Cats on kitchen worktops

angelfire9

We have an island in our kitchen and bar stools either side of it that the cat sits on to supervise me when I am in the kitchen

There was an occassion where the stool was left near the fridge and the cat thought it might be a good idea to jump from stool into fridge to investigate the nice smells he could obviously get from inside

But having discovered that little habit the stools are now at the edge of the kitchen when not in use and cat is perfectly happy sitting on them as he can see everything that is going on and of course miaow pityfully if he smells something nice & wants a taste :rolleyes:

Malari

We have a new cat and are trying hard to do the "NO" and "DOWN" thing, which worked with all our other cats we had as pets when I was growing up. I think the best you can do with most cats is to make them understand "I don't want to SEE you on the kitchen bench" then keep them out of the kitchen unless you are there.

I have a 3 times and you're out system when I'm cooking, then he's out into the hall. He's tenacious though, and does not seem to be giving up his desire to be on the kitchen table. I'm sure he thinks I'm very stupid that I can't understand that he wants me to give him that chicken breast I'm cutting up.

Deeanimallover

Plek Trum wrote: »

Anyone who has kittens / cats and thinks their pets don't go up on the counters when they are not around really are fooling themselves!

We have two kitties, 8 and 9 months old. Wont go near the kitchen tops when we are around but they certainly have a disco when we are out.. paw prints are a give away and for some reason they have a fascination with the sink. Bumper pack of Dettol wipes always on hand, counters sprayed and wiped down before we prepare any food and again after.

Seems to work fine, no-one ill yet. We are hoping that they may loose interest as they get older... :rolleyes:

Yeah our 3 are the same never get up when we are there but sometimes we will catch one of them lying flat out across the table in the sun! He gets down straight away though as he knows he shouldnt be up there! They dont take any interest in us preparing food though nor do they jump up when im getting their food ready in the utility - they sit on the floor and wait. Our youngest cat when we got him as a kitten - when he was big enough to jump up on the counter tops he was always up on them having a nose but he did get out of that habit eventually.

Shenshen

Plek Trum wrote: »

Anyone who has kittens / cats and thinks their pets don't go up on the counters when they are not around really are fooling themselves!

We have two kitties, 8 and 9 months old. Wont go near the kitchen tops when we are around but they certainly have a disco when we are out.. paw prints are a give away and for some reason they have a fascination with the sink. Bumper pack of Dettol wipes always on hand, counters sprayed and wiped down before we prepare any food and again after.

Seems to work fine, no-one ill yet. We are hoping that they may loose interest as they get older... :rolleyes:

To be perfectly honest, ours have never ever shown the slightest interest in jumping on the work tops to begin with, and the table is only interesting while we're actually eating.

It might well be to do with the fact that we're both vegetarians, so no meat or meat products are ever handled on the worktops, and there wouldn't be a smell of meat on them.

Mink

I clean the counters down before any food prep & have to keep the cats out of the kitchen while cooking. One of them goes absolutely ape s£!t if there is even the possibility of raw chicken being around so have to keep her in another room altogether as she tries to get into the kitchen.

Then they walk on the counters as they please the rest of the time, nothing I can do about it, I've given up.

Graces7

Zapperzy wrote: »

Eh not at all what I was saying, I was just wondering was there any link between strong immune systems and pets in areas where food is prepared. I never mentioned sharing plates or sitting on food. I don't exactly let my cat or dog eat from the same plate as me. :eek:

For that, thank you.. although to each his own of course

Cat germs are different to human germs .

I once had a Siamese who could open the fridge door. That flat was open plan so hard to stop that.

I have read theories re immune system etc. But over protecting is not the same as basic hygiene.

Demonique

Lillylilly wrote: »

I don't like my cats on the kitchen counters but it's near impossible to train them not to do it. We've tried putting them down immediately when they jump up, but they just do it when you're not around. We've used sprays, shouted "no", put them outta the room when cooking etc. Cats kinda do what they want.

