How do I stop my kitten from getting on counters or eating food?

That's a very good question! If you are concerned about Boris associating treat with getting on the counter, I recommend turning the action into a "get down" command, and treating once he is off the counter, rather than when he is on it. That way he can start to associate the command (and treat) with being off the counter instead of on it. You can also use a nice toy such as a feather on a stick to sort of lure him off of the counter, and then proceed to treat and interact with him on the ground. If he starts hopping up onto the counter regularly and 'demanding' a treat, you may need to do what is called extinction behavior. This is where you ignore the behavior (being on the counter) until he hops back off on his own, in which you then reward him with attention and treats again. Something to note, extinction behaviors usually get worse temporarily before they start to improve as the pet will try to do the behavior more to try and get attention before giving up -- this doesn't mean you're failing, it means it's working!

There are small water fountains you can purchase to use as her water source. This may keep her off of the counters. Restrict access to the rooms if possible. If not, a length of aluminum foil placed on the counter may deter her. Whenever you see her on the counter, gently remove her to another room. Be consistent and she will eventually learn the platform is not a place for her.

Have you tried crating her? Or confining her to another part of the house like a basement. I wouldn't do this all the time but when you are cooking or if the baby is around and you don't want Isabella all over her having a place where she can be safe and confined might be a good idea. It will not eliminate the jumping on counters but when you are doing something that you don't want her on the counter it is a way to keep her out of the kitchen. There is nothing you did to condone this behavior. Sometimes cats just do this so don't think that it is your fault, because it's not. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Great question! Firmly tell her "no" and move the object away, or you move away. Ignorance can be seen as a type of punishment, it should only take 15 or so seconds for her to feel the lack of attention. If she is doing something bad across the room, you can use a spray bottle to spray her. Make sure to reinforce good behaviors with positive attention and a treat every now and then.

You may try creating steps for the kittens to climb/jump in order to get to their food. If you cannot elevate the food dish to keep it out of reach of the dog. Keep the food in a room with a closed door that you will need to open to let the kittens in to eat. It is very difficult to train a dog not to eat other pet's food and the only way to do this is to provide constant supervision. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If you want to train your cat not to jump on the counter, you can try the following method. Obtain a spray bottle and fill it with water. Whenever Salem jumps up onto the counter, lightly spritz him in the face and say "off!" to show that this is an unacceptable behavior. I've had some clients use noise deterrants before where a motion sensing noise device is placed on the counter and whenever the cat triggers the motion sensor, a loud noise goes off. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry that Bingley is being so bad! First for your sanity, at night I would confine him so he isn't keeping you up at night. Put him in the basement (with food, water and litter boxes) or a separate room. That will keep him from getting in to things and allow you to sleep. The good news is that he will grow out of this behavior, he is very young still. As for getting up on the counters, etc: cats like high places. First provide alternatives, get a couple of cat trees or other things to enrich his environment. Make sure all food is put away and the facet doesn't drip so he isn't attracted to the counters. Then you have to make the counters unpleasant: cover the counters with textures cats hate — aluminum foil is one example; cardboard covered with double-faced masking tape or shelf liner is another. No, you won’t have your counters covered forever, but you will need to keep them covered while your cat learns to use the new perches. For the more determined cat, you can look at harmless automatic devices that discourage counter cruising by making sounds cats dislike when they trigger a pressure pad or electronic eye by jumping up. I hope this helps and have a great day!