Help! Advice Please

[I Love Simba]

Simba is 19 weeks old. I need some advice of how I can keep my cat Simba off of the counter, tables, dressers, out of the garbage cans and plants in the house. I've have tried loud noises and that doesn't work. Will he grow out of this? What age do cats grow out of this or do they? What can I do train him to stop doing these things in the meantime? Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[dinahsmum]

Have a look at the clicker training post in this section - it may give you ideas.
Or maybe try a gentle water pistol but don't let Simba know you are behind it!

[Mags]

Cassie use to jump up onto the worktops frequently when she was a kitten.
I used to clap my hands and say a firm 'No!' .......... it took a while but she eventually learnt!

Another way is, as Dinahsmum says, use a water pistol or spray bottle ......they soon get the message.

I have also heard that if you drop a saucepan lid on the floor as soon as they jump up, it frightens them and they begin to associate it the worktops.

I would say definitely have the spray/bottle ready for when he gets into the plant pots or garbage cans....:lol:

Good luck, please let us know if you have any success!:D

[babycakes]

Can't add anything else to the advice given

They are very curious as kittens though and do generally grow out of most things.

[Erin]

glad you posted this,Im having the same problems with Milo,Tinkerbell doesnt jump on the work surfaces and Jerry has never bothered either.
Im going to give the water spray a try I think

[Donna]

I have heard that placing a sheet of tin foil on the kitchen work tops work, as they get a fright when they jump up and it crinkles and is reflective and is totally not what they are expecting?

[Mags]

That's a very good idea Donna, I only have to get the kitchen foil out of the cupboard and Cassie is......whooosh!......gone!:-D Cats hate the sound of it!

[Donna]

My cats are scared of bin bags!!! Could place them all over the work tops!!!

Chloe accidently got her head into a handle of a carrier bag as a kitten then got freaked as it kept "chasing her" when she ran off - she was racing around the house desperate to get away from the bag that was attached to her....

Was funny to watch, but she was terrified poor thing... think thats what caused the plastic bag fear!!

[dandysmom]

Donna, the same thing happened to my Aby! He was terrified too! It was funny to watch, but not really as it frightened him so much...

Excellent idea about the foil!

[borderdawn]

I dont like Cats on the worksurfaces either, I hiss at mine and clap my hands. The only one that still does (did) it was Moose, (how did you guess) only ever did it when he was on his own in the kitchen and nobody could see him! About 4 weeks ago, he did it and I heard him spit and spit, he ran in the lounge shaking his front paws as he walked, he had walked across the cooker after I had heated something up. He was very lucky, the skin peeled after a week or so, but no blistering, no weeping or soreness and he never needed any treatment, the Vet said lucky boy indeed! He has never tried to get onto the work surface again!

Now thats NOT the way to stop the problem, but it has stopped Moose, all the other Cats that have tried it, scooted off with a hiss and a clap at them.

[babycakes]

My cats are scared of bin bags!!! Could place them all over the work tops!!!

Chloe accidently got her head into a handle of a carrier bag as a kitten then got freaked as it kept "chasing her" when she ran off - she was racing around the house desperate to get away from the bag that was attached to her....

Was funny to watch, but she was terrified poor thing... think thats what caused the plastic bag fear!!


Denis did that too as a kitten looked like bat man was very funny as he wouldn't stop long enough for me to get it off him. He is terrified of carrier bags, tin foil and bin bags