cat has figured out how to jump on counters

[gardenmom5]

from the floor.  (and there wasn't even a roast to tempt him.)   that is all. . . . 

[Scarlett]

I thought they were born knowing how to do that.  LOL

 

[RegGuheert]

And they will continue to do it forever even though they know it is not allowed.  To a cat, that just means to do those things when no one is looking.

[Scarlett]

7 minutes ago, RegGuheert said:

And they will continue to do it forever even though they know it is not allowed.  To a cat, that just means to do those things when no one is looking.

Exactly.  My dh and ds think they are going to 'train' her to stay off the counter.  SMH.  The other day I caught her on the counter and told her to 'get down' and her response was to run away from me while staying on the counter.

[MEmama]

16 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Exactly.  My dh and ds think they are going to 'train' her to stay off the counter.  SMH.  The other day I caught her on the counter and told her to 'get down' and her response was to run away from me while staying on the counter.

We thought we’d be able to train Kitty when we first got her, too.  Neither DH nor I could have possibly imagined allowing a cat on the kitchen counter. Kitty had her work cut for her but finally got us trained. 🙂 

Kitten is like the typical second kid, gets away with everything and we don't bat an eye. Lol.

[Scarlett]

3 minutes ago, MEmama said:

We thought we’d be able to train Kitty when we first got her, too.  Neither DH nor I could have possibly imagined allowing a cat on the kitchen counter. Kitty had her work cut for her but finally got us trained. 🙂 

Kitten is like the typical second kid, gets away with everything and we don't bat an eye. Lol.

Lol to the bolded. And dh FREAKS out to think about having an animal on the counter.  You just have to make sure you keep things put away that you don't want her to get into.  And before meal prep you always disinfectant the counter tops.  

Life with animals.  

[Tanaqui]

I have had some success by simply designating a cat spot somewhere else - currently, we have a cushion on top of the fridge, and every time I see my cat on the cushion I stop and we have a little snuggle and sometimes I give her a treat. If I see the cat on the counter, I just put her on the floor, no snuggle, no treat. So of course she likes to be on the fridge and not the counter.

[Terabith]

Obama jumps on the counter if we're doing something he deems interesting, like making turkey sandwiches.  But he doesn't habitually hang out on the counter.  

[I talk to the trees]

From friends who do feline rescue: The best way to keep a cat off the counters is to build a catwalk around the top of the room. Unlike dogs, who look up to us, cats know the proper order of things, and will literally jump at the chance to look down on their humans! 😉

Edited February 18, 2021 by I talk to the trees

[Scarlett]

7 minutes ago, I talk to the trees said:

From friends who do feline rescue: The best way to keep a cat off the counters is to build a catwalk around the top of the room. Unlike dogs, who look up to us, cats know the proper order of things, and will literally jump at the chance to look down on their humans! 😉

Ha.  So true.  Our cat gets up on top of the upper cabinets. And on top of every piece of tall furniture we own.  

[RegGuheert]

Actually, our cat gets on the table for the express purpose of drinking from our water glasses.  Clearly OUR water is preferable to THEIR water.

That is why when I get a drink I now get a saucer, not for under the drink, but as a lid to keep the cat out.

[Tanaqui]

Terabith, one day I'm going to compile all your cat posts and comments and send them to the Obamas with exactly no clarification. See how long it takes them to figure it out!

(I wouldn't, but then, they wouldn't read it if I did so I guess you're safe. Maybe I should try the tabloids?)

[Terabith]

1 minute ago, RegGuheert said:

Actually, our cat gets on the table for the express purpose of drinking from our water glasses.  Clearly OUR water is preferable to THEIR water.

That is why when I get a drink I now get a saucer, not for under the drink, but as a lid to keep the cat out.

Our cat prefers our toilet to water glasses or water bowls.  My mother's cat will only drink from a running faucet.

Cats are weird.  And opinionated.  

[Terabith]

1 minute ago, Tanaqui said:

Terabith, one day I'm going to compile all your cat posts and comments and send them to the Obamas with exactly no clarification. See how long it takes them to figure it out!

(I wouldn't, but then, they wouldn't read it if I did so I guess you're safe. Maybe I should try the tabloids?)

Ooohhh, I should make a compilation of my facebook posts about him and do that!  My sister is like, "Why do you post more about your cat than your kids?"  I'm like, "Because my cat is much funnier and isn't bothered by me sharing his personal exploits!"

Edited February 18, 2021 by Terabith

[Tanaqui]

Just now, Terabith said:

Ooohhh, I should make a compilation of my facebook posts about him and do that!

