Most cat-owners are used to it. We simply resign ourselves to the fact that cats almost always get their way & as long as our in-laws aren’t over for dinner, we manage to put up with the fact that anything the cat drags in on their paws & rear end will end up on our countertops. That’s what disinfectant cleanser was really invented for, right? If the constant kitty expedition on your counter is a problem you’d rather not have to live with, however, there are some things you can try (“try” being the operative word).
The key to keeping your cat off the kitchen counters is to make them undesirable places. If your cat has already discovered that there is sometimes a bounty of tasty food treats on your counters, it will take some retraining to convince him that it's not worthwhile to leap up there whenever he feels like it.
To start with, don't encourage bad habits. If you're preparing a tuna salad and your cat comes into the kitchen just begging for tuna, don't just reach into the bowl and hand him some. The lesson he learns from this is that good things come from the kitchen counters. Now, no on is saying the cat can’t have a tuna treat, but instead of giving it to him right then & there, put their tiny portions into their cat food dishes and set them out where they normally get fed. This way, they learn that food only comes from their dishes -- not the counters and not the dinner table. Don't leave tempting foods unattended either; cats are not very good at resisting temptation. Every time your cat manages to steal a treat from the countertop, he's learning that counters are a great place to cruise.
So now your counters are clear, but kitty still wants to check out the possibilities. How do you teach him to stay off --even when you're not around? The answer is simple: Put something on the counter that kitty doesn't like to walk on. He'll quickly learn that being on the counter is an unpleasant experience whether you’re there or not.
You've probably read about elaborate contraptions you can build with water balloons, mousetraps, and other nasty things. But these things can either hurt your cat or scare the whiskers off him; neither of which is the object. And, if you happen to be someone that’s in and out of your kitchen all day, you want to use a deterrent that's safe, and that's easy to move out of your way.
Try sheets of aluminum foil. Most cats can't stand to walk on foil, and you can just pick up the sheets and drape them over the refrigerator when you're in the kitchen. This will not work with every cat, so be prepared to try something else. Foil is the least expensive & usually handy. Plastic bath mats or car mats also work well; just place them on the counter upside down (with the “nubby” side up); your cat will absolutely not like walking on them.
If you happen to have a furry Einstein that’s figured out that he can pull the aluminum foil onto the floor and tiptoe around the nubs on the mats, try setting up some shallow cookie tins filled with water. Just make sure they're not hanging off the edge of the counter so a leaping cat doesn’t pull them down onto himself & your floor.
