Cat Walks on Tables: What Can Help Wean Your Pet Off This Bad Habit
Cats think that everything in the house belongs to them. Naturally, kitchen tables and coffee tables are no exception.
The whiskered and striped ones happily walk on them and often settle down to lie down on the empty tabletop.
What should the owners do if such behavior of the pet does not please them, seems unhygienic and causes fear for the items left on the table?
Before you wean your cat from climbing on tables, you should first find out what it is about these tables that attracts it so much.
Four-legged friends associate the table with free space where they can walk and lie down, that is, it is not perceived as a “forbidden place”.
If a kitten has been accustomed to wandering around the table from an early age, then by starting to wean the already grown animal from this habit by shouting or punishing, the owner is unlikely to achieve the desired effect.
This means that we need to make sure that the pet finds the countertops unattractive and avoids them.
A reasonable and safe solution to the problem is to keep a bowl of oranges/lemons on the table or rub the countertops with citrus zest. Cats do not like this smell and over time they themselves will not go to places where this aroma comes from.
Another reason why a cat climbs on the table is vases, keys, figurines and other things that can become objects for play. Also, pieces of food are often left on the table, and the curious animal will probably decide to sniff and taste them.
And here the problem is easily solved: everything that a cat could theoretically be interested in should be removed from the countertops, and the tables in the kitchen should be thoroughly wiped after meals (you can add a little lemon essential oil to the rag for a greater effect).
Finally, don't forget that a table for a cat is an elevated position from which it is convenient to survey everything around. This is a habit typical of predators - to climb higher and look around.
Having "taken away" from your pet the table that serves as such an elevated platform, it is worth offering him an alternative - a cat post with a scratching post, a whole "cat tree" with shelves at different heights, or simply shelves nailed to the wall in the form of a ladder.
To quickly attract the cat's attention to such a complex, you can sprinkle a little catnip on the shelves. And every time the animal uses them, leaving the tables at home alone, such behavior should be encouraged with a treat, affection and play.
You can’t try to wean a cat from climbing on tables by shouting, slapping, or making noise: it will do it anyway while the owners are not at home.
It is better to try to implement any of the options described above: scare away with a smell/reduce interest/offer another place for climbing and resting on an elevation.
Previously, it was reported about what foods should not be given to cats .
