the squirt gun/bottle, the real health issue is to avoid getting water in the cat's ear, which may not get out of the ear and can lead to infection. However, as a behavioral modification tool it doesn't work effectively. What it teaches kitty is not to do that *when you are there*. But they are smart and will figure out quickly that the water comes from YOU, and it doesn't happen when YOU aren't there. It may make the person feel better because they don't see kitty on the counter, but kitty will most likely still be on the counter when you aren't there to catch them.

Originally Posted by valanhb

However, as a behavioral modification tool it doesn't work effectively. What it teaches kitty is not to do that *when you are there*. But they are smart and will figure out quickly that the water comes from YOU, and it doesn't happen when YOU aren't there. It may make the person feel better because they don't see kitty on the counter, but kitty will most likely still be on the counter when you aren't there to catch them.

Click to expand...

But isn't that true of most dissuasive action we take i.e clicking fingure, calling their name, or distracting them ? it only happens when we are there.
The pieplates on the unit would be ok when you are not there but my cats are pretty wise...they would probably knock them down to play with. Plus I am not sure I want pie plates all over my work tops.... by the time I have collected them up laid them out etc.. I may as well have just wiped the worksurface down.

It is pretty obvious that cats are cats and no amount of action taken will stop them walking on work tops if they want to, it is just something I have learnt over the years to accept and clean appropriately.

If I see them stealing or attempting to steal I remove them pretty much in the same way as any territorial animal will chase competitors from their food.

My cats do not see me as a threat or something to frighten them the opposite in fact they follow me around and still love me to bits, even if they have just been 'squirted' ..... and they know damned well it is me that has done it and they also seem to know why I did it.

They are always pretty cautious when attempting to steal not like before when they were kittens then they just used to go right in and take what they wanted. In those days they did not know the rules, these days they do.

If we are eating they sit and watch from a distance, no more climbing on the plates or table. When we are finished they jump up knowing that they will get the scraps....if they can get there befor Jessica

Forgot to mention. I am pretty lucky in that I have a lot of worktops, Part of the kitchen worktops I have made over to the cats purely because if I put the dried food down the dogs eat it. (i have a dispenser which I keep full all the time so the cats eat ad lib)

The cats have learnt that this is their space and they are allowed there. The other parts i.e where the sink is and the cooker and where I prepare food they are not allowed.

That is of course when I am there I am pretty sure when I am not they are all over the worktops... but hey they are cats what do you expect

Originally Posted by Casa De Gato

That is of course when I am there I am pretty sure when I am not they are all over the worktops... but hey they are cats what do you expect

Click to expand...

That's why I said I ALWAYS ASSUME the cats have been on the counters and wash them/sterilize them before beginning any food preparation.