The noise of a bursting balloon or crackling foil should frighten him off without hurting him. To keep your cat off the kitchen counter, stack a few baking pans or other noise-making devices along the edge of the counter so that they fall down when the cat jumps up. Persistent spraying is another common behavioral problem. It mainly occurs in unneutered males as a form of territory marking. But some unspayed females spray also.
Every cat misbehaves occasionally.
But sometimes behavioral problems are caused by illness. If your cat constantly misbehaves, you probably should take him in for a checkup to determine if the condition is caused by pain, rather than disobedience. Urinating away from the litter box, for instance, can be caused by cystitis, diabetes or other illness. So when in doubt, check it out. 1996-1998 Fleabusters, Inc.