Most cats are accustomed to the fact that they can roam around their territory in any part of the apartment. The place for their walks is often a table. Of course, many pet owners do not see anything wrong with their animals’ behavior, but others believe that having a pet on the table is bad manners and a real hotbed of infections.
Why is a cat interested in a table?
In fact, there are not many reasons why a cat often visits the surface of the table. One of the most common is curiosity. You could easily leave something interesting on the table, and the cat decided to check out the unidentified object. If you want to prevent your pet from jumping on the table, you should not leave objects on it that are worthy of your pet’s attention.
In addition, if the cat is hungry or thirsty, then trying to find food on the table will be a great idea for him. In such cases, it is best to monitor whether there is food on his plate and whether the water in his bowl is clean.
Many cats feel that their place to rest is not comfortable enough, so lying on a table is the best option for them. In order to prevent this disgrace, try to make every effort to make the cat feel comfortable and cozy in other places in the apartment. Then he will definitely not be entertained by thoughts of sneaking onto your table.
It is recommended to purchase a cat house that will be located at a height of a meter from the floor. It will arouse much more interest in your pet, especially a young one, and he will stop paying attention to most of the furniture in the apartment.
Use cat repellers
In this case, repellers are objects that cause unpleasant sensations in cats if they encounter them. They must not cause physical harm to the animal.
The best repellers are those that work in your absence.
Double sided tape . It will be extremely unpleasant for a cat if it jumps onto the table and finds something sticky underneath it. A very effective remedy if used correctly. You can't cover the entire table with tape, so you'll have to figure out the areas where your cat jumps most often. Keep in mind that the tape may leave sticky marks on the table. You can stick it on plastic serving napkins, unnecessary oilcloth or plastic film.
Foil . Cats don't like the sound of foil when you step on it. Lay out several sheets of foil on the table and secure them with pieces of tape.
Citrus peel . Cats hate the smell of lemons, oranges, and grapefruits. Simply place citrus peels around the perimeter of the table. Keep in mind that it dries out quickly and stops smelling, so your family will have to eat several kilograms of fruit to stop your cat from climbing on the table.
Tin can with small items . Fill one or more canning jars with peas, beans, or small things that rattle loudly. The jar should stand on the edge of the table so that the cat knocks it over while jumping and gets scared by the noise.
Ssscat repellent spray . This is a small device that beeps and then sprays your cat with an odorless spray when she approaches it. Operates on batteries and has a motion sensor. The aerosol is safe for animals.
How to stop a cat from climbing tables: 7 ways
For all cases, there are rational ways to solve the problem. It is very simple to wean a cat from climbing on a kitchen or other table - it will not take much time.
Unpleasant odors for cats
Cats don't like strong smells. Try covering the surface of the kitchen table or cabinet with a solution of vinegar or citrus juice - the animal will not want to stay on it for a second. You can simply leave something overly fragrant on the table: spices in slightly opened jars, an aroma lamp, orange or tangerine peels, a bouquet of fragrant flowers.
Be careful - water!
If it happens that an animal sneaks onto the table right in front of you, do not just leave the matter like that. Try to gently solve the problem by splashing water on the unruly cat or making a loud noise that will scare it away. You need to try to do this as discreetly as possible so that the cat doesn’t guess what’s going on and understands that you can’t climb onto the table even in the absence of the owner.
If you don’t have time to watch over a naughty fluffy, place a large container of water on the table that will take up the entire area. Oven trays or bowls are perfect for this. The main thing is to make sure that when the cat tries to get onto the table from any side, its paws fall into the water. He will very quickly understand that there is nothing but trouble here, and will begin to go around the table ten times.
Noise effects
This method is suitable for animals with a stable psyche. It is not recommended to use it for weaning small kittens and sensitive animals.
An excellent solution would be tin cans and other objects that may fall due to the appearance of a cat on the table and make a loud, frightening sound. Naturally, the rumble will discourage the cat from climbing onto the table.
Sometimes covering the surface with rustling foil or cellophane helps. True, some cats may be inspired by rustling objects and begin to visit the table even more often. Therefore, when choosing a method, consider your pet's temperament.
