I don't understand what you mean by let your cat. They do whatever they want. If you think you've stopped them, they just aren't doing it when you're watching them.
1/3 of our cats will not even stay off the table in front of me. But he waits to make eye contact with someone else before he quickly jumps down. It’s as if he knows we dont want him up there. But he’ll make sure you see him there and run away before you can scold him.
Tbh, my she cat stayed off the table because I asked her. Then I got the orange boy, and he doesn’t mind either me or gravity. My compromise is no cats on table when I’m eating.
My cats are soo bad about this. I thought I had them trained to not go on the kitchen counters until I got a camera to check in on them while I’m at work. They literally hang out up there for hours while I’m gone..the little bitches are lucky they’re so cute
I will only believe someone actually has their cats trained not to do this if they literally have a camera to check when they’re not home. Cats can be trained, but I don’t generally think it’s worth it since it takes far more effort than training a dog (and lots of folks can’t even be bothered to do that). Since the general consensus among researchers in feline behavior is that cats do not consistently follow rules when they believe they are not being observed, I think it’s better to build habits for yourself that ensure surfaces that come in contact with food are cleaned before use rather than trusting they haven’t been contaminated by cat litter paws when you weren’t looking
I can tell when my cats have been on the table or counters because there’s detritus left behind. They love getting on the table but very rarely get on the counters. I clean them both every day before use regardless.
I think there is a real difference between dogs and cats. If you train a dog not to get on the table, it will learn not to get on the table—they are naturally generalizers. If you “train” a cat not to get on the table, they will learn not to get on the table when you are there—their learning is very specific.
This is exactly my cats. They will not come upstairs if my husband is upstairs, but they are on the beds waiting for pets if he's not. They know. And they take full advantage of the situation.
I’m old now, but when I was a kid, back in the ‘50s, my grandmother had a rat terrier that got on the table while she was out working in the garden; he ate half the ham she left there to cool after taking it out of the oven. 🫣
My pit-mix was a ninja. By the time she was a year old she’d managed to drink an entire cup of coffee my wife turned away from for about two minutes (cup didn’t move, either, it’s one of my favorite anecdotes), ate a bag of m&ms that were behind something at the back of a counter, stole a bag of Hershey KISSes (those poops were soooo weird, all full of foil 🫢😂) thst were in a nightstand accidentally left ajar, and stole a whole cold cut sandwich then scarfed it down so quickly we were surprised she didn’t vomit. For our entire 13 years together we were unable to train loving trash canisters out of her brain so we had to hide the kitchen trash behind piles that included heavy boxes and arranged our fridge to basically hold the dang thing in place 🤣. Cat litter, of course 🤢. Year two she absolutely annihilated a bottle of a kelp gardening supplement. A new gallon-sized bottle. If you’ve never smelled the stuff, it basically smells like rotting fish. Amazing results for the garden but ohhhhh my god it’s nasty! Thankfully she ripped it apart on a brand new rug that promptly had to go into the dumpster 🤦🏻♀️ . She could do some phenomenal damage as a puppy in fifteen minutes alone 😂
Ironically one of her worst stomachaches was caused by a bag of treats, I think it was those popular bacon ones; she had one or two and vomited shortly after. A couple weeks later we tried one more (it was a large bag) and that was also…regifted
My cat herded my husband to the bedroom, she’s now getting scratches on laying on the bed with me. She does what she wants, when she wants I’m just here to serve her.
We must have twins. Mine doesn't jump on counters but will jump on tables and surfaces higher than counters. And when Chicken is involved I must give him some or I'll get scolded until I give him some.
The ONE thing I don’t allow my cat is to scratch the carpet, which, go figure, she loves to do, thankfully I’ve nearly gotten her to at least go for the cardboard scratchers instead or the furniture but occasionally she’ll still attack the carpet.
Can only imagine what she does when I’m not home 🙄😂
Ha I came here to comment this!! 😹 do I "let" them? No. I tell them to get off. Do I think they do it when I'm in another room or away? Yeah I'd bet money on it.
I will let my cats anywhere but on counter tops or tables. My 2 boys respect the rule, but my princess does it when I am not looking. She will jump off when she sees me notice her. She also looks out the kitchen window at me as I drive away like "bitch, what you gunna do about it now?"
I am but a humble servant, here only to provide food, scritches, open doors, and remove waste. I do not dictate where my employers go, no matter how hard I may try.
I don’t and I don’t let them up on the counters, either. Cats can definitely be trained and understand boundaries. It’s like raising kids. You have to be consistent. I’ve never had a problem teaching any of my cats to stay off the tables and kitchen counters.
You and your cats are special, and I don't mean that sarcastically either. Good on you having the patience and perseverance to train felines.
Through no lack of effort on my part, have not successfully trained any of the cats (aka fuzzy toddlers) by which I've been owned, except know not to do whatever when I'm around.
I don’t let my cat on any tables or counters. And they know it. Even when I’m gone, they know better.
Cats can be trained. Cats can learn the rules. They might test them to see if they’re still enforced or not. Like the person who parks on the wrong side of the street to see if the passing police car tries to give him a ticket or not.
Cats aren’t here to please us, but they’re not entirely socially clueless, and they’re smart — even the orange guys. They can learn and obey your house rules.
