# How to keep cat off kitchen worktops?



## IDave (Jun 16, 2011)

Hi,

My cat is 11 months old, until now he has never once jumped up to the kitchen worktops.

Today I walked into the kitchen and he was sitting next to the kitchen sink licking water from the bottom of the sink.

I really don't want my cat to get into the habit of jumping up on the kitchen worktops!

I have previously successfully used a water pistol to stop him from chewing the livingroom blinds and to keep him away from the tv stand, however I can't be around during the day to stop him from jumping up in the kitchen.

Does anyone have any hints or tips to keep him off the work tops?

Thanks


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## Milly Cat (Nov 20, 2010)

Unless you can shut the door on your kitchen my tip would be that you just get used to wiping down the kitchen surfaces with cat-safe disinfectant before cooking and resign yourself to the fact that your cat will get up there :001_rolleyes: I tried all sorts of things to keep Milly off the surfaces, and while your cat may learn to keep off them while you're around you'll find the telltale evidence (i.e. muddy pawprints) suggesting they don't respect your boundaries while you're out of sight!


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## Aurelie (Apr 10, 2012)

Claude used to do this a lot, I took him off every time I saw him do it and after a while he stopped doing it. 'What a well behaved cat' I smugly thought. Nope. He just does it when I am not there - I have seen him through the kitchen windows. Git.

I keep a steady supply of Dettol wipes and spray on hand and he still thinks I am none the wiser :001_rolleyes:


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## Jenny1966 (Feb 7, 2011)

If you find a way you could become a millionaire 

I was spoilt with Molly, she has never attempted it (well she did once, and slam dunked herself against the washing machine ) but Manny, well he is a different story! He gets up there continuously, and nothing I do stops him  He doesn't even get up there for a reason, he does it because he can, simple as!


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## Clairey1234 (Apr 3, 2012)

i'm afraid there really is no stopping them! 
unless you keep the door closed!

squirting them will do no good. as somebody else said, they will do it when you aren't there lol.
they are far from stupid. 

i've got 3 who do it all of the time. even though i take them down every time i see them. 
it just means the benches get cleaned alot. maybe that's what they're doing. making sure we keep it clean


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## Mo1959 (Mar 31, 2012)

Agree with Milly Cat. It's virtually impossible so just resign yourself to it and keep it clean. My kitchen window looks out onto the street so if I take the dog out a walk Tia often sits on the unit looking out the window for us coming back and I don't have the heart to deny her that


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## spacedementia (Nov 18, 2011)

Milly Cat said:


> Unless you can shut the door on your kitchen my tip would be that you just get used to wiping down the kitchen surfaces with cat-safe disinfectant before cooking and resign yourself to the fact that your cat will get up there :001_rolleyes: I tried all sorts of things to keep Milly off the surfaces, and while your cat may learn to keep off them while you're around you'll find the telltale evidence (i.e. muddy pawprints) suggesting they don't respect your boundaries while you're out of sight!


You've worried me now! I'm using tesco disinfectant wipes - how do I know if they are cat-safe??


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## McSquirtle (Jan 13, 2012)

You just have to be vigilant with it! Mine used to try when younger but I shouted, clapped and frightened them down. They don't even try now and I don't think they do when I'm not around either - there's nothing exciting up there anyway. They're also not allowed on the coffee table and dining table and I used the same method. It's much easier as I'm home all the time so any little skip up and I'm onto them  haha.


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## porps (Jun 23, 2011)

theres actually a really easy way to stop your cat climbing up on the worktops. Get rid of your worktops.

None of my cats jump up on my kitchen surfaces (when i'm in the kitchen)


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## catlover0581 (Jan 14, 2012)

F & T are constantly on my worktops lol although Tilly has to go via the bar stools, up onto the breakfast bar and round the worktop as she's still too little to just straight up lol
they will jump up to watch me make a cuppa, get their dinner ready or peel veg. they also love just chillin out on the window sill watching the world go by . 

i have tried shoo'ing them down, shouting, clapping, and even a water spray (only to realise they love water anyway- doh!)

so - i anti-bac the worktops a MILLION times a day and keep trying to teach them 'no' lol. i won't hold my breath though.....


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## oggers86 (Nov 14, 2011)

I think sometimes you just cant. 

The "kids" will not listen when I make it clear I dont want them on my kitchen windowsill. They did like the kitchen table but they rarely go on there now and I have never seen them on any work surface apart from the bit to get to the windowsill for a long long time. I have now given up trying to keep them off the windowsill although since getting a cat flap they are on there less. 

The cats I lived with at my parents dont really go on worktops now but I suspect its more to do with age. I definately remember my cat sitting on the worktop next to the kitchen door. 

I would also like to know why my cats seem to enjoy getting their muddy paws all over my clean stuff (bedding, walls, windowsills) How is it that they dont seem to leave a mark on the kitchen floor but as soon as they get upstairs their pawprints are everywhere!!!


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

IDave said:


> Hi,
> 
> My cat is 11 months old, until now he has never once jumped up to the kitchen worktops.
> 
> ...


