Goblin cats verses kitchen counters

September 23, 2024 10:52 AM

I recently adopted a second adult cat. After several years of fostering many cats this one is the most goblin-y I've ever seen when it comes to kitchen counters.

I have already tried the normal standbys (aluminum foil, sticky stuff and tape, clapping and yelling, water spritz) and she is absolutely totally unfazed. I have done all of the positive reinforcement things that are typically recommended (vertical space, cat trees, multiple enrichment toys, automatic feeder, plenty of play time during the day, treats in other parts of the house where she is welcome to hang out, et cet).

We are at the point where I was making pancakes and when I turned around the cat jumped onto the counter to try to stick her paw into the pancake mix as it was cooking in the hot pan. It's bad. Absolutely nothing I have done has even remotely deterred the obsession with the kitchen counters. The daily battle of keeping the cat out of my food while I'm cooking and away from the hot stove is getting old.

I've read that the motion activated SSSCat devices work great BUT it seems that the company has redesigned them and the currently available versions don't work well at all. They typically get one-star reviews online and I cannot find anywhere to try to purchase a 1st generation SSSCat device.

I am a renter with a narrow kitchen so I can't just make renovations to the space like adding a door or wall. Ideally I would like to have some sort of deterrent in the kitchen doorway to keep the cat out of the kitchen altogether.

I've never done my own electronics before but it seems like the parts to make a version of the SSSCat device could feasibly be done? Maybe there's something else out there that would work similarly? Ideally I'd love to find a solution that works even if I am not around.

posted by forkisbetter to Pets & Animals (9 answers total)

If you can stand the inconvenience, a baby gate to keep the cat out of the kitchen is the traditional low-tech solution for this.
posted by praemunire at 10:55 AM on September 23

When I first adopted my cat he was super food orientated and drove me crazy with his counter antics (including jumping on the stove while a burner was on). I was super consistant with firmly removing him from the counter every time (either a push off or by lifting him off). I gave him no attnetion when I removed him beyond the removing. Over and over. For a few weeks I had to be hyper vigilant and it got to the point where I could anticipate his jump and just kind of block him with my body. Eventually, he got it (It also helped that he settled in and felt less insecure about food). I should add that I have never allowed him to eat human food.
posted by Pineapplicious at 11:21 AM on September 23

I am a renter with a narrow kitchen so I can't just make renovations to the space like adding a door or wall.

Would your cat be deterred by a heavy curtain, do you think? I have a problem with setting off my smoke detector in my rented apartment and the fact that it is narrow actually made it very possible for me hang a curtain in the doorway using a tension rod. Some cats would just walk through the curtain anyway if it wasn't secured on the sides so it might not help, but it is a thought.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:29 AM on September 23

In the short term - put the cat in a bedroom or bathroom while you're cooking. Work on the counter issue outside of cooking time. Don't leave any high value food on the counters.

Some cats are just counter cats. This will likely decrease over time. This particular cat is still adjusting to the newness of the living situation.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 12:49 PM on September 23

I have already done about 6 weeks of the patiently removing from the counter every time she gets up there and it has not changed the behavior one bit. If anything, getting up and walking over to get her down seems to encourage the counters as a fun game.

I do not give the cats any human food but this particular cat is extremely food motivated. She will drink a beer right out of your glass, slurp up black coffee out of the bottom of the sink, and will even consume soapy water in pots soaking in the sink.

I have repeatedly put treats in other high-vantage point parts of the house and she has zero interest in going to those spots unless there are treats there.
posted by forkisbetter at 2:27 PM on September 23

Does he have an aversion to lemon juice wiped on the sides?

Can you get him a seat or cat bed so he can sate curiosity knowing what you're doing?
posted by k3ninho at 3:48 PM on September 23

Ok so not a permanent solution for obvious reasons, but one thing that can help in the short term is lining the counter with pens or pencils sticking out over the edge. It’ll make it harder for kitty to figure out where her landing point might be. If you’re worried about the writing utensils getting in your way you can lightly tape them down with masking tape.
posted by donut_princess at 5:03 PM on September 23

Our goblin counter-surfers rarely hung out on the counters in our old apartment, for two reasons
1) much less counter space, one side of the stove inaccessible to them because of the microwave placement.
2) kitchen was narrower (more galley like) but the fridge was on the opposite of the stove, isolated from the counters but overlooking the stove region. We created a staircase of sorts up to the top of the fridge so the cats could hang out on top and look at us while we were in the kitchen.

If you can rearrange things to block off at least one side of the stove (even a temporary barrier like a tall empty box?) that might help.

In our current apartment, the kitchen is more L-shaped with much more counterspace and there's no dissuading them. So the tactics have changed to the following
a) as much as possible, put a lid on the pan when not actively stirring, etc. I got some large glass lids (with a vent hole) from the thrift store to use with the frying pan.
b) always put a lid or empty pot over a burner after use (we have electric)
c) turn on the range hood/ventilation when cooking (the noise of the fan is off-putting and it removes much of the interesting smells)
d) never leave any food out on the counter (forgot to put away the shredded cheese? oh there's a cat snarfing it up and then barfing it up! forgot to hide the leftover taiwanese pastries in the microwave? oh look there's a cat covered in flaky crumbs).
e) cook the most exciting things during their naps. I know, ridiculous.
posted by spamandkimchi at 7:54 AM on September 24

Have you had her tested for hyperthyroidism? That condition can make cats constantly hungry.

Your anecdote about her drinking coffee and water out of dishes in the sink reminds me of a cat I had with hyperthyroidism. She often would jump into the kitchen sink to look for bits of food on dirty dishes. She's the only cat I've known that absolutely could not be dissuaded from jumping on tables, counters, or the stove top if she smelled food.

Hyperthyroid meds controlled the increased appetite and her behavior improved.
posted by Boxenmacher at 9:22 AM on September 24