My elderly cat is taking the piss..

Cats are definitely not "ghastly" *Annaram1. You may not like them personally, but that's just your opinion. Why post on a cat thread just to say that?

As a great cat-lover myself, I have loved reading all these posts and even felt the tears welling up reading Petalpop's sad story. Cats are wonderful loving companions. In my whole life I have only had 6 months without a cat, and my life was definitely emptier. My lovely Phoebe has made my life in isolated lockdown much more bearable, and even fun.

When food was rationed I saved the sugar and butter to make a birthday cake for my husband. I stupidly left it on the kitchen table only to find that the cat had liked off all the butter icing.
On return from shopping one day found the same cat had walked over absolutely all the furniture even the high cupboards with muddy paws. He was normally not allowed even on the chairs.

Oh grandtante, I expected better language from you! Go and post on Mumsnet. They like that sort of language. We Grans have been brought up to use better language, surely?

Put a little saucer of vinegar on the table top. Most cats hate the smell.

I agree he is taking the piss in his old age; mine does it too, he will soon be 13. He knows he can get away with more now, since we lost his brother two years ago.

His latest, as you can see on another thread, is to refuse the cat food he has always loved. He really had me worried, until I realised he had been hunting!

So glad I have never had a cat. They sound absolutely ghastly.

On another note, I hate the term "taking the piss." It sounds so vulgar. If you want to use that sort of language, post on Mumsnet.

Have to laugh at anyone saying, "my cat's not allowed..."
Cats can't be trained. My cat doesn't jump on worktops/tables/sofas/chairs (apart from, "his" chair in each room) when I'm there because he does know he's not supposed to but, left to his own devices and unsupervised, he pleases himself, all cat do

I have 4 cats now & one is 15. She is a big girl so does not get on counters but I have had cats that did.
I never worried too much as they knew it was wrong & jumped down as soon as I calmly said- Get Down NOW!
To be honest it is the other places they get into that are more of a concern- behind bath panel ( which they have learnt to move), onto roof over front room via our bedroom window, onto top of extension, into neighbours sheds, garages & Guinea Pig shed ( the guinea pigs are very cool about it)
I have never had cats as bold as this lot- they keep us on our toes all the time.
We have a chair by the kitchen counter that they sit on to watch the food being prepared- just like the GC did when they were small!
I keep reminding them they are all rescue cats & they can go back to shelter!! Yeah right- we adore them!

This thread brings tears to my eyes. It reminded me of my beloved Sooty. This was many years ago. She was 18. I had 4 cats at the time and I noticed that one of them was, literally taking the piss on a worktop. I managed to catch her at it so I chased her out and sadly watched her clean the top half of her body. I went out to her and it was evident that the bottom part of her body was soaking. Had to take the awful journey to the vets and was told she had lost all sense and feeling in her lower regions. I always remember as I wept in the vets a big burly man telling me he was a, paramedic and saw some awful things but when he loses a pet he cries his eyes out.

Through the years I have owned 15 cats and at the moment have two young ones. I cannot imagine my life without them. That said keeping them off the worktops is a constant battle not helped when the dog plays chase with them.

That made me smile Mary I’ve got dogs so never had that problem..... I wouldn’t bother trying to train him now just make sure you wipe everything down before preparing food etc and enjoy his antics remember he won’t be with you forever ??

I must admit our present cat sleeps on the worktop and adjacent kitchen windowsill on a towel. It is a ritual every evening to clear the windowsill and spread the towel, whilst she waits eagerly to be allowed up. Every morning the first thing is to clear and disinfect the area. She knows that she's not allowed up during the day, though what happens when we are out is anyone's guess.
Our previous old boy used to insist on sleeping on top of the microwave. I wouldn't mind but they've always had a comfy bed available!!!

What a wonderful thread! As a life-long cat lover, I've really enjoyed reading each and every post. I now have a (nearly) 13-year old British Blue - who has never had a voice but is now trying to scream (in a whisper) when things don't go her way.
Love her to bits.

He may need water. Make sure he has enough to drink. I never saw my cats on the kitchen worksurfaces, but there would be cat hairs there some mornings and I guess they were finding traces of water in the sink.

Cats hate the smell of curry powder. You could dot a tiny bit here and there and see if it deters him, unless of course, you hate the smell too.

All the cats I've had over the years have jumped on the kitchen worktops - in fact the first 3 which were mother, daughter and grandson all had beds on top of the cupboards where they slept every night. I've learned not to leave food out and to clean everything down before doing anything in the kitchen.