Nope  But then I dont have a problem with it.I'd rather be stress free and wipe when needed


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## Sirild (Sep 26, 2011)

buffie said:


> Nope  But then I dont have a problem with it.I'd rather be stress free and wipe when needed


Yup - I second that. However, the furry little helper has to get down when I prepare food. Sharp knives & kittens is not a good combo  She loves playing in the kitchen sink and drinking from the tap.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Sirild said:


> Yup - I second that. However, the furry little helper has to get down when I prepare food. Sharp knives & kittens is not a good combo  She loves playing in the kitchen sink and drinking from the tap.


Meeko my Raggie loves dripping taps ,he trys to catch the water as it runs down the plughole  He can be a bit dim at times :biggrin5:


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## Milly Cat (Nov 20, 2010)

oggers86 said:


> I would also like to know why my cats seem to enjoy getting their muddy paws all over my clean stuff (bedding, walls, windowsills) How is it that they dont seem to leave a mark on the kitchen floor but as soon as they get upstairs their pawprints are everywhere!!!


Just after we finished decorating our front room Milly started taking to standing on her rear legs and stretching up against walls. Within 24 hours my nice freshly painted walls, varnished floor, new windows and window sills, radiator, etc were covered in muddy pawprints. To say I was a little exasperated is an understatement  Nothing a damp cloth didn't put to right though


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## Milly Cat (Nov 20, 2010)

spacedementia said:


> You've worried me now! I'm using tesco disinfectant wipes - how do I know if they are cat-safe??


The Tesco disinfectant I have states directly on the back that it is toxic to cats (and other pets). The harmful ingredient is benzylkonium chloride - don't let your cat get up on wet surfaces or lick surfaces treated with cleaners containing this. A lot of cleaners contain this so I just don't use it when Milly is around. I also have a disinfectant I got from Pets at Home, which is pet-safe, but not very good at cleaning so is used round the litter tray.


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## catlover0581 (Jan 14, 2012)

oh look at my kitchen window sill - isn't it spacious? :biggrin:

oh, hang on - whats that i see???!!!! Freddy and Tilly asleep ON the window sill??? 

now i wonder how on earth they managed to get there - it's not as if they go on the worktops is it....? lmao :001_rolleyes: 

then again - when they look as adorable as this, how could you be mad? :001_wub: :001_wub: :001_wub:


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## oggers86 (Nov 14, 2011)

catlover0581 said:


> oh look at my kitchen window sill - isn't it spacious? :biggrin:
> 
> oh, hang on - whats that i see???!!!! Freddy and Tilly asleep ON the window sill???
> 
> ...


Thats so cute!! My cat doesnt sleep on mine, she just watches the garden with beady eyes!


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## Sirild (Sep 26, 2011)

catlover0581 said:


> oh look at my kitchen window sill - isn't it spacious? :biggrin:
> 
> oh, hang on - whats that i see???!!!! Freddy and Tilly asleep ON the window sill???
> 
> ...


Aaaaw - they are just so adorable!! :001_wub:


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## catlover0581 (Jan 14, 2012)

Sirild said:


> Aaaaw - they are just so adorable!! :001_wub:





oggers86 said:


> Thats so cute!! My cat doesnt sleep on mine, she just watches the garden with beady eyes!


thanks - i like to think so


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## sarahecp (Aug 22, 2011)

Frankie doesn't jump up on to the worktops as much as Seb does. If I tell Frank 'down' he will  But Seb does it to sit in the sink to watch the tap drip, I'm sure he'd sit in there all day if I let him, but then again he probably does when I'm at work


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## Izzie (Aug 18, 2011)

Izzy is too fat to jump up to the worktops 
Isla can get up there though and I don't really mind. It's not too much effort to wipe it down before we prepare food and it's actually quite a good habit to get into.


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

sarahecp said:


> , I'm sure he'd sit in there all day if I let him, but then again he probably does when I'm at work


I have a feeling this is where Cookie is spending her day, she has only just started doing it, so it's easy to get stressed about and reading these posts I am just going to let her get on with it.

Yesterday she was a bit of a nuisance though, I was cutting up her raw food so had bowls of meat, heart and kidney which she thought would be good to try and pinch. :devil:


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## IDave (Jun 16, 2011)

Well after a couple of weeks he has learned that he isn't supposed ti be up there. He doesn't go on the work surfaces when I'm around, but I know he goes on them when I am out as I have seen the paw prints.

I guess I will just have to learn to live with it.


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## Siberiancat (Apr 8, 2012)

Im the same,Prince learnt pretty quickly he wasnt aloud on them and he never jumps up in front of me.

But nearly every time i go into the kitchen hes just sat on the windowsill.he jumps down as soon as he sees me though. I dont mind too much as i know hes only doing it to get to the windowsill and watch the birds. i use a pet safe antibacterial spray from pets at home .


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

IDave said:


> I guess I will just have to learn to live with it.


I am afraid so.  I gave up, to be honest. And as soon as I did, they stopped jumpig up as frequently. Now it is just Girly that does and I actually feed her on one of the worktops due to a food war she has on with Flea. Nunu never jumps up in any case. I just wipe down often with a petfriendly surface cleaner or diluted lemon juice.


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