How to teach your cat table manners

If you want to keep your cat away from the dining table, you have to set clear boundaries for them, and offer alternatives. — dpa

Can you teach table manners to a cat? We’re not talking about chewing with its mouth closed, but how your pet behaves while the family is eating.

Cat owners will sometimes find it cute to watch the cat leaping up onto the kitchen countertop or clambering up onto the table to inspect what’s in everyone’s bowls.

But if you don’t want this to become a routine, you need to consistently show the cat that this isn’t how it’s done.

And yet scolding the cat or scaring it away is counterproductive, according to feline psychologist Katja Ruessel, who says this will likely only make the cat more timid around you.

Constantly lifting the cat back down onto the ground won’t be enough for some cats either. Ruessel says she’s had the best results when she offers the cat an alternative that is more attractive than a table or kitchen counter.

Next time you’re making dinner, put a chair in the kitchen and encourage the cat to jump up on it to have some food. If it does what you intended, give it some praise.

A cuddly spot on one of the chairs will also work at the dining table. As we all know, few cats can resist a snug, old, cardboard box, and putting something tasty in there for them should be a recipe for an uninterrupted meal. – dpa