Our current two are totally different in nature and the older boy regularly jumps on the windowsill outside and wants to come in the window - despite having a perfectly good cat flap in the utility room! He has also learned that if he sits on the induction hob it beeps so one of us will go in and see what he wants - he only sits on the worktops to keep out of the way of the 'She Devil' who he knows finds it very difficult to jump up there.

The 'She Devil' is now profoundly deaf and has become even more vocal than she always was. When she wants food (which is often like a baby) she makes herself heard loudly during the night but during the day jumps on the desk and sits on the keyboard or mouse and swipes at me with her talons.

PS I love her dearly

If there is one particular spot where he jumps up, put something in that spot - I have found that my cat will only jump onto anything from below if she can see a clear landing space (she's been caught out with that a few times!
If he then jumps up somewhere else, move the item from the original place.
Failing that, a tap on the nose often works!

She's always gone on worktops too if nobody is around. She also screams for more food in the already supplied dried cat food dish.

Apparently cats go up high to see any threats. It makes them feel safer and as they get old and less able to defend themselves they want to be higher. Ours is 13, She has begun screaming for things too now. CLean the litter tray, open the garden door. She has always gone out, come in and THEN poos in the litter tray. A few times recently not in it but next to it . And now and then wees next to it too. Anything annoys her, she takes revenge.

Might be worth trying to distract rather than repel, you may both benefit from him having a new scratching device, mine love wicker trays and coir mats, have them dotted around the house and garden, mainly in their favourite sun and shade spots, I also use catnip sprays on them to which they’re very receptive. ?

I suggest you save up your empty cans,wash them well then space them roughly 5 inches apart along the edges of the worktops at night. He will be startled and should not want to do it again. We have done this and it works. You can just collect up the cans each morning into a carrier and hang it in a cupboard out of the way. We don't need to do it now. You could also stagger the cans in a tight zig zag so he can't jump over them easily. If he does it in the daytime, I suggest clapping very loudly and raise your voice then swipe him off the worktop. You will not harm him but he'll get the message. Good luck!

My old lady who died in May at the age of 20 hardly ever got out of her bed in her twilight years but as a younger cat she got everywhere, top of fridge, kitchen wall units and wardrobes. My two boys now like to sit on the table, very rarely have I caught them on the work tops. one will hide when he is scared and it doesn't take much to scare him and we have found him in strange places, under the duvet, behind the recycling bin (under the stairs) on top of wardrobe, once there he couldn't get down and behind the tv in the bedroom. We have used a water spray in the past and this seems to work, even just a shake is enough.

Get glass chopping boards and just wipe down the surfaces with antibacterial spray or wipes every day, and before you use them to prepare food etc. (Make sure they are fully dry before your cat can jump on them.) We have 4 cats and have always routinely done this because it's really impossible to stop the cats from jumping up.

My MILs cat never jumped on surfaces, was a fussy water, etc. MIL got ill and was hospitalised for over a month. During that time hubby and I stayed at her house to take care of everything, including moving house for her, to an apartment. MIL was still in hospital when the move was completed. We thought it was best that cat go to hubby's sister as she had a house with a yard, the cat knew SIL, her small dog, and sons. What a changed cat he became, despite being elderly and a bit portly. After a few months he began climbing onto surfaces, sleeping on the couch, eating different cat food. (He can go outside through a catflap). It's as if he suddenly knows how to be a cat! (The dog, the cat's size, never bothered him). Maybe living with a younger person somehow gave him an incentive to change. We are confused but happy. He won't be going to MIL to live with her. Unfair as he won't be able to roam outside, let alone jump from a 2nd floor balcony.

Rattle tin worked on my SIL’s naughty dog when he ran after my cat whilst I was dog sitting. He soon stopped!

GrannyLaine - Off original topic I know - but interested to hear you mention your car’s loud voice! My Molly is approx 14/15 And I’m sure she’s fairly deaf. She’s always been talkative but over the last year or so the volume has increased dramatically. When she comes in through the cat flap she shouts like an animal in pain until she finds me - as she does if she’s in the garden and sees my car pull up.... passers by look concerned. I have had her checked over at the vets but nothing wrong apart from prob the hearing loss. I’m assuming that she’s got louder because she can’t hear herself!

Perhaps he just wants to look out the window. Aging cats seem to change and often turn into the opposite of what they were.
Lovely topic for a bit of nice feeling