ArcaMax

DENVER, CO. -- These reader questions were answered by experts at the Convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association, held July 25-29 at the Colorado Convention Center.

Q: My cats are lovely and perfect, except they've started jumping on the countertops. I've told family and friends that I won't tolerate this behavior, but the cats aren't listening. I've tried the water bottle treatment (spraying the cats). I heard double-stick tape would discourage them, but they didn't care. Is it too late to stop them now? Clearly, I must not be as smart as my cats. -- S.T., Anderson, SC

A: You're not alone; most of us are well trained by our cats.

It's not too late to re-train your cats, though, says Sydney, Australia-based veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kersti Seksel.

"Forget about punishment. It hasn't worked and it's not going to work," she says.

It's important to discourage your cats from jumping on the counter. No one in the house should ever leave food on the counters. If double-stick tape doesn't help, try a manufactured product called Sticky Paws, or a spray can equipped with a battery-operated motion detector.

It's more important to provide lots of places for your cats to climb.

"Cats think and live with vertical space in mind, and we don't," says Seksel. "Be creative. Offer a cubbyhole in a bookshelf, maybe even another countertop you can give up to the cats, window ledges, cats trees, whatever you think of." There are even shelves manufactured for cat climbing.

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Q: We have two adult feral rescue cats, Our problem began when we moved seven months ago. We kept both cats in the bedroom for a few days. The female had no problem adjusting, but the male began leaving excrement on the carpet. Eventually he began to use the litter box, but recently we found another "present" outside the box. We clean the litter boxes at least once daily, and have added a third box. Any advice? -- E.A., Las Vegas, NV

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