Cats like to climb on tables, sometimes for very different reasons, so if you want to prevent the cat from climbing on the table, stay with me, I will explain everything to you so that you can identify the cause and act in depth so that it does not start again.
How to prevent the climbing cat from climbing on the table: Why does it do it?
Your cat climbs on the table primarily to sniff out cooking odors and to eat, and if you don’t train him to stop, he will naturally, and have no embarrassment in doing so.
Unneutered and poorly weaned cats will have more tenacity to access and eat or sniff food odors. They are more aggressive overall and will fight for their food.
Your cat can also take advantage of it to sleep or lounge around, especially if the table is close to a heat source or even if it is close to the radiator.
Finally, he can rub it to mark it with his scent and mark his territory, especially if he is not castrated.
How to prevent the cat from climbing on the table?
There are many causes that lead the cat to go on the table, each of the following solutions will allow you to effectively prevent it from coming back on the table. So be sure to apply all the following tips.
Be firm without being violent
Here, it is a generic solution, which applies whatever the cause and is especially effective in young cats. When your cat climbs on the table, be sure to be firm with a NO, without hitting it.
He will understand that he does not have to be there and you will at least be quiet for a few moments, but if your cat is young, he will eventually understand it definitively, it will be a little more complicated for older cats.
Never be aggressive with your cat, because he will not understand and will take a dim view of you.
When he wants food, ignore him, eventually he will realize that begging for food will get you nowhere.
Use repellents
Cat repellents are ideal to stop him climbing on the table, I recommend repellents of these two types:
Odor repellents, such as citrus smells, will disgust him, his sense of smell being the most acute and he will associate the table with something foul.
Tactile, foil-like repellents that cats hate and will deter them from climbing on the table.
However, I do not recommend hearing repellents, which can damage the hearing of the cat, being very sensitive , even to a simple bell can damage his hearing , which is precious to him.
Give her a cat tree
By giving a cat tree to your cat, he will have a high place, so if your cat climbs on the table to look out the window, he is looking for a place to be high, then if your cat does, he needs an alternative, and trust me, he’ll prefer the cat tree.
The cat tree should be chosen according to your ceiling height and the size of your cat. Place it near the window and in a place where nothing can cause it to fall.
Feed him before
If your cat goes to the table because he is hungry, make sure he is fed first and of course, if you feed him your food, he will inevitably start begging for food again. Make him understand that it is not about his food.
Remove what appears to be toys
Some things on the table may make him think of games, like apples for example, so put them on the fridge instead. Young cats are the most playful and have a lot of imagination.
Also make sure he can play with his own toys so he doesn’t have to get on the table to play with objects or food.
Teach him from an early age
The earlier your cat learns, the easier it will be to make him understand that he should not eat on the table because his brain will be more sensitive to learning. The older he gets, the less easily he will understand, especially if you’ve allowed him to before.
Stay consistent
Constancy is the key, if sometimes you let him and sometimes not, he won’t know he shouldn’t get on the table, because he will have a chance to get on it, so always be negative when he comes up hard the table so that he gets into the permanent habit of not going up there.
Do not feed him from the table
If you do, he will associate the table with his food intake, so don’t be tempted to hand him food when you eat, and instead make sure he can feed only from his bowl so that he associates her and her only with taking food.
Remove him from the table when he is there
You have to make him understand that this is not a place where he should be, otherwise he will go when he wants to eat. So even if it’s to sleep, redirect him to the sofa and diffuse a soothing spray there so that he prefers the sofa to the table.
Give him an alternative table
If your cat wants to go on the table because he likes to lounge and sleep there, you can take a second smaller one of the same material and put it in place of his cat tree, the smell of wood can attract it for example.
How to prevent the cat from climbing on the table: The final word
Make sure to find the root cause, because by finding the root cause you act directly on his urge to climb on the table, suppressing the urge ensures that he does not care about your table.