Have you ever came home to your entire house smelling of gas, or the stove top burners looking like they were tampered with? The only two possible explanations is it was either a ghost or your cat. I’m leaning more towards cat. This leads to an obscure, but possible question. Can a cat turn on a stove?
The answer to this question is yes. Your cat can accidentally turn on a stove. This is more likely to happen if your stove top is one of their favorite napping areas. Even if they don’t nap on the stove top, this is still a possibility in every household
Coming home to the smell of gas can be a scary event that needs to be addressed immediately. Even if your cat has never turned on a stove before, it is better to be prepared for this so it doesn’t happen. Most stove tops have a built in safety feature where the knob must be pressed in before it can be turned, but this just isn’t enough in some instances.
Luckily, there are quite a few things you can do to keep your cat from turning on your stove accidentally.
How Do I Stop My Cat from Jumping on the Stove?
There are a few different measures you can take to keep your cat off the counter as well as your stove top. According to PetMd, one thing worth mentioning is that Ragdoll cats actually dislike heights and are less inclined to climb altogether.
I’m not telling you to give your cat away for a Ragdoll, but if you have a Ragdoll cat and are wondering this question, then you can rest assured that this most likely won’t be a problem for you.
“Environmental punishers” are the best way to keep your cat off of the stove top. An environmental punisher is something you can incorporate in your home that doesn’t pertain to you, and also works while you are away. Your cat will not associate you with the punishment which is what makes these types of punishments the best.
Cats are very sensitive animals and if you use punishments like spray bottles, or shooing your cat away with your hands, you can possible damage your relationship with your cat. Here are a few environmental punishers you can incorporate to help keep your cat off the counter or stove top.
- Aluminum Foil – Cats do not like aluminum foil. They are drawn away by the sound and texture it has while they walk or lie on it. Placing aluminum foil on top of your stove top may help your cat from wanting to get up there to nap, but isn’t guaranteed. This doesn’t seem to work on all cats, but is worth the try if you have some spare aluminum foil lying around your home.
- Cookie Sheets – Placing lightweight cookie sheets on top of your stove top has a similar effect as the aluminum foil. If they walk or jump on the cookie sheets they will possibly slide around or even fall causing unpleasant noises that should deter your cats off of the counter or stove top.
- Block the Area – You can block the stove with pots and pans so your cat cannot access the burners or nap on top.
What Not to Do
- Avoid Scolding – Do not verbally yell or scold at your cat for going on top of the counter or stove top. It is very unlikely that this type of discipline will teach your cat to stay off the counters. The more likely consequence of this type of discipline is that you will teach your cat to become scared of your presence.
- Do Not Push or Spank Your Cat – Don’t physically harm or shoo your cat off the stove top. You could physically hurt or scare your cat off the counter and they could harm themselves.
- Do Not Use Devices to Scare Your Cat – Any type of contraption like shock collars, shock fences, or mouse traps should not be used as these can physically harm your cat.
How to Cat Proof a Stove
- Incorporate environmental punishers on and around your stove top or counter top. Choose one or a few of the methods from above to create the most unappealing environment for your cat.
- The second step is hands down the best way to cat proof your stove, and its to use stove top knob covers like these ones that you can find on Amazon. These are designed as a safety measure for kids, but also works perfect for cats.
Final Thoughts
A cat can definitely turn on a stove by accident. Even if it hasn’t happened in your home yet, it is still recommended that you cat proof your stove if you have very active cats in your home.
Place a few environmental punishers and stove top knob covers to prevent your cat from turning the knobs. Never use devices that could potentially harm your cat in order to keep them away.
Also, do not verbally scold them or shoo them away with your hands as this can cause them to be scared of you rather than the area you want them away from.