YES YOU SHOULD AND KEEP US POSTED.

[RegGuheert]

2 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

My cat knows exactly what “get down” and “no” mean.

After I read the first sentence of your post I was already preparing my reply to counter such nonsense.  Thanks for completing the story!

Your cat is clearly more devious than many!

[MEmama]

37 minutes ago, RegGuheert said:

Actually, our cat gets on the table for the express purpose of drinking from our water glasses.  Clearly OUR water is preferable to THEIR water.

That is why when I get a drink I now get a saucer, not for under the drink, but as a lid to keep the cat out.

Yes! Kitten beelines for our water glasses if we don’t keep them covered. It simultaneously grosses me out and amuses me. 

[RegGuheert]

3 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Yes! Kitten beelines for our water glasses if we don’t keep them covered. It simultaneously grosses me out and amuses me.

How in the world did you get that picture?!  I've seen that many times, but I cannot imagine the cat letting me get that close while he is doing something so verboten.

[Scarlett]

4 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Yes! Kitten beelines for our water glasses if we don’t keep them covered. It simultaneously grosses me out and amuses me. 

That sums it up for me too!  I certainly do not trust her for sure.  

[RegGuheert]

3 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

Ds just got a cat. He is smitten. Every time he flushes his toilet, she comes running up to the toilet and puts her two front paws up so she can watch the swirling water go down. Every single time.

O.K.  We can top that.

A few years ago we got a bidet for the toilet in our master bedroom. (Search if you want to learn all about that!) Our other cat (the one who NEVER gets on the counter) often sleeps on our bed.  If he is there when one of us uses the bidet, he immediately jumps off the bed and comes in for "petties"!  He KNOWS that he will have our undivided attention for TWO WHOLE MINUTES to pet him continually.

And, yes, when we get up he puts his paws on the toilet and looks to see what is going on in there every.single.time.

[RegGuheert]

1 hour ago, Terabith said:

Obama jumps on the counter if we're doing something he deems interesting, like making turkey sandwiches.  But he doesn't habitually hang out on the counter.  

Obama?!

Our cat is orange.  I call him "Orange cat bad".

[TexasProud]

Nope. Not allowed. Had three cats. They never got up on the counter. When kittens we trained them. Had a spray bottle with water. That and get down worked. They have plenty of places to get high in the house. My counters and kitchen tables are not for them. Period.

[RegGuheert]

Just now, Indigo Blue said:

Well, here is a picture of her.

She's cute, but she has demon eyes!

[RootAnn]

We bought a bread box because our cats apparently cannot stay away from bread. Soooo many bags of bread munched on! Our orange one will open cabinet doors, jump onto the top shelf & root around for the rolls that were hidden there. He also knew to knock the cake pan cover off the counter because we hid a bag of fresh rolls under it. 

The kitties like to drink anything that is in the sink but aren't as bad about our water-glass-water since they got a water fountain.

[RegGuheert]

12 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

That’s really not the best picture of her, honestly.

She is!  I didn't mean to be insulting.  It was the photograph I was commenting on.

Please accept my apology!

[gardenmom5]

3 hours ago, Scarlett said:

I thought they were born knowing how to do that.  LOL

 

He just turned six months old.  I'm sure part was size that he's never made such a big jump upwards before.  I have a built in buffet that he's only ever jumped onto from the table.  And he's used chairs to get to the table.

 

He was quite annoyed he couldn't get into the chicken . . . .

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, RegGuheert said:

Actually, our cat gets on the table for the express purpose of drinking from our water glasses.  Clearly OUR water is preferable to THEIR water.

That is why when I get a drink I now get a saucer, not for under the drink, but as a lid to keep the cat out.

What is it with that?  Saucer . . hm . . . 

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

Yes! Kitten beelines for our water glasses if we don’t keep them covered. It simultaneously grosses me out and amuses me. 

 

If he can't reach the water with his tongue - he'll use his paw..  I'm afraid he'll knock the glass over in his determination to reach the water.

59 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

Ds just got a cat. He is smitten. Every time he flushes his toilet, she comes running up to the toilet and puts her two front paws up so she can watch the swirling water go down. Every single time.

beware . . .   he hasn't been in the bathroom when we're doing our business.  he will cry outside the door.  I had five toddlers - I can win this battle of using the bathroom without an audience.

 

35 minutes ago, TexasProud said:

Nope. Not allowed. Had three cats. They never got up on the counter. When kittens we trained them. Had a spray bottle with water. That and get down worked. They have plenty of places to get high in the house. My counters and kitchen tables are not for them. Period.

