5 Effective Ways To Stop Cats Jumping On Kitchen Surfaces

The curious nature of cats often causes trouble in the kitchen. Here’s how to deter your cat from jumping on the counters.

Cats can be kept from kitchen surfaces through deterrence and preventative actions. Five of the most effective ways is to remove food from surfaces, the use of cat repellants, providing cat-only spaces, entertaining cats elsewhere, and not providing affection when they sit on counters.

We all love our pets. But for hygiene reasons, we cannot allow cats to traipse around food preparation areas. Here’s how to keep your cat and your family safe.

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The Top 5 Ways to Keep Your Feline Friend From Exploring Kitchen Counters

Our pets are members of the family. We interact with them and love the affection that cats can give (when they deem you worthy). But there are two reasons why cats cannot be allowed on the surfaces of a kitchen - apart from the floor!

First, they can carry dirt on their feet or shed hair that gets into the food that we prepare. Secondly, it is never safe for a cat to move between boiling pots, gas stoves, hot plates or foodstuff that might be toxic to them.

Here are the 5 most effective ways to keep kitty off the counter:

1. Do not leave food on the counters.
2. Do not reward them for climbing on the counters.
3. Give them their own space in the kitchen.
4. Provide enough entertainment for cats elsewhere in the home.
5. Use cat-friendly repellants.

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Remove All Foody Invitations From Kitchen Counters

Cats love food. Let’s face it, human foods smells very inviting to them! The kitchen is full of the stuff so that is where most cats will eventually end up, nosing around for tasty treats. The best thing to do is to remove all food and open containers from kitchen counters. To lessen the allure for cats, you can also wipe down a counter as soon as you are done using it. This will remove the smell of food.

At the very least, only keep well-sealed containers of food on counters. You can also wipe them on the outside to reduce the aroma of their contents.

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Do Not Reward Them For Climbing On The Counters

This seems like a silly tip but bear with us. As intelligent as cats are, they do not understand the human language when you scold them. When your cat jumps on the counter and dabbles a paw in your freshly-made pudding, a shriek is just a reaction to them. It can also be perceived as attention, including when you remove them from the counter. After all, you are interacting with them. Definitely no not scratch their chin when they appear on a counter!

Provide Cats With Their Own Space In The Kitchen

Do you love having your cat with you, even in the kitchen? No problem. Cats can safely hang around in the kitchen. One way is to provide them with their own kitty furniture. These can include scratch poles with platforms or larger platforms that reach a few levels into the air. Cats love sitting and snoozing on surfaces that are flat and high up.

How Do I Get My Cat To Use Its Platform Instead Of The Counter?

All it takes is food and attention - the very things that our pets thrive on. The promise of a treat or cuddle helps countless people to train their pets. You can also use these much-loved training techniques to get your cat to only use its pet furniture when it enters the kitchen. You probably already know what snacks your cat loves. You can place a small bowl on the pet shelf or some of its normal food - and only make a fuss/scratch its chin when the cat climbs on its own furniture.

In no time, your cat will grasp the fact that the pet furniture equals food and attention but not the other surfaces in the kitchen. Keeping fun toys and kibble in the cat’s spaces in the kitchen could also train it to head for the pet furniture even when you are not there.

Provide Enough Entertainment For Cats Elsewhere In The Home

Once you remove all the enticing sights and smells in the kitchen, your feline can find fun somewhere else - if you help the situation along a bit! There are plenty of things you can do to keep your kitty occupied or resting elsewhere in the house.

• Create an inviting sunning area near a window that receives a good amount of sunlight.
• Place bowls of food and water elsewhere in the home. ( How to maintain your automatic cat feeder).
• Keep playtime between you and your cat outside of the kitchen.
• Make the surfaces in other rooms more enticing by adding snug rugs or cat cushions on them.
• Make comfy “watch stations.” If you notice that your cat fancies a certain window and watches everything and everyone that goes by, make the spot more inviting. Add a bed, nibbles, and more.

Use Cat-Friendly Repellants

Right off the bat, most cat lovers will agree that using a painful or unpleasant repellent is not an acceptable way to treat one’s pet. Unfortunately, many such products exist and people do buy them to “train” their pets’ unwanted behaviour out of them. This is sad because there are many products on the market today that is animal-friendly and will achieve the same - if not better results - than hurting or scaring a pet.

What Are My Cat-Friendly Repellant Options?

If you require a little extra help to shoo your pet away from kitchen counters, there are plenty of products to help you achieve that goal. But two of the most popular types involve scent and sticky strips.

Products that use smell to deter cats often involve a spray bottle. You spritz the area that you want to keep cat-free and since the product smells offputting to the cat, the chances are that it will avoid the kitchen counter. But make sure that the product you choose is safe to use in the kitchen and will not contaminate food.

Another popular pet-friendly way is to use sticky strips. Please do not make your own with duct tape or glue as this can possibly harm your cat. The commercial cat-repellant strips are designed to discourage cats from jumping on surfaces without causing physical harm. The strips work in two ways. Some are dual-sided and can be left on the edge of the counter while others must be applied and pulled off, leaving behind an invisible and sticky layer.

The sticky strip is only mildly annoying to your cat. It will never get stuck. Since cats hate the feeling of something sticky on their paws, they will learn to associate kitchen counters with this unwelcome sensation. Do not worry, a good product will also not leave a sticky residue on your cat’s feet, either.

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A Summary On How To Repel Cats From Kitchen Surfaces

• Cats must be discouraged from visiting kitchen surfaces for health and safety reasons.
• Food and attention are the main attractions for cats in a kitchen.
• You can train your cat to use “cat only” zones in the kitchen.
• There are several cat-friendly products that repel pets from climbing on counters.
• Making other places in the home more comfortable and fun will also keep a cat out of the kitchen.