My kitten climbs counters & drinks from sink. How do I stop her?

Training kittens is not like training dogs. Their brains are different. Water in a squirt bottle typically works very well to correct them when they do something you don’t want them to do like get on the counters. You can’t really train them to not get into your food if you leave it out. They are opportunistic. While you are with the food, you can use the squirt bottle to teach them to respect the boundaries while you are with the food. Most cats will learn quickly but most will take adavantage of a situation. You can also avoid these situations by putting the cat away at meal time. Always remember to rewards good behavior with praise, play, pets or treats. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Oh dear it sounds like your kitten is quite the rascal. Could you try training her to use a water bottle instead with a sipper? It also sounds like she is quite playful and needs a lot to keep her stimulated. You can look into cat toys that she has to chase. You can also find treat-dispensing toys at your local pet store, that require her to bat it around to get the kibbles out. I'm a big fan of these because they mimic a cat's natural hunting instinct. Laser pointers are a tried and true favourite as well. In the meantime, I'm afraid you may have to kitten-proof your home, at least for now. Take away any access to your clothes, etc. Only put out cat-friendly toys that you don't mind getting wet. And you can always try a lesser amount of water in her dish if the water bottle doesn't work out. I hope this helps! Good luck with your kitten!

Hello. This is actually not uncommon. Cats can sometimes be very attracted to running water & a sink is a great big pee hole. I actually have two office cats that do the exact same thing. Because they are in the office, I tolerate this, but if they were in my home I would start training them to stay off the counters. Fred is still quite young, so you should be able to train him to stay off the counters, too. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You have nothing to worry about, my cats are exactly the same, they will prefer every other option that seems to be fresher than their bowls, i tried a fountain bowl for a while but it never really replaced their need to drink from wherever they could.

You could cover the counters with textures that cats don't like. For example, aluminum foil, placemats or cardboard covered with double-faced sticky tape. Many cats don’t like those surfaces, so the hope is for the cat to jump down once he/she touches the surface. Leave the mats on the counter at all times when not in use and, hopefully, she will stay off. After a few weeks without signs of her on the counters, remove a small section at a time and see if she will stay off.

Unfortunately this is a very common cat characteristic . I recommend to either a restricted area that Lady Bird has access to or to keep the countertops clean so there is nothing to knock down. There are some products to deter cats: motion activated fog horns, electric collars, and certain odors but they work with varying degrees of success. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Kittens this age can be challenging to live with! You can try spraying your mom's plant with Bitter Apple spray - this is a bitter-tasting substance that often works well to deter chewing on plants, electrical cords, and other inappropriate items in the house. I also think it's a great idea to get some cat-friendly plants for your room and other areas in the house, if possible, since she seems to enjoy chewing on them. The most appropriate things she has to chew on, the less likely she will be to seek out your mom's plant. For the kitchen table, I would suggest placing double-sided sticky tape on it whenever you're not using it to eat on - most cats don't like the feel of this on their paws, so she will learn on her own to avoid the table if it's always uncomfortable to walk on. Once she is no longer trying to get on it at all anymore, you can slowly fade out using the tape.