kitties on the counter and table tops and early morning activity

Question
Dear Tabbi- I have two mix 2 year old kitties who are brother and sister.  I have allowed them full access to my home and furniture.  They love to hang out on the counter tops, tables, end tables, etc, basically any higher up surface.  My personal relationship is progressing and my partner is uncomforatalbe with the cats on the counter tops and dining tables in particular.  Is there anything I csn do to train them at this age?  Also my cats seems to wake up with the sunshine and run amuck in and out of my bedroom jumping off of me like a spring board.  Locking them out of the bedroom leads to crying at the door all night and clawing the carpet trying to dig or force the door open.  I am going to try your suggestions to wear the cats out with exrecise before bed but am interested in any other suggestions to keep my precious kitties curled up with me in bed past sunrise.  Thank you so much for your help!!!  Jessica

Answer
Jessica,

I have run into the same problem with letting cats get on what they want. It CAN horrify people! (smile)

One suggestion would be to get a couple of BIG kitty condos that you can put near a window. Maybe one in your bedroom and one in the living room (or somewhere else) that they can run up and down on and sit up high to look out the window.  THEN start "yelling" at them everytime they get on the counter or table. Yell "NO! OFF THE TABLE!" so your voice scares them off (a rolled up newspaper helps too). Then when they jump down, wait a little bit then love on them to show them they are good kittys. Then they won't be scared of you...except when they are on something they are not supposed to be. They will catch on pretty quick, but will probably still test you periodically. Be consistant though. Don't let them get away with it once then yell at them the next time or it will never work. It may take awhile because bad habits are sometimes difficult to modify. But giving them an alternative places to 'get high' helps.

Your cats may be experiencing hunger pangs early in the morning.  Besides feeding them a can of food before you go to bed, also leave bowl of dry food available all the time (free choice feeding) or at least at night so the cats can nibble if they get hungry. Also play with them periodically during the day and especially at night before feeding them (if you try that suggestion). A pet laser light is excellent for tiring interactive play.

Running across you is to get your attention and to stop that is HARD! To do it you need to COMPLETELY ignore the cats when they start it. Don't acknowledge them at all. No matter what they do or how long they do it. No verbal or physical acknowledgment at all. EVENTUALLY the cats will stop doing it if they are not getting any attention from it because that is the sole purpose of their actions. You HAVE to be consistant! If you respond to them even once it won't work any more and the habit will continue, even worse than before, because they have found that if they continue long enough EVENTUALLY you will give in and they will get the attention they want.

With the playing, food before bedtime, and dry food available anytime their annoying early morning ritual should stop. And hopefully you won't have to work on breaking the bad habit only because it IS a habit.

I hope this helps give you some ideas on how to deal with your kittie's behavior.
Tabbi