We moved into a new place and poor Kitty was a bit traumatized, but as it is more spacious, he got to really enjoy it. He went back to being his old cocky, playful, cute but dominant self. A little too dominant.

He had never jumped up on the kitchen counters before, which is a big No-No to me because I cook a lot, or prepare fresh raw foods. I don't mind when he wakes me up in the middle of the night, but that is off limits.

I previously tried aluminum foil tents and prickly things, and that did not work for the kitchen counters. Plus it was a pain in the rear to remove the aluminum foil when I wanted to cook, and replace it all again when I wanted to go out or go to bed.

I also recently bought a floor plant for the new place. When I left one day, I came back to find the dirt everywhere and also splattered up against the wall. That was the last straw. I found this mat.

I was reluctant to spend this much money on the mat, but now I think it was a bargain.

I tested the mat myself to see how it felt. I even stepped on the mat on high to see how bad it was. It surprised me and I did a little dance getting off of it, but no harm done.

I showed the mat to the kitty, and placed him on it on low so he would understand he did not want to be on it. It didn't really bother him.

I put the mat, on low, on the kitchen counter, left and discovered the cat figured out how to walk around the mat on the counter. (I saw his Kitty Prints on the counter.)

I turned the mat on the counter higher, got the cat and put him on the mat a couple of times. His tail puffed out big and fat. That worked, Kitty has stopped going up there with no mat on the counter, for about a week.

The more troubling spot was the floor plant. I left the mat in front of the plant, which worked because now he knew what the mat did. However one day I came back and found dirt scattered again. And this cat, a former psychopath, was exhibiting a guilty conscience by skulking around and hiding.

I grabbed the cat, showed him the plant, and put him on the mat, which was on high and beeped. This showed him that he wasn't going to get away with it even when I wasn't there.

If you don't think cats can learn things, you're wrong- they are just stubborn. I have even taught the cat how to sit for treats. It takes patience but they catch on what you want them to do, if you are clear enough, and if they want the treat, they will do it.

It's been about a week and I have had no more incidents of plant dirt. The mat is still in front of the plant.

I thought I would have to buy a second mat, but so far no signs of Kitty on the kitchen counters even though the mat is in front of the plant.

Kitty is definitely pissed off about not being dominant everywhere, and is still skulking around, but I am showing him his toys, playing with him with the laser and giving him treats in the allowable areas. And I'm allowed to have the things in my house that make me happy- floor plants and clean kitchen counters!

Update: Kitty is happy and back to his sweet self, and is still off the counters and has not dug in the plant. Happy cat mom!

To attempt deterring our cats from jumping on the kitchen counter tops, we tried tape, obstacles, and a firm "No" with no success. We knew of the shock mat through a breeder, but at the time a smaller than 60" X 12" mat was near $100.00 and we are too cheap to pay that amount. Fast forward 10 or so years, and we bought this mat. One of our cats chose to try it out once- one time. Neither cat will even give it a try now and it resolved them jumping on the counter. We occasionally put it out as a reminder, but have not heard it go off via audible alarm mode. I accidentally touched the surface as I bumped it, while it was on the counter. Although it delivered a light nuisance shock (like dragging your feet across carpet and touching a door knob) I'll never be tempted to jump on the counter either!

I bought the pet mat because my cat has destroyed my couch, as you can see in the picture. I like the settings tone mode, he doesn't like it. When we put in front of the couch at night I move it down further if we forget he scratched. We used the static mode a few times. He still gets brave and steps on it. I really need a second one. We also put it into our bedroom as he sits at the door and cries. I know he's felt the shock but it hasn't hurt him. He's about 8-10 lbs. Even off he avoids the couch. If you have a pet that needs to stay off your furniture or out of your room I recommend. Very pleased.

We've tried everything to keep our dog off the counters. I think we've found the solution. I'm typically not for zap collars and training methods like this, but as a last resort this is a great option. It also has the be the right dog to handle something like this.

This product really works to train my cat to stay off the kitchen and dining room table. The other products that made loud noises didnt work for him. With this product, he only needed to have the warning once and now avoids those areas.