Cat on the Table Problem
(weblog entry)

Last month I asked for suggestions on how to keep my cat off the dining room table while we're not at home. I got several great notes from readers with suggested solutions, ranging from the psychological to the technological to the just plain weird. I've been meaning to compile these for awhile, but things got so crazy that I never did. Now I'm afraid I may have misplaced some of the e-mail, so please feel free to remind me if your suggestion is not on the list.

• Katynka wrote: You could always use that bizarre suggestion from my one cat book and cover your dining room table with maple syrup. Yum.

  They also say that covering surfaces with aluminum foil works. Haven't tried that.

  My solution is to just to keep all my counters and tables covered with so much crap that Odin doesn't have a safe landing place. (Now I have a good reason to be a slob.)

  Unfortunately, Marty and I have never needed a reason to be slobs...

• JBB wrote: I, too, have a cat who likes getting up on my table. However, there's so much stuff on it (especially books) that usually it deters him. Also, I've caught him a couple times and clapped my hands really loudly.

  I saw this product in a catalog I receive. You can also do a search for "pet boundaries." Those products involve putting a device on the table and on the cat's collar, which makes a noise when the cat gets within a certain range of the table. Although I've not used any of the products, the Solutions catalog device seems more targeted. The alarm doesn't sound until the cat actually gets on the table, and the cat doesn't have to wear anything.

  I love the picture of the dog launching himself off the sofa.

• Susannah (no, not me) wrote: You could try spraying the table cloth with diluted orange or lemon essential oil - very Martha Stewart for yourselves, and cats are supposed to hate the smell (though mine go quite a bundle on chewing orange peel, the perverse little creatures).

  That little gem is adapted from a bizarre book I borrowed from a friend (it includes sections such as "Is marijuana bad for my cat?" and "Do electronic fences work?"). It actually recommends pinning pieces of orange peel to the area, which could also be an unusual-yet-intriguing decorative statement for the seasonal table...

  I'm picturing the table covered in essential oils and pinned with orange peel. Definitely a new look for our next dinner party.
  

• Piggly Wiggly wrote: Cats always prefer high places. It's part of their predatory nature; also, they like to be as close as possible to human eye-level.

  Solutions? First, create a space for the cat at a level higher than the table -- build a shelf or some other structure such as those outrageously priced kitty totem poles you find at PetCo. Second, blow up some balloons and attach them to the periphery of the table. Cats hate balloons. Leave them there for a while (you can remove them for company). He'll get the hint, and eventually his fondness for the table will diminish. This technique is especially effective for 2 reasons: The balloons work for you when when you're not around; and the cat will not associate the balloons with you, as he would a severe scolding. (Right now he thinks the table's only taboo when you're around. What a nuisance you are!!)

  The key to successful cat training is creative distraction. Don't try to make them NOT do something -- make them WANT to do something else!

  That last line is just about the best cat advice I've ever heard.

I really, really appreciate all the suggestions. Thank you all.

So far we've stuck with the lo-tech solutions. We've tried tin foil, but it does not seem to deter Ziggy. In fact, he seems to like it. We haven't tried balloons, but in the past he's never been particularly bothered by them. (I guess the first time he pops one, that could change.) We haven't bought any special devices or built a cat jungle gym in the dining room. I'm kind of turned off by the idea of the maple syrup (can you believe that?) and the orange peel all over the table.

At the moment we're keeping the table cleared of junk (which is a challenge for us), and using an extra tablecloth to protect it when we're not around. When we eat, we just take off the extra tablecloth and use the real one underneath. We even have some vinyl picnic tablecloths we can use for this.

I guess we're treating the effect rather than the cause of the problem, and we may need to become more aggressive. But then, maybe he'll decide he likes the new blanket chest better than the table, and start sleeping over there. We can hope.

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