We'll be working on it - he has other things he's allowed to jump on - and there are bird feeders outside the windows (which have wide sills.)
I did get him to leave the Christmas tree alone.  It took about a week of squirting him - the highest he got was about 2' - on a 9' tree.  (I do have a picture of him napping under the tree, all nestled where I'd had blocks to weight the tree down in case he jumped at it.)

33 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

We bought a bread box because our cats apparently cannot stay away from bread. Soooo many bags of bread munched on! Our orange one will open cabinet doors, jump onto the top shelf & root around for the rolls that were hidden there. He also knew to knock the cake pan cover off the counter because we hid a bag of fresh rolls under it. 

The kitties like to drink anything that is in the sink but aren't as bad about our water-glass-water since they got a water fountain.

yeah - more motivation for me to get cabinet latches.  I've been wanting to go ahead and get another set in case of earthquakes.  keeps the cabinet doors closed, and save a whole lot of mess.

13 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

And then the one cat we had....loved her ....just the best cat.... She would jingle our metal blinds with her paws in the morning to try to get me to get out of bed. She’d gently nibble my fingers, and if that didn’t work, she’d start blind jingling. I’d tell her to stop...and she would for a bit, then start again. So I’d get up and raise the blind so she couldn’t reach it. Undaunted,  she would go just to the living room to jingle the blinds in there. She wanted me up, talking to her and loving her. She was spoiled rotten. 

cats have staff.

[gardenmom5]

I brought home a chicken from costco.  He's determined to get into it - he heard me coming and immediately jumped on the floor "I'm innocent, see me sitting here on the floor innocently?"  right cat.  I also head you jump on the floor when you heard me coming.

[gardenmom5]

My GSD knew she was not allowed on the counter.  So, in the spirit of living the letter of the law - she did not touch the counter while stealing goodies off of it.  (I saw her doing it.)

[RegGuheert]

17 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

@RegGuheert, I’m off to make supper, but just wanted to make sure I didn’t scare you away! It was fun sharing cat stories for a few minutes. Just didn’t want to worry about it for the rest of the day. 🙂

No, you didn't scare me away!  I was off to EAT supper which DS21 made.  It was an AMAZING stir fry.

Yes, thanks to everyone for the great cat stories!  Please keep them coming!  Now that we know what your cats do in the kitchen, we need to know what they do in the bathroom.  Indigo Blue and I have already shared...

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Scarlett said:

Exactly.  My dh and ds think they are going to 'train' her to stay off the counter.  SMH.  The other day I caught her on the counter and told her to 'get down' and her response was to run away from me while staying on the counter.

It’s like the squirrels on my birdfeeder today. One ran around to the backside of the feeder, as if I won’t know he’s still on there. I’m convinced he knew it was sleeting and there was no way I would go out there to make him move off. 

[RegGuheert]

5 minutes ago, Quill said:

It’s like the squirrels on my birdfeeder today. One ran around to the backside of the feeder, as if I won’t know he’s still on there. I’m convinced he knew it was sleeting and there was no way I would go out there to make him move off. 

Quill, you are in the WRONG THREAD.  Squirrel-on-bird-feeder stories belong in the United Kingdom thread!  Get it right! 🙃

[gardenmom5]

I've got him distracted.  I gave him a bunch of treats so he'd know we're still friends.  He didn't really want me to touch him though.
I finally was able to grab him - and put him on the windowsill for some live bird tv.  He's still there.

[Terabith]

1 hour ago, RegGuheert said:

Obama?!

Our cat is orange.  I call him "Orange cat bad".

This is Obama, looking disparagingly at me.    

[1234]

I tried telling our kitty once that she’s not allowed on the counters but we came to an agreement that she can do whatever she wants. 🤣

[Terabith]

1 hour ago, RegGuheert said:

No, you didn't scare me away!  I was off to EAT supper which DS21 made.  It was an AMAZING stir fry.

Yes, thanks to everyone for the great cat stories!  Please keep them coming!  Now that we know what your cats do in the kitchen, we need to know what they do in the bathroom.  Indigo Blue and I have already shared...

Obama's favorite thing to do in the kitchen is actually not jumping on the counter, unless turkey is around, though he's gotten me trained to give him a piece of turkey while I do my thing to keep him occupied.  His favorite thing to do is to crawl into the cabinet where we keep all the plastic bags, pull them out of the cabinet, and eat from the container of citric acid I had in the back of the cabinet for science projects.  He was obsessed with that stuff.  

