[Music]
hello everyone and welcome back to
another video brought to you by
seniorcatwellness.com
today we're talking about cats and
kitchen counters and how to keep your
furry friends away from some rather
unwanted
and potentially messy and dangerous
actions there's a lot going on
in the kitchen especially during meal
time if your felines were to engage in
some type of countertop adventure while
you're cooking
things could quickly become unsafe not
only for your cats but potentially for
you
depending on what gets stepped on
knocked over etc
and if you're curious although our
titling core topic is dedicated to the
kitchen counter
the four steps we're about to detail
goes far beyond that
it goes for all high perch areas that
are deemed off-limits
and this does include the dining room
table have you ever been having dinner
and all of a sudden a guest appears
yeah it's probably funny for the first
time perhaps even the second
but this will get old in a hurry once
old garfield takes a bite out of your
potato salad
all jokes aside let's take a look at
these four
very important steps step number one
this is what we like to call setting the
stage
before anything happens if possible get
out in front of things and be proactive
one of the best ways to do this is to
never entertain the kitchen counter or
the dinner table
in any capacity as it relates to your
cat
never feed your feline on these surface
areas never give your cat any reason to
believe that something good
is found above them they'll be less
likely to make that jump if they've
never been rewarded by
food from that very location step two
never provide a countertop reward this
goes for the aftermath
the post jump if you will how many times
your cat jumped on the couch the table
the bed etc
and once you get them down from that
unwanted area you give your feline a few
good pets for five to ten seconds
perhaps even a treat this is similar to
some of those no-no's we noted in step
one
if your cat jumps on the counter and
once it's placed on the ground a
petting or full-blown feeding session
breaks out then your pet will store that
away for the future
if your furry pal knows that a reward
awaits for countertop roaming then
they'll be more inclined to do it again
you can't really blame them you get food
and a rub down for just jumping on the
counter
cool sounds like one heck of a deal your
best course of action as an owner
is to remove your cat from the counter
and then do absolutely nothing
don't say a word don't pet your cat
don't feed the cat
nothing just walk away this will let
your pet realize that nothing positive
came from his or her actions
no rewards the cat in its own way will
soon realize there's just no point in
jumping on the counter if the only thing
is going to happen is being placed back
on the ground
without even as much as a head rub
step number three remove all temptations
even if you've mastered steps one and
two the visuals can potentially ruin
everything
cats are curious creatures so if they
look up and see silverware for example
just hanging on the edge of the table
they might take a jump just to see
what's going on up there
this is why you need to get any and all
curious triggers out of sight
no low low-hanging fruits both literally
and figuratively
the goal is to make your cat think
there's nothing going on give them
absolutely no reason to be tempted by a
curious visual
and yes the same is true for your dining
room table
especially during meal time don't leave
a spoon hanging near the edge or a piece
of bread etc
here again you do not want this chaos
garfield
in the potato salad you have been warned
step number four away from home
protection
so it's easy to set these guides in
motion and either directly or indirectly
train your cat to leave counter tops and
tabletops alone
what if your cat is all alone and you're
not home to direct that traffic then
what
well consider the use of carpet runners
or some type of safe clutter zones
when it comes to a runner place it
upside down where those little rubber
spikes are pointed upwards
if your cat lands on those things just
one time he or she will think twice
about that again
it's not only about getting on the
counter or the table
it's about security once your cat feels
like something bad is up there
then they'll get straight down and as
for the clutter zones
think of this as safe traffic occupy
open spots
on your kitchen counter or your dining
room table with filler
nothing crazy just some books empty bags
just stuff
if your cat gets the idea there's just
no room for a safe landing or a walking
space
then they'll probably reconsider when it
comes to taking that big leap
in addition to these steps there is one
additional
item of note and it involves your
personal behavior
if your cat gets on the counter or on
the table always do your best to play it
cool
as noted in step number two just remove
your cat from the surface area and walk
away
no petting no food no treats because as
it relates to this
specific point regarding your behavior
use
no harsh tones no harsh actions do not
yell at your pet
do not get the water pistol don't smack
the bottom
none of that well those actions could
you know they could certainly work in an
effort to keep your cat away from your
kitchen counter
and the dinner table those actions could
also work to keep your cat away
from you it's important that your cat
has a negative association with the
counter or the table itself
not a negative association with you and
there is a huge difference
keep your eye on the prize and the
objective even in the heat of the moment
when your cat is on the kitchen counter
next to a boiling pot
it's easy to get lost in anger and lash
out stay composed and remember the
objective
that's why it's important to follow the
aforementioned steps
without really asserting yourself in the
mix let your cat be turned off by the no
rewards factor
and the no petting rather than a verbal
scolding
from you and with that final piece of
information that will close things out
for today's video please drop us a line
in the comments section below
and tell me your experiences with this
topic have you won the battle against
your cat jumping on counter tops and
tables
or are things still very much a work in
progress please let me know
do you have any questions and or
concerns related to the world of cats
if so please head on over to
seniorcatwellness.com at the conclusion
of this video
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cross again and i certainly hope they do
we thank you so much for watching and we
will talk to you later
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you