Put double-sided sticky tape on the counters, cats soon learn not to jump up there as they hate the stickyness on their pads

FoxyVixen

ugh my little fecker was class. He knew he wasn't allowed on the table or counters, but if there was no-one in the kitchen he'd sneak up. Then as soon as he seen ya come through the door, he stay COMPLETELY still waiting to see if ya noticed. The minute I'd shout "GET DOWN" he was out the door in flash and ya wouldn't se him for an hour.And then he'd be peeking his head around the living room door to see if I was still annoyed with him. Clever little fecker:D

forestfruits

Every time my now 5 year old tom cat jumped up on the counter when we first got him he was shouted at and put out!

Hasnt jumped up on the counter since about 2 months after he moved in!!

Cats are clever and dont like cold!

Shenshen

forestfruits wrote: »

Every time my now 5 year old tom cat jumped up on the counter when we first got him he was shouted at and put out!

Hasnt jumped up on the counter since about 2 months after he moved in!!

Cats are clever and dont like cold!

Could backfire, though....

My mom used to throw our cat out every time he scratched a wicker chair she had in the hall.
Didn't take the cat long to start scratching that chair every time he wanted to go outside.

ABajaninCork

My cats knew better than to jump on the worktops!!

Got them out of the habit PDQ with the help of a water gun. After a couple of days, all I had to do was show the gun to them, and they'd skedaddle!

theghost

MaryK666 wrote: »

Sometimes, when dinner is over, he'll get up on the table to check that we've been good and cleared our plates.

And I bet he's not pleased when he finds you've been good

IsItJustMeOr...

As a cat owner, kitty's on work surfaces are a big no no to me! They are in litter trays, out hunting, washing their bits...etc etc.
Do I want them anywhere near my food...NO!
Basic hygiene as pointed out before.

They know they aren't allowed but one still has the stealthy ninja 2 sec move that catches you off guard...then I'm out with the Dettol spray!
Only a cat can land and balance on the smallest surface area I've ever seen! :-)

Cat's sprint, climb and love elevation...You can't stop a natural instict...all you can do is supervise and keep them out of areas you don't want them in...

shinikins

My sister's cat has been trained not to jump on the counter's or tables, but she is allowed up on the windowsills. She is allowed to sleep on the end of the bed, and will soemtimes sit on the back of the couch, but i have never seen her jump on a table even if there is food on it.

On the hygiene/germ issue, any animal will bring germs in form the outside on their feet, but if you clean your house that shouldn't be an issue!!:D The same sister is ill ATM and has zero immune system, and the cat has yet to cause any problems in that regards!! When it comes to germs and bacteria spreading its other humans she worries about!!

poconnor16

Its impossible to keep cats from doing that...in fact from going anywhere they want really. These are things that need to be considered before getting a furry friend for sure.
My own assumes the position of royalty up there while I am doing anything; I guess she enjoys the view. So rather than scold her, I just make sure it is wiped down with antibac stuff a lot and especially before and after food prep.
If this still leaves you feeling uneasy either 1. keep them from accessing the kitchen or 2. think about a different pet.

I think my cat doesn't speak English, and thats why she doesn't understand the word NO! Well thats the excuse I make for her anyway.

Feargal as Luimneach

My cat loves to watch people cook and he's always on the table. There's no point putting him down or giving out. He'll just do whatever he wants. He's quite naughty and will try and eat off the dinner plate when your eating. He's quite civilised and will only drink out of a cup (never out of a bowl), so if one is drinking milk out of a cup that's fair game to him also.:)

poconnor16

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

My cat loves to watch people cook and he's always on the table. There's no point putting him down or giving out. He'll just do whatever he wants. He's quite naughty and will try and eat off the dinner plate when your eating. He's quite civilised and will only drink out of a cup (never out of a bowl), so if one is drinking milk out of a cup that's fair game to him also.:)

OMG same with my kitten!! She will not drink water out of a feeding bowl (she drinks cat milk no problem) but only out of a glass??! I always leave a glass of water on my bed side table now and also one on the kitchen table and they are both half empty when I get home. She'll be on a wine tasting course next..

i-digress

On the whole germs issue, this is kind of interesting:

http://www.anthrozoology.org/pet_ownership_and_childrens_immune_function

Mountainsandh

poconnor16 wrote: »

OMG same with my kitten!! She will not drink water out of a feeding bowl (she drinks cat milk no problem) but only out of a glass??! I always leave a glass of water on my bed side table now and also one on the kitchen table and they are both half empty when I get home. She'll be on a wine tasting course next..

Same here, my cat is 7 years old and simply will not drink out of a dedicated bowl. He was always drinking out of our glasses, so now he has his own glass by his food, but he doesn't like that too much either, so he drinks mostly rainwater outside. What he really wants is his glass on the coffee table or on a windowsill somewhere in the house, I used to have it this way before the kids came along :rolleyes:
People used to freak out and say : "your cat's drinking in your glass !", I had to explain time and again that it was his glass .

On the subject of countertops and tables, mine is not hugely keen on them anyway, he gets shooed off once in a while when he chances it, so he just sits on a chair with his chin resting on the table whenever I'm preparing food, and has to smell everything before I chop it.

It's not a big issue if he does jump on the sink, we simply wipe it after, and I agree with the posters who say that people have gone overboard with the "kill-the-germaphobia". Even as babies kids were never sicker than other kids or anything, neither are we (parents).

Heroditas

We always tried to keep the horrors off the kitchen worktops but never bothered about getting them off the dining room table. There was absolutely no point - they sit there demanding attention!
They also sit on the table when we have dinner and watch us from a (very short) distance. One of them will occasionally attempt a hit-and-run raid but we're usually wise enough to intercept them. It's when they attempt the attack from two fronts that we have difficulty fending them off. Now I know how prey feel when they're being hunted in the wild by lions!
We got the kitchen done up recently and made a concerted effort to keep them off the counters but they seem even more determined than ever to jump up on them. :rolleyes:

The in-laws are horrified by this but I just reply with "well they never do this when you're not around" .... naturally enough, they don't believe a word of it.

The way I look at it .... I grew up and we had a cat and I was never sick.
We have two cats now and I have yet to get sick because of their "germs" that people claim they carry.
We wipe down the surfaces before we prepare food anyway and I'd swear those two cats are cleaner than me ..... they seem to spend the whole day grooming themselves!

planetX

must be because I'm veggie that my poor cats don't bother checking the counters anymore. Unless there are pancakes cooking that is:D

IsItJustMeOr...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv0OUdQNVM0

Fitting to the thread

Love Simon's cat!

Graces7

poconnor16 wrote: »

Its impossible to keep cats from doing that...in fact from going anywhere they want really. These are things that need to be considered before getting a furry friend for sure.
My own assumes the position of royalty up there while I am doing anything; I guess she enjoys the view. So rather than scold her, I just make sure it is wiped down with antibac stuff a lot and especially before and after food prep.
If this still leaves you feeling uneasy either 1. keep them from accessing the kitchen or 2. think about a different pet.

I think my cat doesn't speak English, and thats why she doesn't understand the word NO! Well thats the excuse I make for her anyway.

No it isn't! Simply close the kitchen door... With us it was a simple choice as the collie hates the cats.. No way can they be in the same area. So the dogs live downstairs and the cats live upstairs.

Bleach is the only foolproof cleaner for us.

poconnor16

Graces7 wrote: »

No it isn't! Simply close the kitchen door... With us it was a simple choice as the collie hates the cats.. No way can they be in the same area. So the dogs live downstairs and the cats live upstairs.

Bleach is the only foolproof cleaner for us.

........yes, as I mentioned in my post you can close the kitchen door. I meant impossible otherwise. I dont think I could close the door though, she has that meow that makes you want to cry, down to a tee.

dan_d

What do you do if you have visitors over??:D

I know a relative of mine got a cat when she bought her new house, and told me recently that the cat sits on the radiator alongside the table, and meows loudly when they are eating - she found it embarassing when they had guests.

My own don't get on the table - rephrase:they aren't allowed on the table - but I had a tradesman in yesterday looking at a job for me, and he was standing behind a chair with his hands on the back of it. Next thing I know....one of my furballs was on her back legs on the seat of the chair, pawing at his fingers so he would scratch her ears, and sticking her nose under his hand. Luckily, he didn't mind cats...but many of my friends don't see it that way...