I have the smallest kitchen in the world - it's one of those 1950's galley-style kitchens - there isn't enough room on my counters for kitchen stuff, let alone cats! I don't cook much, so there isn't really any reason for them to want to go up there - no windows, nothing.

With Hanna, I discourage her jumping. I have collectibles (model horses) on shelves and so far, she has never jumped up and knocked them down (my really valuable models are behind glass). Bo and Abby also have never bothered them. They can jump all they want on the beds and their cat furniture (and our furniture too, for that matter).

We do have a big bay widow they jump up into all the time, and that's OK too.

I have never had to take drastic measures to keep the cats off the counters, but when Bo was a younger I lived in a different house and I fed my cats on the counters so Bandit the dog couldn't eat the cat food. So I guess I was just lucky - a couple of "Nos" and my cats seem to listen, and stay off the counters.