Listening to me!

[bubbie]

Samson is 5 months old... I brought him home on March 29th. He is a blue seal point Siamese and beautiful and has a big ego. Nothing I've done so far has stopped him from jumping onto the dining room table, kitchen counter tops and other furniture where he is prohibited. I know he's a kitten and wants to know about everything... but he has become intolerable because he doesn't obey me: water bottle spray; loud noise with down; clapping my hands; using the sound chich chich (my girls use it on their doges....works). I'd be most obliged if anyone can help me. My husband is older and it's hard for me to stay in the living room with him when Samson is sneaking into the kitchen and on to the counters... Very stressful. Samson and I spend a lot of time in the bedroom.... and he does, alone... I need help, fast. He's very loving, funny and bossy.:

 

[fhicat]

but he has become intolerable because he doesn't obey me: water bottle spray; loud noise with down; clapping my hands; using the sound chich chich (my girls use it on their doges....works). 

Because those methods generally don't work. Please read these articles for an idea of why you should never punish a cat:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cats-and-discipline-dont-mix

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/playtime-aggression

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/get-off-how-to-discourage-your-cat-from-jumping-on-counters

Cats are not dogs. What may work on dogs does not mean they will work on cats. 

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Do you have any cat trees he can climb?  It may help to give him an alternative place where it is acceptable to jump up.  Many cat's need that.  To an extent at this point; he is a kitten and doing what kittens do.  He is also Siamese; so it's really going to take patience to wait for him to mature through some of this.  Can you block his access to your kitchen or is it open? 

Hopefully there will be something else that helps in the articles linked above too.  But I'll be honest; at 9 years old I don't fully trust my 2 to stay off the counters.  Noodles in particular.  She very rarely will try to get on them when I am in the room; but we still catch her up there from time to time.  And who knows what she does when we are asleep or not home!  We are diligent not to leave anything there that attracts her and to clean the surfaces before we cook or eat. 

I know he is a kitten so this may help only so much; but perhaps when you want him to stay in the living room you can make it one of his special play times.  I would get a toy like "da bird" and use that with him in your living room.  It may help wear him out so he's less ready to explore (but with a kitten they recharge pretty fast

) but it'll also help him associate that room with positive times. 

 

[mycatwasthebest]

I never really stopped my cat from jumping on counters (or refrigerators, toilets, closet shelves...) but she was trained from an early age to know what a long, drawn out "down" meant. Of course she liked a leash and thought she was a dog who could jump onto a refrigerator...I haven't read any of the links but I think you can train him if you realize it takes a LOT longer then a month.

 

[plan]

I hear ya, OP. It's not easy.

My kitten is slowly coming to understand the word "no" and I reserve the sharp hiss for when he's doing things that can really hurt him, like playing with electrical wires. When I catch him teething on my computer wires, a sharp "No!" and hiss is enough to get him to stop, but often he'll freeze, let the wire go, then stare at me -- and as soon as he knows I'm not looking, he'll start again.

The problem was compounded by the fact that he likes to lounge near me, including the spot near my feet where the computer cables are connected to a surge protector.

Eventually, I had to physically restrict his ability to lounge there by putting a box there and arranging the surge protector so it's on top of the box, with all the wires. Now there's no more room for my kitten to lounge there. I am also going to pick up some bitter apple spray next time I go to the pet store.

Bottom line is, like everything I have learned as a new cat owner, it seems the solution is always a combination of things. Check out Fhi09's third link, there's some good advice under "surface covering" that should help your kitty get the hint. Good luck.

 

[bubbie]

Thank you for your response. I just finished putting two-sided tape on the counters. Last night I made being in the living room, play-time. It worked very well. In fact...Samson was asleep by 10pm until 5am. Thanks a lot for your suggestion! Oh, and yes, I have a tall tree...and Samson gets to climb on my "tall" furniture in "our" room.
Bubbie...