So . . . you've got a kitty in the counter culture, Gum-Bro?
The big blue Gonzo who co-habitated with me for many wonderful years started out that way. I tried everything; squirt bottles (he batted the spray), stinky things (he stepped over them or swatted them into the sink), mousetraps (he'd drop stuff on them to trigger them). Total, abject failure. Finally, in total despair one day when he jumped up on the counter where I was fixing a salad, I picked him up, held him in front of me and said, "Look Gonzo, I don't walk on the counters - so you don't walk on the counters!" Then I set him down on a chair where he could see what I was doing. He never, ever got on the counters again.
Who knew? Cats are rational creatures!
The big blue Gonzo who co-habitated with me for many wonderful years started out that way. I tried everything; squirt bottles (he batted the spray), stinky things (he stepped over them or swatted them into the sink), mousetraps (he'd drop stuff on them to trigger them). Total, abject failure. Finally, in total despair one day when he jumped up on the counter where I was fixing a salad, I picked him up, held him in front of me and said, "Look Gonzo, I don't walk on the counters - so you don't walk on the counters!" Then I set him down on a chair where he could see what I was doing. He never, ever got on the counters again.
Who knew? Cats are rational creatures!