Why Do Cats Love to Jump On Kitchen Counters? Part 1

If any of you are cat owners you have probably noticed that cats love to jump on your kitchen counter. You watch your feline lovebug peruse the counter with authority and grace; sniffing and searching for possible treats or remnants of the last meal you prepared. For some of you, this may be looked at as endearing, adorable, or even cute.  However, others may think “Ewww! Bad, Naughty, Gross”…or as my grandma used to say every time she saw our cat jump on the kitchen counter, “Dirty filthy things!”

At my house, Grizzabella is definitely a counter-jumper. I’m not saying this is a good thing, but she is guilty of this offense. Okay, I myself am guilty of this offense for letting her be a counter-jumper, to begin with.

Growing up, my cats loved to jump up on the counter. In the Garner family, that was acceptable. If you haven’t read this in my blog yet I will repeat it again. My dad always said, “Discipline your kids and spoil your pets.” With this philosophy in mind, naturally, we allowed our cats to freely roam the counters in our kitchen. Nobody ever commented until my grandma would come to visit. She found it deplorable! Every time she watched one of our cats jump on the counter to beg for food or just hang out she’d snarl and say, “Dirty filthy things!”

Of course, in the Garner house, we always thought it was hilarious when Grandma got all bent out of shape over the cats. Fast forward many years later and I am now married to a Bowers, not a Garner. I think my husband and my Grandma would have been kindred spirits. He does not like it when Grizzabella jumps on the counter. Immediately he snaps his fingers and demands she jump off right away.

(Of course, Grizzy and I don’t tell him Mom is a lot more lenient about this issue when Dad is at work…right Grizzy?… Grizzy?)

Today, when I was trying to cook dinner, Grizzabella kept jumping on the counter. She even tried to climb inside the cupboards….(uh oh!  Maybe that’s a little too much freedom?).  Of course, I thought she was adorable, but I also wondered if it was okay to let her get that confident. It also made me wonder why cats looove to jump on counters?

As always I did a little research, and here is what I discovered:

Cats love heights:

All cat owners have discovered this. My dad’s favorite cat was a long-haired beautiful grey Persian named Duke.  Duke loved to sit on top of my dad’s tall dresser. When Duke sat up on that dresser, it was every man for himself if you tried to touch him. It was understood that if anyone came near Duke when he was on that dresser, blood would be shed-not on his paw, but on your hand!

While we are on the subject, I have to pause and share a story about Sheba. Sheba was a loving feline pet of a patient my husband met while he was working as a paramedic at a hospital. Sheba wasn’t any ordinary feline. Sheba was a pet cougar! This patient was lonesome for his home and family and in order to lift his spirits, his wife brought his pictures of Sheba-their pet cougar. Knowing I am the biggest animal lover on the planet, my husband invited me to the hospital to meet this man and hear some of his stories. They were unbelievable! He rescued Sheba as a baby when her mother was killed by a falling tree during a logging assignment here in Oregon. He raised her, and she lived for 19 years as his pet. This kind man showed me his pictures and told us stories that not even the Animal Planet channel would believe. But they were true! My favorite picture was Sheba sitting on top of the refrigerator. He said Sheba enjoyed sitting up there because like any cat-she loved heights!

Kitchen Counters Smell Good: 

If you love to cook and your counters are covered with remnants of a good meal such as fish, steak or chicken…mmm…why wouldn’t your curious cat want to sniff and smell and maybe even steal a bite or two??

Cats like running water:

Some cats love to drink out of the faucet. My cat isn’t into this, but my parents and my brother both had cats that loved the dripping water from the faucet. My brother’s cat Lucky would even jump on the bathroom counters and then hang out on the bathroom sink. He was happy as can be sitting in the sink with a little water running on top of him. Grizzabella wouldn’t like this. “To each his own,” I say!

Curiosity killed the cat:

Okay, maybe not killed the cat, but seriously, if Grizzabella gets caught one more time on that kitchen counter from Dad, she better book it fast!

Grizzabella is extremely curious, as are most cats. Even though she will sniff the counter, she never eats anything.  Mostly, she enjoys watching whatever it is I am doing at the moment on the counter. She is curious about the smells and sounds that her mama is creating. I think she just likes to be up there when I am in that area.  She always wants my undivided attention. And when I am cooking my attention is elsewhere. Hence, she has to jump on the counter and make her presence known!

The next question is, Is it okay to allow your pet cat to jump on the kitchen counter? 

Is it harmful? Or is it harmless?

That my cat-loving friend is yet to be determined!

To be continued…