Here’s why your cat keeps climbing up the kitchen counters
Try have your countertops less enticing by putting away food and keeping them as clean as you can.
Cats love high places and vantage points, so counters are often a natural spot for them to sit as they survey the rest of the room. If you have delicate kitchen appliances that have to be on the countertop, or you want the cat on the floor when you are cooking or working, then there are a few things you can do to keep them off the counters. But if you have removed all the food and utensils off the counters, then maybe there is no need to keep the cat from chilling up there.
Alternative perch point
Get your cat options on where they can perch. You can build a cat tree or add a window perch to your home, thus giving your cat a more interesting lounge place other than the counter. Add a toy with some catnip to make it more enticing and buy one where they can scratch, climb and explore.
Try have your countertops less enticing by putting away food and keeping them as clean as you can. Food-motivated cats are less likely to jump up the counters when they have found nothing interesting there. Hide the food in the fridge, store it in the microwave or the oven.
Certain scents
Cats don’t like certain scents like citrus, eucalyptus and mint for example, so having that smell on your counters can keep them on the floor. Some cats however are exceptional and might not mind the smell so this hack does not work on all cats.
Another way is applying sticky tape on the edge of the counter as cats dislike the feeling of stickiness on their paws. This is likely to discourage them but the disadvantage is that you may need to keep reapplying the adhesive and the stickiness may be hard to clean up afterwards. Also, the cat may outsmart you and find a way of accessing the counters while avoiding the edges.
You can also remove anything that helps the cat reach the counters easily, like a chair.
Lastly, if the cat is climbing on the kitchen tops to drink water from the faucet, find out if there are stressors around its water bowl. It could be near the litter box or in a high traffic area which cats don’t like. Your cat may also prefer cold fresh water from the tap so replace their water a few times a day and add an ice cube to keep the water cold.
Maryanne is a pet owner. [email protected]
