16 Curious Ways to Try and Stop Your Counter Surfing Cat Kids and Reclaim Your Conflict-Free Kitchen

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Jul 13, 2026 8:45 AM EDT

The age old question of how to get a cat to stop doing something you do not want them to do is back again. This time we are taking a specific look at how pawrents have put in place protections against their crazy cat kids clambering up on their kitchen counters. So let's dive in and see how these hacks have held up.

Some might say that Reddit's r/CatTraining subreddit is an example of trying to plug a hole in a dam with your finger. The fix works while you are there giving it your all but the moment you step away all heck breaks loose. But nonetheless cat pawrents still try to do their best to train their cats, even if the effects are only felt when their pawrents are around. And thanks to their insights we were able to make this helpful list of tricks to keeping cats off your counter.

Now, there are more than a few ways that the pawrents in this list have approached the problem. For some it is a training issue, meaning they advocate for the use of consistent commands and cues so that the cat child learns to properly understand they are being told what to do and not randomly yelled at. For some it is a reactive situation, these pawrents have given up training and believe that the only solution is to react when the event pops up. While others have chosen more practical options such as doors and baking paper. We invite you to settle into a comfy chair and have a notepad ready to jot down some of your preferred plans of action to try on your counter surfing cat at home.
 

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  • 01
    "When my girls were babies and they launched on the counter I'd start aggressively hissing at them." SAMSUNG
    via Background_Buy551

    Two cats sitting on kitchen counter while woman screams at them.

    Animals and humans represented by models.

  • 02
    No-Perspective872 Give them a safe place to perch next to the counter where they can see everything. Like mentioned, give them an enriching lifestyle and environment so they're not seeking it out on the counters. Feed them at the same time as you eat so they are getting the social experience. Redirect, reinforce, wash and repeat.
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    Cheezburger Image 10645455104
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    ThrowRA_SadFlower2 I mean there's a difference between yelling at your cat or spraying them with water and teaching them the command "down" then enforcing it around the counters. Both are technically aversive in the sense that you're forbidding something/raising your voice, but in one case the cat has no clue why you're yelling and just sees you as scary and unpredictable and in the other they know you're giving them a command.
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    P
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    Mushrooms24711 I've never tried. I just clean well before making food and use cutting boards.
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  • Ok, I know this might seem like it is not actually a suggestion but it kind of is. As you will come to see further along, a lot of pawrental suggestions make the same admission. A lot of these techniques work, but only when you are in the area. The moment you set foot outside the room your cats will be back on the counter like nothing ever happened. So sure, commands, incentives and all the other classic training techniques have their place. But a cat can only respect you as their pawrent if you are in the same room. Otherwise you are just another hooman…
     

  • 07
    元 999
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    avaokima95 I've taught my cat to leave the kitchen on command, now he rarely goes in there at all. If I cared about him being on the table I'd start working on a command for jumping down. When the command is well established and used consistently I imagine your cat would stop going up there at all when they know they just have to go back down immideately.
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    CAT FOOD
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    Uncle-Osteus I try to make it an uninteresting space so they just don't want to go up there. Having other spaces nearby that are appropriate for them and more interesting also helps You can also try a motion sensor air can, kitty most likely won't blame you for it, but there's also a chance that they might be too smart for it to truly deter them for long lol
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    Cheezburger Image 10645456384
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    Djinn_42 Imo you can only keep your cat from an area while you're there to react. Otherwise they're going to do what they want. I would just get used to cleaning the counter before cooking.
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    SEUM
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    AnotherDarnDay My cats dont go on the table or counters. They know theyre off limits. If the cat jumps on the counter, pick it up and put it on the floor and say no very calmly, carry on with what you're doing, and repeat the process. Its important to not react any other way because a cat will be waiting for you to freak out on him. After a while the cat will stop trying.
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    ]] E
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    tieflingteeth My cat mostly leaves the food prep counters alone because he has a) a connected kitchen island he can watch the cooking from and b) he watches down on me from on top of the cabinets, which he reaches via counter then fridge. I take him off forbidden counters immediately when I see him so he knows not to do it when I'm around. I shut him out the kitchen if I'm going to leave meat on the side for any length of time.
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    Cheezburger Image 10645456896
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    ReluctantChimera • 5mo ago All cats get on the counters. The people who say the cats don't get up there have cats that know not to get on the counters when the owners are around. There's not much you can do to stop it. None of the tips I've seen have worked. Spraying the cats with water worked for awhile, but at some point, the cats decided that getting on the counters was worth the risk of getting sprayed.
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    11 West
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    Tomj_Oad Even with aversion "training" it only makes them change behavior when you're actually watching. If you're out of the room, they're definitely on the counter. I just do a quick spray and wipe disinfectant over all my surfaces before I start and bar the cats from the kitchen
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  • This is soooo sneaky! Gosh I love it! The point that this pawrent is making is that cats only really avoid the stuff that hurts or scares them. Seeing as we do not want harm to befall our cat children that is off the table. So all we have left to do is scare the pants off them in a repetitive way that drives home the point. I have also heard of tin foil being used with similar success. The only problem with this solution is that you will permanently have these pieces of material on your counters, the moment they are gone, your cats are back on the counter. So if you can stomach it and chalk it up to ‘baby proofing’ your home, it is a solid solution.
     

  • 21
    ASH .
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  • 22
    Nusrattt Have you heard of this new invention called DOORS? Please excuse the sarcasm, but we've been a multi-cat household for over 30 years, and there is NO single solution that will keep ALL of them off of your counters, because they have different personalities.
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    Cheezburger Image 10645454592
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    Vineyard Valleygirl Put baking sheets lining the counters hanging halfway over the sides. When they jump up they will get a very loud tumble and after a time or two, will avoid your counters. It worked for my two. They never went on my counters.
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    MONDAY 12 13 17 18 29 20 21 26 27 28 Thank DAY OFF H 14
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    justwannabe_loved_ When my girls were babies and they launched on the counter I'd start aggressively hissing at them. They'd scramble off immediately. Did it every single time, and now they're adult cats who have no interest in the counter. I did bring a stool into the kitchen that they'll often sit on so they're eye level with the counter so they can watch what I'm doing and still feel involved.
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    Cheezburger Image 10645458432
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    CatWiskerz I don't care anymore, I used to with previous cats but I'm defeated. They don't care, why should I? h 740 FRIGIDAIRE
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    Cheezburger Image 10645457920
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    Ok_Cow5684 Not sure if anyone's said this already, but make sure you don't prepare any cat food on the counters. If you're portioning out wet food for them, do it somewhere else. You want to remove the association between the counters and their food as much as possible.
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    Cheezburger Image 10645458176
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  • 32
    5% EVER
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keep cat counter kids try cat photos kitchen curious reddit thread cat advice free conflict surfing
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