There is no need to frighten and stress your cat with loud noises or water to get them off surfaces where you don't want them to be – like tables and kitchen counters. Here's our advice for more positive training.
Why do they do it?
- To scavenge for food
- They enjoy climbing and prefer to be off the floor
How to reduce scavenging behaviour
- Take away the food - every time they find food it is a reward for jumping up. If possible keep them out of the kitchen when prepping food.
- Give them a chance to fulfill their scavenging instincts elsewhere with scatter feeding. Hide their biscuit food about the house for them to find. To make it harder use food puzzle toys or add food inside boxes, paper bags or even toilet roll tubes. In multi-cat households, scatter feed in a few different places around the house as cats prefer to eat alone.
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Encouraging climbing in the right places
High places are an absolute necessity! Cats often find their own high spots (like tops of bookcases and windowsills) but you can also place some just for cats - make them stable, non-slippy and wide enough for your cat to lie down.
For scratching posts with high perches, place in an area chosen by the cat – cats usually like to scratch in busy areas of the house (for example near doorways and in hallways).