Hi folks,

I'm trying to teach my 15 week old kitten to stop jumping up on our eating tables. I've been firm from the start that she not go up on the tabes, but she is pretty persistent. I thought I'd check here if there's something I should be doing differently.

She jumps or climbs on them more when we are eating (she clearly wants to see what we are doing and be part of it), but is also going up when we aren't sitting at them. Every time she bounces onto the table I pick her up, say NO, and put her on the floor. If she keeps at it more than a couple of times I put her out of the room and close the glass door until we are done eating. She always stares sadly through the door when I do this (it's very hard to be firm with a sweet little kitten :( ).

Should I try a different strategy? She doesn't seems to be grasping this much yet, but she's only been here a couple of weeks.

Thanks!
~Liz

Hi

It's too late for me, I've never managed to stop my two counter surfing in the kitchen or getting on the table (although to be fair we don't eat at the table and the table now has their beds on it ). However I read somewhere that you should buy some cheap table mats, sticky paws (a double sided tape that won't harm her) and place these where you don't want her to go. It makes it less of a pleasant experience apparently and she'll decide it's not a good place to be when her paws stick to the mats. Normal remedies such as kitchen foil certainly didn't phase my two.

However, this is a Bengal and quite often nothing works! They are, as you are discovering, very persistent and very determined.

We always used to shut our two out of the room when we were eating but these days they're not so interested. As kittens what us strange humans do is ever so interesting and she's learning about you, so she will be keen to be nosy about every action you take to see if it might be fun for her to join in!

Good luck!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

I think I actually got advice for this from this forum, but I don't remember what post it was. What I used to do was to put her on the high kitchen bin whenever she jumps on a counter. It's with every no there is a yes stragedy. I also used to give her a treat so she would think the bin is the best place to be. She hardly ever jumps on the counter now and most of the times she goes straight for the bin herself now and watches us. The only place she still jumps on is the coffee table, but I point her to come down or point towards to sofa and she in most cases listens unless she is extra hyper. It takes time to practise this, but keep trying and it may work.

Yes that is very true lilzzz, I always forget as our kitchen isn't set up in a way there is anywhere else for them to go. The thing I read said to put a cat tree at the end of the counters and redirect there and reward with a treat. Maybe a cat tree next to the dining table could work!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

If you find a way of keeping bengals of tables please let us all know!!!!!

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Yes bengals are persistent! Mine jumps up on the dining room table, kitchen counters -- it does not bother me in the least!!! I put him down and he's going to get back up there anyway. Nothing I am going to do is going to help. You can purchase motion censored air canisters, but they will blow air every time you get into the 3' range. You're going to have to spend the rest of your life saying "NO" to the cat and putting the cat down off the counters and table! You've got a bengal -- they are curious, intelligent, and know how to push the boundaries.

I felt like you when I got my kittens. My last cat never went in the kitchen or on the counters so I was shocked when these two scrambled onto the island, dinner table and coffee table constantly. Every deterrent turned into a game for attention and they became more persistent. Eventually I gave up and they spent more time on the cat tree I put in the kitchen. Grace owns the dining room table so she will frequently sprawl out on it and wash herself. They both jump up on the. Barstools and island, but Blondie goes up there more often and pushes anything onto the floor so she can play with it. Neither go on the counter by the sink and stove. I don't think they realize they can jump up there so I have a cat free zone.

Our house hasnt got a kitchen door so they are always there while we're cooking - or we have to lock them in the living room as they get their nose everywhere. They lick everything and are persistent despite NO and moving them etc (one does listen and she comes to tell on her sister when sister is being naughty). They attack dinner low table from different angles when food is on - it's the Bengal food siege!

UPDATE:The kitten are pretty good about staying off the table at supper time (because they sleep then ;) ).

This poster spoke to me:

Yes, that poster is 100% correct!!!! But sometimes the morning feed is at 3:30 a.m.