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How to stop a cat from jumping on the kitchen table and eating your food
People who have decided to get a cat and have done so for the first time are likely to encounter an unexpected and sometimes rather unpleasant scene: when they enter the kitchen, they may find their pet sitting on the table or windowsill and enthusiastically gobbling up sausage that they have just brought from the store.
Alas, they will most likely be to blame for this themselves, since in a couple of years the whiskered pet will grow from a tiny, adorable kitten into a real predator, spending a lot of energy and time on walks, games, exploring the surroundings, and therefore naturally expecting to be fed upon returning home.
However, for various reasons, this often does not happen: a grown cat needs a little more food than a small one, he no longer evokes the same affection as before, and, waiting for the next portion of food, he looks at the owners not submissively and gratefully, but rather expectantly and demandingly. And if, being hungry, he does not receive such desired food, he will begin to look for it in the apartment himself.
At the same time, the instinct of self-preservation will sooner or later prevail over the recognition of prohibitions, and it will be difficult to reproach the animal for this. After spending several hours in fruitless anticipation of receiving at least some food, the cat will understand perfectly well that the owners have begun to treat him dismissively and perceive him no longer as a pet, but rather as an adult parasite, devouring rather expensive products in large quantities.
Naturally, the most reliable and best way to wean a cat from jumping on kitchen surfaces that are forbidden to him will be to prevent him from having such a temptation. The cat simply needs to be fed regularly, and to his fill, and then he will not look for food throughout the kitchen, but will sleep soundly somewhere in the corner, not even reacting to attempts to play with him.
There are, however, cases when an extremely curious by nature whiskered pet may try to examine the contents of the plates simply for the sake of interest or because of the tempting smell emanating from them, and then you have to conduct several training sessions with him not to do this.
Being a very smart animal and clearly underestimated in this sense by official science, the cat will immediately understand what exactly is wanted from him, and if he is not a notorious mischief-maker, constantly looking for adventure and waging a hidden struggle with the owners, then forever or for a very long time he will abandon the idea of "seeing what's on the table".
Most likely, to instill in your pet the idea that it is unacceptable to invade the owner's food space, it will be enough to notice the cat already sitting on the kitchen stool and trying to look up at what is up there, carefully take it down from there and put it on the floor. Even a young playful cat will perceive this action as a symbol of prohibition, and an adult pet who has gained life experience will certainly learn that conquering this height and examining it, while trying to profit from it, is definitely unacceptable.
More impressive educational measures such as showing the cat a slipper, towel or broom are unlikely to be necessary. This surprisingly smart predator can even be offended when he discovers that his owners consider him a notorious hooligan and a fool, unable to understand that he will have to decisively abandon the implementation of some plans.
In this sense, a cat, although considered less susceptible to domestication than a dog, learns the norms of morality established in the home much faster than a dog. Perhaps he is actively assisted by the instincts of a night hunter, who must sneak up on his prey slowly and unnoticed, without giving away his presence in any way and at the same time restraining his desire to rush into an attack before it can bring success.
This way of life naturally taught cats to subordinate their behavior to reason, and not feelings, foresee the consequences of rash actions and wisely refuse to commit them.
Dogs in such cases are much more inclined to release their predatory nature into the wild, especially if they see a person not as a leader, but as an equal member of the pack, a comrade and a friend, which allows them to share not only shelter but also a table with him. In this regard, I recall the book by Konrad Lorenz "Man Finds a Friend", where in the chapter "An Animal Endowed with Conscience" he tells how difficult it was to teach Wolf I - his chow-chow with an admixture of German shepherds - not to kill poultry.
After killing one peacock and strangling seven bantam hens, Lorenz "called Wolf to the baskets of pheasants, poked him with his nose and slapped him several times, uttering threatening words." The author recalls that this educational session was a complete success, since the Chow Chow did not touch any of the birds.
Another simple and ingenious way to avoid a cat appearing on the kitchen table or windowsill is to be more responsible about where you store the products that interest it. Sausage should be immediately put in the refrigerator, fish should be cleaned and fried immediately after purchase, and not kept for hours in the sink, where the mustachioed pet can also easily get to.
You should not leave all kinds of cold meats, open canned fish, parts of chicken carcasses on the table - the cat will immediately know about their appearance there, and inside it will begin the eternal struggle between good and evil, the winner of which will be determined by how hungry the animal has become.
In general, when getting any pet, you must constantly be aware that it feeds not on air and the sweet exclamations of others, but on material food, and as it grows older, it will demand more and more of it from its owner. We must not forget that, despite all its good qualities, a cat still remains an animal, no matter how obedient and polite it may seem.
This means that at a certain point in starvation, its natural needs will clearly prevail over the morality instilled at home, and the pet, casting aside its last doubts, will decisively overcome the short distance separating it from the deliciously smelling products. Therefore, food should be given to him regularly and on demand, and not occasionally, and if there is nothing left to treat a domestic cat with, then he should be given the opportunity to live on the street and get food there on his own.
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Thanks for the background picture to Felix Wolf from Pixabay
