kitchen work surfaces!

[Umbrelladilemma]

I admit we've got very lax about this and our 10 yr old cat does jump up onto and walk on our kitchen work surfaces. I know - yuck.

We're moving to a new house soon so I was wondering if this would be a good opportunity to set some new house rules... no idea how to deter him though! I remember when he was younger we tried foil and double-sided sticky stuff but not particularly successfully. So I'm looking for new ideas!

[cozietoesie]

I have had mainly Siamese and they're very easy to train - I just say No!, so that they jump down and exclude them from The Presence if they try it a second time. (There's not usually a third time which involves an actual leap.)

Absolute consistency is the way we do training here. With jumping up, it's also useful if you're in the room (and they're thinking a Sinful Thought) to give them a warning Nooooooo? as they think it. (You can tell because their eyes drift up and then drift away as they consider a leap - and then they start to 'shimmy' in preparation.)

[Umbrelladilemma]

Thanks Cozie. He is a Bengal so does have some Siamese-type traits so maybe that sort of approach will work. But are you sure they don't just jump up when you're not there?

I did wonder about wiping them with something like citrus oil which I've heard cats don't like?

[IHaveBrilloHair]

I just clean before I cook, not much help I know, but telling four of them isn't going to happen.

[cozietoesie]

That's the benefit of telling them No when you can see that they're thinking a sinful thought. Interestingly, in Siamese minds (I can't speak to any other breeds), the 'No going on kitchen surfaces' rule - one of our 3 absolute house rules - becomes transmogrified into something more; in practice, they'll avoid some other surfaces also. ( Not all - and I have no idea of the rationale behind it. )

The Lodger is more of a challenge when you're out of sight. But he came to live with us late after raising himself on the street so I make allowances. Neither is he a Siamese so 'his person' is not the primary focus of his existence as for a bonded Siamese.

[Fluffycloudland77]

My Bengal just does what he likes.

Not trainable at all.

[IHaveBrilloHair]

Meh, I just get out the dreamies if I want them to get down, I am a complete wuss though, they practice tap dancing on my head/for the marathon on my bed/use my bags as scratching posts/lick my hair when I am trying to nap/change the telly channel and I still think they are adorable.
obviously I'm single

[cozietoesie]

I'm not surprised. I'd be attempting to placate ASBO with sacrifice and not train him!

[cozietoesie]

I think you should post the picture of him and the toilet roll. I love that one.

[Fluffycloudland77]

He's a little shit sometimes.

[cozietoesie]

I after that photo, I won't hear a word against him!

[Vinorosso74]

Fluffy that is brilliant photo. I love his expression "Honest, I was just trying to stop the loo roll escaping and I accidentally ripped it a little bit..."

[cozietoesie]

Actually, I rather read that expression and body language as 'So you want to make something of this, Big Girl?'

[maamalady]

No idea how to stop them, other than shutting them out! With Oldcat (RIP) we unceremoniously swept her off the worktop back to the floor the few times we tried it, but there's no way she wouldn't have jumped when we weren't there, so we kept the kitchen door closed! Then she got too creaky to jump anyway, which was helpful.

Stupidcat doesn't seem to understand "up" beyond sofas, so worktops were never an issue with her. In our new house the kitchen and garage are "her" places, but she stays on the floor :)

So... make sure your car is elderly, stupid, or both?!

[Fluffycloudland77]

What we need is a work surface that Repels cats. It would sell really well.

[ShutUpLegs]

Girlkit has just twigged she can get up on the work surfaces and we are doing a lot of grabbing her by the scruff, tapping her nose and a stern "No" before putting her down on the floor. Three strikes and she's out of the kitchen and the door is shut for a while.

No idea if it will work in the long term, Girlkit is a bit of a lunatic free spirit.(Her other trick is to climb the living room curtains to a height of 6 feet where I can't reach her). Boykit is more dopey and this kind of jape has not yet occurred to him.

[problembottom]

My cat spends most of his day sitting on top of the fridge. He also supervises any washing up activity very closely and likes sitting in frying pans and baking trays.

We have basically lost all control. Mortifying when people stay over and can't even make a cup of tea without a big fluffy grey cat sticking his paw in the mug.

Are BSH meant to be trainable? Maybe when we move house I will follow your lead!

[cozietoesie]

Utter but calm consistency is required from you I'm afraid.

A few weeks back, Seniorboy - in a moment of inattention due possibly to things being changed around from workmen - started scratching the carpet on the upstairs hall landing. (Bad breach of House Rules.) I could have let it slide in view of his age but I didn't and after being 'reminded' of his duty, he more or less apologised. He didn't seem to mind in the least that I'd enforced a rule.

Keep her up to the mark whatever the time of day, weather, health etc etc.

[Tollygunge]

We give ours a tiny spray from a plant watering thing.

[Lolimax]

My 2 5 month old boys can now jump perfectly onto the work surface but haven't learnt that there could be (hot) things on said surface. I'm trying to lift them down every time but it's not that easy (and I literally haven't got eyes in the back of my head). I'm also worried about the little sods jumping onto the gas stove. I've had cats all my life but never 2 as naughty as these buggers.

[Fluffycloudland77]

I got an induction hob because the cat can't immolate himself on it. He's very relaxed about open flames.

[DramaAlpaca]

My mother had our cats trained not to jump on the worktops, or so she tells me. I think a swipe with a tea towel might have been the training method used. She didn't manage to train the big black & white fella out of opening the door of the fridge so he could help himself though . She had to resort to tying the door shut to stop him.

I always thought our two didn't get on the worktops, until DH, who's always up before me, told me he sometimes finds the ginger ninja sitting on the breakfast bar when he comes down in the morning.

We just spray all surfaces with dettox before preparing food.