Keeping Kitty Off Counters, Etc.

[Davaroo]

So what are some good ways to keep cats off the furniture like counter and bench tops? Ours seem to have adopted my workbench as a place to bond with me. They can smell me, I guess, so they want to lie and mess around there... it's pride behavior, I think.

But the little punks knock my tools and things off, and then get them lost or carry them off!

So how do I keep them off?

 

[AkTomboy]

I have never been a fan of cats on the counters and such so I’m with ya! I use a water spray bottle on stream and ice cold water. Every time they are caught on there I spray them like crazy until they have left the area. Most cats don’t like water, but all cats hate COLD water! Hope it works for you, I have only had to do it a few times with strays that were already adults when they came into my home.

 

[Hillsvale]

I don't care if they sleep on the bed or couch... our dogs do
I don't care if they hang out in my workshop... my cat does and had a pet door to get in there... see reason above!

But a cat or a dogs beak, lips or sniffer on my counter top or table gets them a quick swat.... they don't do it now!!

 

[pbjmaker]

We were having a similiar discussion in the incubating section since one of my cats has a fondness for the incubator - might check out the ideas there.

 

[Bluemoon420]

I've used squirt guns, but you have to be there when they do it. My friend had these things called scat mats that kept her dogs and cats off her furniture. let me see if I can find a link somewhere....

http://www.safepetproducts.com/scat-mat-for-cats-and-dogs.html

I can't vouch for the company advertising it, but that's the product.

I can vouch for this company... I've ordered things in the past from them, and I believe they carry scat mat or something similar.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/

Hope that helps, and good luck.

Cats are stubborn bunch.

Bluemoon

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

The spray bottle works but they can beigin to relate that to you and not what they are doing. We have broken many of them using tape. Take a nice really sticky wide tape, lay it sticky side up just barly floding over the ends and sticking them to the counter top (just to keep it from rolling up)
Place it all around, especially where they like to get, then, when they jump up they hit it and it sticks to them, they cant fraking stand it! Doesnt hurt them either, but only once or twice of that, and they quit, works on furniture too, put it where they like to scratch or what ever and get the same results!

 

[highcountrychickens]

I also heard they don't like orange peels - you can get natural orange oil cat repellant spray from Fosters and Smith... not sure how well it works (I had a siamese who would run out of a room if you peeled an orange - another tabby who would eat orange pieces, so who knows?) The scat mat is the best way I suspect

 

[Southernbelle]

I've never tried these but I've heard of using a cookie sheet on the edge of the counter, so when they jump up, cat and cookie sheet fall down and makes a loud noise, scaring the cat. Or setting mousetraps under newspaper to give them a scare.

 

[calicokat]

Also, a long piece of slightly crumpled tin foil left on the area you want them to stay off of works well. The nice thing with this, unlike the spray bottle, it works while you're not there too. My kitties figured out that if they REALLY wanted on the counter they had to wait until Mom was out of the area with that icky squirt bottle -- darn kitties!

 

[The Chicken Lady]

A spray bottle filled with a mix of with one part water, one part lemon juice...

I try to get them right in the face (mine don't mind it when other parts of their bodies get wet, but they do hate a face shot!).