I have cats that keep getting my kitchen table and chairs. I have used a bottle of water to spray them and they have not learned yet. Any ideas for this? I can't afford to spend a lot! Thanks.
Rose Anne from Crystal, Michigan
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One smell cats don't usually like is lemon. An inexpensive solution might be to go to the $1 store and get a table cloth for the table and paper towels for the chairs and spray lemon juice on them. As soon as the cat jumps up on the lemon saturated table or chair, they will likely jump right down. If you are concerned about the lemon juice hurting your table, you might want to put a doubled up sheet or something down first ~ same thing for the chairs. I believe that if this is done for a few days the cats might just give up.
If this works and you are tired of putting things on your table, you could spray the lemon on the underside of your table and chairs as a reminder to them.
I hope for the best for you! ;)
Thanks for the information. Sure will try this idea and let you know how it works for me. Thanks again.
I also had this problem with my cat jumping up and walking around on our kitchen counters while we were at work! I layed clear packing tape, sticky side up, in random spots all over the counters. Before you knew it...she stopped! Cats HATE tape on their feet...drives them crazy! Good Luck!
You will have to catch them with this method, but try putting some coins or nuts and bolts into a can with a lid. Anything that makes a loud racket that you can shake when they jump up. They hate the noise and will get down.
I have not tried this on the kitchen table but it worked for my couch. I put down aluminum foil. The cats hated it and after a few days they stayed away from the couch.
Yep, the coins in a can works. We call it the "NO NO Kitty can" (even written on the can, if anyone forgets! That gets them off of whatever you want real quick, just make sure there isn't any crystal that will suffer in their attempt to sail through the air, as far away from the sound as possible.
Cats hate anything to do with oranges. Try potpouri with orange oil sprinkled in it. Or even add some orange peels. They hate it.
I'm glad to read all of these great ideas! I've had inside cats all my life and have been blessed to not have that problem "yet"... Thankfully our two elderly inside kitties have always been mannerly and not interested in my table or counter tops. (That is a strict "no-no" for me!) I will keep these ideas in mind and will pass them along to others, including my daughter who has a new kitten.
I would like to mention, my cats are scared to death of the sound of a plastic bag (you know the type we get from the grocery store, etc). Even at their age, I have noticed that they will scatter quickly if they hear me crinkle one of those, even if opening up one to use when scooping their litter.
My dog also jumped up to the counter top & i put up mouse trap up around the edge it worked. You could try it with your cats.
I have an indoor only long-haired female tortoisshell who is very well mannered & 2 indoor/outdoor cats, one is reasonably well mannered & the other is not--or rather, wasn't. The later 2 adopted us. Years ago, I learned that cats don't like the pssss sound--like when you use a can of room deodorizer--like Glade which is really noisy when it sprays. I had went to the kitchen to get the deodorizer to get rid of burnt popcorn smell in the house (the result of my granddaughter just REALLY over cooking a bag of microwave popcorn). When I started to spray the deodorizer each cat went in a different direction. It was hilarious to watch! They practically climbed the walls trying to get out of there. Since then, when I see one of the cats misbehaving, I'll get the can & just spray a little into the air & the cat scatters like the devil himself is after him! It also works to separate 2 fighting male cats. Since using this my not-so-well-mannered kitty has learned to stay off of the counters & tables.
I use canned air, like you use for cleaning the computer and keyboard, sounds like a mama cat hissing and down they go, After a few weeks all I had to do was pick up the can. This way you're not spraying odors into the room as well.
My indoor cat is trained to go outside with me on the deck. I didnt start to train her until she was about 10 yr old. She responds will to my voice and scolding. I threaten with the hose, but have never actually sprayed her. lol When I ask he to come inside and she obeys, I give her a treat.
So what I am saying is that cats (like people and dogs) respond well to rewards for good behavior. I'd continue to use the spray of water from the spray bottle as its non toxic. I wouldnt use glade or another air freshener because the smell is harmful to your pets. They have very sensitive noses.
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I have a kitten and mama cat that are really good pets. If they scratch the furniture or rugs, I can stop them by spraying water from a spray bottle. They've just started getting on the kitchen table and if I'm sitting in a recliner in the living room, the spray bottle doesn't shoot far enough to hit them. If I get up, they jump down and run, but I want to get their attention faster than that. Surely someone has a solution. Thanks!
By DKG
Try putting some pebbles, pennies, marbles or the like in an empty soda can, seal the opening, keep it nearby, then shake it at them when you see them on the table. I used that trick a long time ago on 2 cats I had, and soon enough, all I had to do was pick up the can, and they would run, before I even shook it! Cats hate the rattling sound.
Soda can with few pennies. Throw it in the area, not hitting them but it makes such a clatter they will be startled. Throw it and act like you haven't a clue where that came from.