Rearrangement
Since the cat climbs tables for several reasons, it is necessary to ensure that the pet’s route is not through the table to the windowsill, favorite place, or somewhere else. Sometimes cats like to lie on the table and look out the window if the window sill is occupied and there is no opportunity to lie on it.
In this case, the best way out of the situation would be a rearrangement. It’s worth trying to change the cat’s route to its goal by excluding kitchen furniture from it. Perhaps, after rearranging, the cat will forget about the table and find another way to climb higher - or stop climbing altogether.
Unpleasant coating
If the method with loud sounds, water or rearrangement does not work, then you can use adhesive tape. You need to spread it over the entire surface and wait until the cat falls into the trap. Cats hate sticky surfaces and will soon develop a disgust.
It is better to choose masking tape or its analogues for these purposes, since self-adhesive paper or regular tape will stick tightly to the cat’s fur. It will not be easy to remove it, and the animal will receive an unnecessary amount of stress.
Distraction method
Since it is much easier to wean a kitten from climbing on a table than an adult cat, you can use the optimal method of distraction for the baby. Most often, kittens climb on furniture, including tables, because they have no other entertainment. At a young age, kittens, like children, are very curious and quickly get bored with toys. And they have a lot of energy.
The distraction method is to not let the baby get bored. You need to buy toys and everything necessary for cat games, and if the kitten already has mice and feathers, you should try replacing them with new ones. Perhaps he was bored with the old ones. You also need to remove all attractive (rustling, rattling, well-rolling) objects from the table.
It's worth noting that this method works well with kittens, but may not work on an adult cat.
Vibromat
The last way is to spend a certain amount of money and buy a vibration mat. This is a humane and effective remedy that helps to wean your pet from climbing in inappropriate places. The mat reacts with vibration when the cat stands on it with one or more paws. Tailed animals, in principle, do not like buzzing and are afraid of it, so after 2-3 failures they will stop trying to misbehave.
Unexpected fall
The method is somewhat inhumane, but one session may be enough for the cat to forget the way to the table. To carry out the plan, you will need a lightweight plastic tray.
The tabletop is furnished with “inconvenient” objects so that only one side remains free. Bottles and pots will come in handy as an impromptu fence. Place the tray on the free side, pushing it slightly beyond the edge of the tabletop. You can pour some water into the tray itself.
Further events can be predicted. The cat doesn't want to jump on the tray, but there is no choice, because the whole table is occupied. The animal jumps, knocking over the tray. Water pours onto the cat, and the container itself falls to the floor with a crash.
After such a procedure, the pet will not dare to explore the table for a long time. For greater effect, the grief tray can be left in sight for several days.
What not to do
When you see a cat climbing on tables, you should not rush to scream and run away with punishment. First of all, you need to understand that cats do not perceive human methods of influence the same way as people do. A person is able to distinguish between the correctness of his action and more than a thousand different intonations in the voice of his interlocutor.
Cats cannot do this, so their reaction to swearing and assault will be different. They will not understand why they are being shouted at, and, moreover, why they are being beaten - cats do not always recognize being on certain furniture as something bad. They do not know that they have committed a crime, and they may become offended, angry and do something out of spite. A cat that is softer in character may begin to be afraid of people.
Methods that are not suitable for the cat’s breed or character are unacceptable. There are individuals that are more sensitive to noise, and it is very easy to scare them excessively. The same goes for kittens of any breed.
Each of the weaning methods needs to be considered more closely. For example, some cats love water very much, and it will only draw even more attention to the table. On the other hand, water can frighten a cat, and stress in the animal will not be long in coming.
Negative examples include a rug that shocks. It will, of course, scare the pet away from the table, but the consequences can be unpleasant, and there can be no question of humanity. There is a good alternative - a vibration mat that will gently and without unnecessary stress discourage your cat from the table and other unwanted places. There are varieties with sound signals that are better for the cat.
The moment when a cat climbs on tables can be compared to a bad habit in humans. It’s difficult to get rid of it, but you can “replace” one habit with another: it’s ideal if you can replace a bad habit with a useful one. For example, sitting on a chair next to the owner.
