Kittens jumping on table/worktops

[MrsJamin]

Is there any way to prevent / train your cat not to jump up on the table/ worktops or are my efforts totally futile? Kittens are 4 months old and are just about big enough to jump up to kitchen worktops. It's utterly infuriating getting them off literally every 5 minutes and then who knows what they get up to when we're not here! Any tips? Apart from a consistent NO when they get up?

You just have to persevere if you want it to be a house rule. They are like naughty toddlers and will keep trying, but they're also intelligent and will get the message. You could try water spray if you get desperate?

Can you shut them out of the kitchen? Must admit that's what we do while we're out. The cats are allowed on the table here btw it's just the worktops we have a problem with.

Last time this topic came up there were posters saying they'd trained their cat not to do it and said cat never ever went up there even when said owner was out - but IME it's futile. I tell mine off every time they do it and they jump down - and now don't go up there if I'm in the room - but I know full well they're up there when I'm at work or in bed!

It's not the kind of thing I'd waste too much energy on tbh.

One of our house rules - but that's with Siamese and they can be trained to within an inch of their lives. ( If you don't have too many rules.) Interestingly, it seems to transmute in Siamese minds to 'No going on various surfaces!'. I've never worked out what the common factor is; just that there is one.

Water spray. It'll at least train them not to use tables and worktops as their own personal highway, but it won't stop them if there's food up there.