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My cat Richie is a countertop hopper extraordinaire. In reality, I’d wager he spends as a lot time on the counter or kitchen desk as he does on the numerous cat timber and scratching posts in my home. Through the years, I’ve tried all kinds of issues to maintain my cat off counters and different surfaces. Aluminum foil, air-puffers, new and weird cat furnishings: if an professional recommends it, we’ve tried it.
On this submit, we’ll share among the hottest strategies to maintain cats off counters. However first, we’ll take a look at why cats soar on the counter within the first place. Learn on to unravel the thriller of the counter-hopping cat!
Why Do Cats Leap on the Counter?
Climbing is a pure expression of your cat’s instincts. Based on VCA Animal Hospitals, cats might climb to hunt larger floor after they really feel wired: “Excessive vantage factors enable your cat to look at the world from a spot of security and escape if it feels the necessity to take action.” In case your cat appears nervous after they hop on the counter, it could be time to discover what may be stressing them out.
Then again, some cats soar on the counter just because they’ll, and it feels good! Felines are bodily constructed for climbing, with springy again haunches and claws constructed for pulling them up timber, hillsides, and different surfaces within the wild. In an interview with WebMD, veterinarian Dr. Aimee Simpson explains, “Cats have giant muscle tissue of their hind limbs that enable them to increase and lengthen, and a versatile backbone with shock-absorbing discs for a sleek touchdown.” Stretching, reaching, and leaping onto the countertop could also be an expression of your kitty’s athleticism.
However all that doesn’t clarify why some cats favor counter tops to cat timber and different surfaces. It’s doable your cat jumps on the counter out of plain previous curiosity. My cat Richie has all the time been obsessive about human meals, and I typically discover him on the countertop making an attempt to wash up a grimy dish or nibble a chunk of fruit ripening on the windowsill. He’s not making an attempt to be “naughty,” he’s simply being his quirky, curious self.
iStock/Natalya Vilman
How Do I Cease My Cat From Leaping on the Desk (or Countertop, or Kitchen Desk…)?
One of many first steps to retaining your cat off the counter is to make the counters much less interesting to them. Specialists on the Anti-Cruelty Society clarify, “as accountable pet house owners, we need to give our pets the perfect probability doable to behave nicely.” Meaning setting them up for achievement by eradicating the temptation to leap up within the first place.
For some cats, which means cleansing up meals scraps earlier than your kitty can sniff them out, putting in child-proof latches to maintain them out of cabinets, and (ugh) doing the dishes in a well timed method. Puzzle feeders and lick mats are useful instruments to redirect your kitty’s food-seeking habits.
In case your cat is extra pushed by curiosity than starvation, then it’s sensible to offer various elevated areas they’ll discover. Cat trees, window perches, and wall-mounted cabinets are all nice choices. In reality, for the extra-curious cat you may need to present all three!
Try these posts for solutions of cat furnishings to maintain your climber completely satisfied:
1. Top Cat Furniture for Apartment Dwellers
2. 19 Modern Cat Trees to Buy Immediately
3. Your Kitty Will Cuddle Up Into These Cozy Cat Hammocks
Does Aluminum Foil Preserve Cats Off Counters?
Writer’s cat, Richie, on the kitchen counter
One of the vital frequent “dwelling cures” for counterhopping is placing aluminum foil on the counter tops. Frequent knowledge says that kitties don’t like the feeling of foil underneath their toes, and can keep away from surfaces because of this. In actuality, your expertise might differ. My cats have mastered the artwork of knocking foil sheets out of the best way, however some individuals have nice success with the foil trick!
Overlaying the counter with an disagreeable materials is typically known as “booby trapping” your cat. As defined on this article from VCA Animal Hospitals, “booby trapping” can deter cats from undesirable habits. The thought is to make the floor disagreeable for them to stroll on, which can hopefully make them discover alternate spots (like that lovely cat tree you bought them). Foil is just one possibility; I’ve additionally used plastic carpet runners (with the nubby facet up), plastic sheeting, and double-sided tape to maintain my kitties off the counter. You can too attempt establishing stacks of cans or different light-weight objects that may make noise when knocked over, though some cats get pleasure from this type of impediment course!
What Scent Will Preserve Cats Away?
If altering the floor doesn’t work on your cat, you may marvel if there’s a scent that may preserve them off of the counter. There are merchandise that use pheromones to appease and deter kitties, such because the Sentry Stop That! Spray, the thought being that the pheromone scent will deter cats from a floor.
Cat-safe pheromone sprays don’t harm, however they do must be used appropriately to show cats to redirect their curiosity. Consider them as a instrument, not a punishment. Because the Anti-Cruelty Society explains, “The usage of bodily punishment will NOT assist in coaching your feline pal, however moderately will make her concern you…keep away from yelling at, hitting, or spraying your cat with water.” To keep away from your cat forming fearful associations with you, you may attempt a motion-activated air blower. Merchandise like Ssscat shoot a cat-safe blast of unscented air when kitties cross their paths. These could be a helpful “booby entice” deterrent, though Richie rapidly realized to easily stroll round them in his quest to succeed in the countertop.
My favourite scent-based deterrent is the Feliway pheromone diffuser, which releases a relaxing scent (just about undetectable to people) that will soothe kitties who climb out of anxiety.
Be Persistent and Present Options
Cats love to leap and discover. It’s merely of their nature to rise up excessive! Basically, one of the simplest ways to maintain your cat off the countertop is to verify they’ve entry to alternate surfaces. In case your kitty prefers the countertop to the cat tree, it could take a while to coach them to redirect to a different floor. Be affected person, and keep in mind that your cat is simply being a cat Within the meantime, you should definitely have a great non-toxic cleaner readily available to wipe up these paw prints!
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