To wean a cat on the table, you need to understand why she does this?
- Reason number one is that there is always something edible and tasty for the cat. Once stealing a piece of fried fish or licking sour cream from your cheesecake, the cat will again and again try to repeat its success.
- The second reason is that a cat needs three-dimensional space. And the table is a convenient springboard to watch your kingdom from a height or admire the “cat TV” in the window. And it’s more convenient to jump from the table to the refrigerator. If the cat does not have an alternative way to climb tier 2, she will use the table. And especially if there are several cats in the house. When thinking about how to wean cats from climbing on a table or how to wean cats from climbing on a table, start by organizing a sufficient number of alternative transportation options: special shelves, hammocks, high scratching posts with houses at different levels.
- The third possible reason is an attempt to hide from danger in the form of a dog or other cat, a small child, or a robot vacuum cleaner. In this case, the table sometimes becomes the only safe haven, and of course the cat uses it, because in her understanding, she is saved from inevitable death.
- The fourth reason is an attempt to attract the attention of a person. Cats, despite their independence and independence, also need to communicate with the owner. If the cat managed to get a portion of your attention (albeit negative) by climbing onto the table several times, he may begin to use this method as quite effective.And then, in order to understand how to properly wean a cat from climbing a table, you will have to understand a little about the process of learning an animal and its motivation and understand how to work with aggression in a cat. And of course, give other ways to attract your attention and do not skimp on joint games and affection.
- And finally, the fifth reason is banal boredom. Even if the cat is not interested in the leftover food on the plates, there can be many interesting objects on the table for exploration and interaction: a receipt from the store, a grape twig, a jar of vitamins, a metal clip from a bread package, and many more fun things. In this case, in order to figure out how to wean a cat from climbing on a table at home, it is worth analyzing what she is doing during the day, whether you provided her with enough activities and activities.
How to deal with the problem bypassing the well-known spray bottles with water and throwing slippers at the cat?
After all, punishment does not affect the motivation of the animal, the reason for its behavior. Therefore, punishment works only in the presence of the punisher, and even then it usually does not last long and not the first time. Moreover, it spoils relations with the owner, undermining trust and forming fear. So if you want to learn how to stop a cat from climbing on a kitchen set, the first thing to do is eliminate punishment. Much more effective and humane will be to meet the needs of the cat and work with the cause. We also described how to wean a dog from asking from the table in our ongoing blog.An individual consultation with a specialist may be necessary to understand which needs of the cat are not closed and influence her "bad behavior". But in not the most neglected cases, you can try to cope on your own. Here's what to do, based on the reasons described above:
- Eliminate any opportunity for the cat to steal something from the table when you are around or you are not at home. Even harmless crumbs or a drop of gravy that a cat finds will be sufficient reinforcement for her. Always clean the table thoroughly after eating. This is how animals teach us order.
- If you don’t want the cat’s paw to be on your kitchen table, but you don’t know how to wean the cat from climbing on the table at home, make sure that it doesn’t have the opportunity to climb there even in your absence. Just close the door to the kitchen or use any barricades (only safe ones) to keep the cat from pacing the table.At the same time, the cat should have enough alternative opportunities to be next to you in the kitchen, watching what is happening from a height and monitoring the situation. And also, if necessary, avoid contact with other animals in the house. Cats are territorial animals, it is important for them to control the space where she lives: she eats, drinks, rests, sharpens her claws and plays. Add some shelves, houses above the table and tunnels on the floor, and the cat will be happy to choose these places.
- If you have a kitten, you are lucky, you can avoid the formation of a problem in advance by using our tips. And then in the future you will not need to learn how to wean an adult cat from climbing on the table.