Training a Kitten

Question
Dear Mr. Auspitz:

    I have a beautiful seven-month old LaPerm kitten that I absolutely love.  He has two habits that I cannot seem to break him of.  One, he scratches everything including the furniture.  I have scratch pads/posts everywhere, but he seems to prefer the furniture.  Two, he is always getting on the kitchen counters.  I am afraid that when I am not looking, he might jump on on the stove when the eye is hot.  How do I break him of these two habits?  This is my first kitten since I was a child and that has been over four decades ago.

Thanks

Answer
Jackie,

On the first one you might be able to try spraying the exercise posts with catnip spray.  However, to be fair, are the exercise posts more attractive to your kitten than the furniture?

Exercise posts must be long enough so that the kitten can stretch the full length of his body + his outstretched fronth legs.  The exercise post must be sturdy and covered with a tight closed loop carpet or sisal to really "pull back" when the kitten uses it.  Ideally, there are shelves and cubby holes for your kitten's enjoyment.  An ideal place for such an exercise post is near a window so the kitten can use the post to stare out the window or catch some rays.  The best deals I have seen on such exercise posts are usually to be found at a cat show (you can check www.cfainc.org to find a show near you).

I would make sure the cat is put away (and maybe being fed?) when I am cooking.  It is very difficult to train a kitten not to jump up on counters.  You can try double sided tape on the edges as cats hate sticky.

I picked up this tip from another list:

"You teach and reward a conflicting behavior.  For example, some people teach the cat to sit on a chair or barstool in the kitchen.  My guys (Abyssinians) liked to get up on the table while I was eating, and I've taught them to sit on a mat.  The Alpha cat won't sit on a chair, so the "mat" is a cloth napkin in one corner of the table. He knows if he wants treats, that is where he has to sit.

"You can read Karen Pryor's book on clicker training cats, and / or join us at the cat clicker group." (Send an email to:

Cat-Clicker-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

to subscribe.)

Good luck and seasonal regards... Norm.