Splashes and waves
Not a bad method, but its implementation will require the constant presence of the owner. And during the experiment, the friendship between a person and a cat may suffer.
So, every time the cat jumps on the table, he is sprayed with warm water from a spray bottle. And every time he certainly gets angry with the person, because the shooter will not be able to go unnoticed.
The duration of the method depends on the cat’s persistence. Some test subjects stop trying after the first shower. For others, it will take a few generous waves to learn the lesson. If you act systematically, you can wean your cat off the table very quickly.
The disadvantage of the method is that the cat will clearly associate the owner’s person with the intrusive splashes. Therefore, she will certainly walk around the table when left alone at home. Leaving valuables and food in plain sight is not recommended.
Rules for hosts
When establishing laws in the house, the owners must also adhere to them. This group therapy will help you find order in your kitchen.
First, you should get rid of the factors that attract the cat. Mountains of dirty dishes, leftover food, a bowl of cookies. Any “bait” can make a pet break the rules. If the table is clean, then the animal is not interested in climbing on it.
It is important to wean your pet from begging for food. While dinner is being prepared, the cat must sit and wait. If she meows and scratches the furniture, and then gets a portion, the conditioned reflex is firmly established. And next time, a trip to the table will be added to simple begging.
The same applies to the feeling of hunger itself. If the owners disappear at work for days, then scolding the cat for looking for food is pointless. A hungry animal will climb anywhere to find a tasty morsel.
Raising a pet is not an easy task. It may take a day or a week to train a cat, but it's worth the effort to ensure that a furry paw no longer appears on the dinner table.
What table is the cat on?
For decoding, it is essential which table the pet is lying on. After all, an animal, having the opportunity to choose between a dining table, a desk, a computer table and a kitchen table, chooses only one of them for itself.
For example, pets who are about to have kittens behave even more unpredictably than their other counterparts. Most animals instinctively try to give birth to offspring in a secluded place. But it also happens the other way around.
Written or computer
The fact that cute cats love to lie near a computer or laptop is evidenced by numerous photographs posted on the Internet. Purrs lying among business papers on the desktop do not surprise anyone.
The philistine point of view can explain this phenomenon by the fact that the animal needs affection and wants to attract attention. Folk omens, taking into account the peculiarities of cat physiology, explain this somewhat differently.
It is believed that cats accurately sense pathogenic areas where magnetic fields intersect. Knowing that an electromagnetic field arises near every electrical device, such animal behavior is completely justified.
A devoted animal lying near a computer monitor warns a person about the possible risk of disease.
Kitchen
Nothing in a cat's behavior can outrage its owners more than choosing a place to sleep on the kitchen table. Surely lying on a hard tabletop is not as comfortable as lying on the soft upholstery of a sofa or chair.
This means that some invisible reason forces the animal to behave this way. If a beloved pet has chosen a kitchen table for itself, then folk signs interpret it as follows:
- the cat turns over, stretching, from side to side - a change in the weather should be expected. This usually occurs in anticipation of strong winds;
- sleeps peacefully - promises the owner changes in his personal life, a change of partners in business and minor problems in everyday life. This could be a ruined day off, a broken electric iron or kettle, or being late for work. With its calm behavior, the cat encourages the owner to think about whether everything is going well in his life;
- lies on its side and washes itself - the pet owner needs to be prepared to meet unexpected guests. Sometimes with such actions the animal predicts a quick meeting or date. This could be a business conversation with colleagues or a date with old school friends;
- purrs loudly, attracts attention - warns of danger. An animal with a unique sense of smell can sense a gas leak or warn of a fire.
A cat expecting offspring and choosing a place to rest on the kitchen table not only requires increased attention. This behavior of the pet indicates unconditional trust in the owner.
Man tamed the cat and made it a pet more than three thousand years ago. For exactly the same number of years, signs associated with pets have lived among people. In exceptional situations, a cat is able to warn a person about impending danger. In all other cases, it brings peace, tranquility and comfort to the house.