I’m shocked and slightly annoyed at the cat owners I know who have given complete control over to the cat…..mine is what I would consider well-behaved and doesn’t get up on furniture, the counter while I’m cooking, nothing. She doesn’t make food time absolute hell either because she’s free fed and doesn’t see food as this competitive, limited resource.
Not trying to be judgy or hurt any feelings, but I think people don’t believe cats can be trained, so they don’t even try.
Yep. My youngest boy (he's 3) will stand in a chair and put his front paws on the table. Usually to ask for whatever it is I'm currently eating. He's pretty good about not getting ON the table, though.
The smartest cat in my clowder IS the “orange guy”. LOL For the first time in my life, I have a male cat that sprays EVERYTHING , including me! Everybody is spayed/neutered AND he’s been vetted for this behavior several times to NO resolution! He was a momma’s baby and got butt-hurt when I had to close the cats out of my bedroom after my first knee surgery… I couldn’t take the chance that one of them would chase another one across my bed at 3 o’clock in the morning, sooo… I should’ve handled it differently, but now that the whole house is destroyed with cat urine, it’s apparently too late to undo the problem. The vet has tried everything known to the veterinary world! Anyway…my orange boy Frankie, TELLS me where there is spray (aka cat pee) by smelling and then trying to cover it with his paw. I’m ever grateful that HE knows his “brother” is an a-hole and tattles on him so I know to clean there!
I teach each kitten that there are spots they can climb and spots they can’t. This has worked great up until I rescued my latest family addition Crystal. She’s 2 - 3, set in her ways. And what I mean by that is she has zero concept of “places I cannot go” anyways now my table is covered in cats all day and there’s nothing I can do about it since Crystal showed them there’s really nothing preventing them from jumping up and hanging out
No. My cat was taught from the day she came home that the dining table and kitchen worktops are out of bounds for her. A firm "no!" followed by being dumped on the floor got the message across. Cats can learn! I love her dearly, but paws and bums are germy - they need to stay off my table and worktops....
Nope! My boy doesn’t jump on the table. Then again the table is tall and doesn’t have a clear jump path to it (which is intentional)
Occasionally if I’m working at the table my cat wants to be held (and I oblige of course) but if he does more than resting his front paws on the table, he gets politely relocated to the floor or nearby counter. He has free reign of the house except the table and he knows it
They go where they will except the kitchen counters. Mainly for the fact that even though the control knobs are above the burners, I am always freaked out that they will somehow turn them on and burn themselves or walk on my glass cooktop without realizing it is still hot. It just freaks me to see them anywhere near the stove.
I do not let my cats on the counter or the dining room table. They let themselves to whatever they want, including my water. One minute it's my counter and water, I turn around for second, and suddenly it's theirs.
See these posts are so crazy to me because my cat is a civilized lady and she does not go on the table because no one else in her family goes on the table. She sits on a chair while we eat. The only thing she does is her weekly inspection of the countertop, for which she requests supervision.
Who thinks this is about “allowing”? 😂 I shoo my youngest cat from the kitchen table, yet I must clean the table each time I sit to eat whether I see the cat there or not. I just assume she jumps on the table. My other cat never jumps on table.
The only place that is off limits to my cats (and they are very much aware), is the kitchen counter. When I use the dining room table, I always sanitize and wipe it down. It’s glass, so I can see their little paw prints all over it.
These are my granddaughters’ cats. They live in a strict household where they are not allowed on the table, and absolutely not on the counters. They are waiting to be fed on the counter next to the door I come in when I feed them twice a day in their family’s absence.
No but they don’t care lol still trying to at least teach them not to do it when I’m around. When I’m not I mean I guess it’s fair game lol I don’t let them on the dining table or my counters as long as I can help it.
Doing our best to prevent them from getting on the counters. We don't really use the dining room table so it wasn't a fight worth having but so far we've had good success against the counters.
I've accepted my fate. She only does it when I'm around to get my attention, and I just make sure to wipe down the table before meals. She doesn't hop up when people are actively eating there, so it's a balance I've chosen to live with 😂
Whether I wanted to let them or not, they're getting on the table. One of them usually ends up having to go to jail (my wife's office) during meals, because she weaponizes her cuddliness and knocks things over.
No. But then again my cat can barely get on the sofa lol so thats the only place she goes up to. If she could get on the table i still wouldnt let her.
Nope. Not table or counters. I even fuss at her if she starts to go on my bedside table. She responds to no, (though sometimes it's a couple repeated nos). She could probably commit murder otherwise 😅
He’s such a great centerpiece besides as soon as you tell them not to…they will definitely do it anyway. Tell him ‘not to’ on the place you want him to use & maybe then & don’t forget they’re psychic so stop thinking you don’t want him on the d/r table.
When my cat was alive, he knew where he was allowed and where he was NOT allowed. Bed? Fine. Couch? Sure. Lap? Definitely. Tables of any kind, counters, stove? NOPE. And he knew it. And when he wanted to go behind the couch, and had to step on the corner table to get there, he was so very slow and careful, lest he get yelled at. He knew, and he behaved. He was the best cat. 😢
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u/AvailableSign9780 10h ago
I don't understand what you mean by let your cat. They do whatever they want. If you think you've stopped them, they just aren't doing it when you're watching them.