Hi, I’m Dr. Lauren! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two adventurous cats, Pancake and Tiller.
Do you’ve gotten a Kelly Slater at home? A feline Kelly Slater?
Cats on counters. It’s such a standard occurrence within the feline world that it’s even garnered its own term: counter browsing. And it’s apparently so appealing, that even some dogs are joining in on the fun…
In the event you own a cat, counter-surfing is usually all too common. Cats, in spite of everything, are still considered recently domesticated, and retain a lot of their natural instincts. These instincts include retreating to different heights for sleeping and playing, which may provide a way of security, while also allowing a greater vantage point, and increasing energetic behaviors.
Studies on preference for scratching posts show that cats prefer vertical posts to horizontal scratch pads.1 And current trends in environmental enrichment promote vertical spaces, as they effectively increase a cat’s territory, especially inside limited spaces, resembling for pet cats which are housed predominantly indoors.2 This could include elevated beds, shelves, ropes, cat trees, and climbing poles.
But, such feline behavior isn’t necessarily congruent with our modern lifestyles, relating to co-existing. For example, neither of my cats is allowed on the kitchen counters or kitchen table, which emanates from early training once they were kittens. (It truly took me per week and loads of coaxing to get a photograph of Tiller on the table specifically for this article- possibly why she looks so annoyed!) So, what’s the deal on why it’s not advisable, and where is the completely happy medium?
Tiller just isn’t pleased to be sitting on the table…
Counter Browsing: Why Not?
I’m personally a robust believer that (1) cats might be cats and you possibly can’t change their inherent nature; (2) regardless, cats shouldn’t put their feet anywhere I don’t put mine; (3) cats definitely shouldn’t put their butt where I wouldn’t put my feet (e.g. my breakfast toast).
It could sound pedantic, but as much as I like cats, I don’t want ANYONE’s butt on my breakfast toast. And, there are zoonotic risks. Zoonoses are diseases that folks can catch from animals, just as reverse zoonoses are diseases that animals can catch from people.
For humans, parasitic diseases resembling tapeworms, cryptosporidium, and salmonella are all potential concerns from things tracked onto the counter from well-intentioned cats. True, counter browsing just isn’t a well known type of zoonotic transmission. However the risks don’t end there.
Cats, themselves, are susceptible to dangers on countertops. Hot stoves, that curious cats step on, can result in severe paw pad burns, with subsequent ulcerations and significant pain. I see it not less than just a few times a 12 months, when working in clinics. Cats jump onto a stove, burn two or 4 feet, and are in pain for just a few weeks, afterwards, requiring treatment. Similarly candles on counters often attract heat-seeking felines, and result in melted whiskers, hair, and even burns. If it’s a cooking surface, sharp items like knives and breakables like glasses may also be unsafe for curious kitties.
Luckily, there are other ways to hold ten!
Alternative Ways for Cats to Hang Ten
So how do you retain a cat off a counter? Or stop them from Kelly Slater-ing?
Suggestions to maintain cats off the counter:
- Start young! Don’t wait until your cat is an adult to implement cat-free areas, and provides them alternative places to interchange what they seek. Kittens are most pliable for learning boundaries and good (and bad!) habits, especially before 1 12 months of age
- Teach your cat the “No” command and be consistent with it
- Add vertical spaces to your own home: cat shelves, cat trees, cardboard towers
- Noise aversion techniques DON’T work on cats (e.g. clapping, key shaking, coins in a tin can)
- Squirting water can also be a behavioral no-no!
- I’ve personally found smells to be an excellent deterrent: spicy items wafted under the nose of a wayward cat (e.g. chilli flakes, or Frank’s Red Hot) immediately after they jump up can assist implement a no-go zone
- Substrates (resembling tinfoil or double-sided tape) may deter some cats from stepping onto places they aren’t welcome
- Give them their very own dedicated outdoor viewing space to complement their environment: a window suction bed, chair by a window, etc. Many counter surfers are simply fascinated about a greater vantage point- not a lot the counter itself!
- Adding vertical shelves or cat trees for energetic play and jumping behaviors, to interchange jumping onto a table or countertop
- Don’t leave tasty food items out on the counter, which may encourage curious cats to analyze
So, it’s entirely possible to hang around together with your cat, while providing them with alternatives to “hanging ten”. Tiller and Pancake reside proof! Although those toe beans are lovable, they belong anywhere however the table or countertop!