In the bathroom, he is kind of boring.  He just goes and drinks out of the toilet.  I think he prefers it because it's fresher and colder than the water in his bowl.  He often waits outside of the bathroom while we are using the facilities or showering, but he's not a pest about it like other cats I have owned in the past.  

He REALLY likes standing in front of the computer.  He's pretty passionate about being a terrible window.  Of course, the computer is in the living room, not the bathroom.  

[Storygirl]

It's interesting, because I've almost always had a cat, my entire life, and none of them have jumped on counters. I'm not sure why!

I did have a cat who would jump up on my bedroom dresser and scratch at the wicker frame of the mirror, in order to wake me up. I broke him of that by putting double-sided tape all over a big piece of cardboard and placed that on top of the dresser. He did not like that. It took awhile before I could take the cardboard down, because whenever I did, he would notice and jump back up there. But eventually he gave up.

[Scarlett]

2 hours ago, Terabith said:

This is Obama, looking disparagingly at me.    

Great face markings!

[klmama]

While living in an apartment I had a cat who liked to sleep on top of the kitchen cupboards while I was gone during the day.  She obviously recognized the sound of my footsteps coming down the hallway, though, because as I got closer to the door I could hear "plop" (to the top of the fridge), "plop" (to the counter), "plop" (to the floor).  When I unlocked the door, and she would be sitting just inside waiting to greet me.   

She knew she wasn't supposed to get up on the table and generally didn't; however, when dh (then boyfriend) came over to visit she promptly hopped right up and sprawled out, clearly daring me to get up off the couch and do something about it.  If I got up and moved toward her, she'd hop down; if I sat back down, she'd hop back up.  She didn't like that he was monopolizing my attention.

[gardenmom5]

17 minutes ago, klmama said:

While living in an apartment I had a cat who liked to sleep on top of the kitchen cupboards while I was gone during the day.  She obviously recognized the sound of my footsteps coming down the hallway, though, because as I got closer to the door I could hear "plop" (to the top of the fridge), "plop" (to the counter), "plop" (to the floor).  When I unlocked the door, and she would be sitting just inside waiting to greet me.   

She knew she wasn't supposed to get up on the table and generally didn't; however, when dh (then boyfriend) came over to visit she promptly hopped right up and sprawled out, clearly daring me to get up off the couch and do something about it.  If I got up and moved toward her, she'd hop down; if I sat back down, she'd hop back up.  She didn't like that he was monopolizing my attention.

dh had a neighbor whose cat would walk up and down the piano keyboard when people came by.  those visitors were for him . . . . . . 

[Carrie12345]

We got sibling kittens 14+ years ago. Only one was ever occasionally caught on the countertops, and that was the one who was into knocking over glasses. My other guy was pretty much never on the counters... when we were around. But, once or twice a year, including this past year, we’d find him on the upper cabinets. Don’t really know how he got there, because there’s no obvious jump-to-jump path, but he did!
 

Im certain these things happened much more often than we knew.

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

I have the cutest video of her popping bubbles, but it says the file size is too big and it won’t upload. 

This may not fix the problem, and the file size might still be too big, but I discovered that you can delete old attachments in your settings, which gives you more space. I forget exactly how you get there, but it is in your settings. 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Scarlett said:

Great face markings!

I thought so too. He looks like he’s wearing a superhero mask. 

[fairfarmhand]

This is my son and his cat, Po.

she’s an outside cat. ( welll, she’s supposed to be. Sometimes she sneaks in)

last week we put out water for her since everything outside was frozen. She likes to play in water with her paws. She poked her foot into the water and then stepped on the cold metal threshold of the door. And froze her paw to the threshold. My dd19 couldn’t figure out why she was sitting so awkwardly at the back door and finally figured it out and set her free. 
 

po is a mess. She is absolutely a drama Queen and talks to us outside when we go out. 

[Scarlett]

@Indigo Blue that is adorable! Beautiful cat!

[Scarlett]

@fairfarmhand Your cat and son are precious!  🙂

[stephanier.1765]

21 hours ago, MEmama said:

Yes! Kitten beelines for our water glasses if we don’t keep them covered. It simultaneously grosses me out and amuses me. 

We now specifically keep a large glass of water on the end table in the living room just for the cats. They think they are being sneaky while the humans laugh behind their hands. #catlife

[RegGuheert]

This is "Bucky" helping MomsintheGarden fold her sweaters (after getting them out for yet another StyleBook photosession):

[Terabith]

22 minutes ago, RegGuheert said:

This is "Bucky" helping MomsintheGarden fold her sweaters (after getting them out for yet another StyleBook photosession):

Bucky and Obama look like they could be siblings!

[RegGuheert]

Bucky on pavement: