This week is 'backwards' week again, where I get to ask for help from all of you! And I'm really excited about it this week because I'm in desperate need of your help.
We have 2 cats. And as you can see here, they aren't shy about taking over parts of the house where they're comfortable! Which seems to include my kitchen and bathroom counters, unfortunately.
I am constantly chasing cats off of my counters. And out of my sinks. I have instituted a 'zero tolerance' for kitty climbing, but so far it hasn't worked. It reminds me of a book that Abby got at school, called 'Bad Kitty' where the cat does a lot of naughty (and creative) things when her family runs out of cat food... But ours are well taken care of.
I don't know if it's because they're alone in the house all day, able to snooze on my countertops to their little hearts' content in peace. I don't know if it's a cry for attention, like with a small child who thinks that even negative attention is better than none... Both of the kitties are guilty of this, so it may be a case of the older teaching the younger bad habits as well.
We've tried swatting their noses, tossing them off the counters (gently and um, well not so gently), squirting them with a water bottle (which does get them off the counter, but they're right back up there immediately afterward...), sternly telling them 'NO', but we've had no luck in curbing this. It's not uncommon for me to walk into the bathroom to find a kitty curled up in the sink, who just stares at me as I turn on the water and let it splash all over her. Oh she'll eventually get up and exit the sink before she gets completely drenched, but when I turn the water off, she's right back up there.
Do any of you have some tried-and-true tips to help keep your cats out of places where they're not allowed? I swear they're worse than the kids - at least even Becca is starting to understand what 'no' means and she'll listen to it - sometimes anyway! I hate having the cats up on the same counters where we prepare food and eat - and am constantly sanitizing as well as chasing kitties down off of them.
Help! :)
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Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Works for me Wednesday #10 - Bad Kitty!
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4 wonderful people said...:
We have two cats, and both of them stay off of counters when I'm home, but when I'm gone, DH has to physically get them down. DH says I'm the "mean" one... I say, it's a matter of him spoiling them. ;)
Anyways, the way I broke ours of this habit was a very consistant squirt in the face with cold water. Now if they even see the water bottle, they run.
Since water doesn't work with yours, you might try something my sister did with her dogs-- take a pop can and put in a few pennies, then cover the whole thing with duct tape. Shake it whenever the bad behavior occurs-- it's LOUD! Her dogs run from that can like my cats run from the water bottle.
And one other idea... occasionally one of our cats likes to crawl into a huge plant pot we have and sleep. Keeping foil there repels her for some reason- maybe you could try lining the sink with foil?
Good luck!
All I can think of is because they prefer the counter and sink they must be wanting a cool surface to lay on as opposed to a warm one. Maybe make them a surface and show them to it when they get on your things? Like a slab of cement just for them or something similar?
I feel for you! We are facing the same issue with Miney and Moe. We are squirting them with a squirt bottle directly in the face when they are on the table. They have yet to discover the counters, but I am sure that is coming. Good luck!
No advice, my two cats do just the same thing, and we've done everything you have, so I'm enjoying reading your comments!! :)
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