Again, cats have a very powerful sense of smell, so food particles left on countertops can lure them into trying to find and eat any scraps, crumbs, or spills you may have missed, in addition to clawing or biting their way into food you have stored on countertops. If you must store food on counters, place it in containers which cats can't tear or chew open. This eliminates the odor of food on the surfaces. It might be especially effective to wipe off counters with a disinfecting wipe, which will eliminate odors that may attract your cat while keeping your countertops clean and sanitary. Choose cleaners or disinfectants that smell like citrus, aloe, eucalyptus, or wintergreen in particular. These scents will deter cats from unwanted surfaces. In fact, many perfumes will have the same effect. It is possible your cat is jumping on your countertops to scavenge for food because he or she is hungry. You might be able to determine if this is the case simply by offering your cat more food than usual. If the cat doesn't seem to jump on the counter after you start offering more food than before, then you might have solved the problem. However, some cats do overeat, and even if you do offer more food, they may still jump onto counters. Be prepared for this possibility as you try offering more food to combat countertop incursions.  If you aren't already, keep a bowl of dry cat food out for the cats to eat as they please. Many cats are "grazers" meaning they like to eat small amounts of food throughout the day instead of having specific mealtimes where they eat a lot of food at once. If your cats are grazers, be sure to keep a bowl of dry cat food always available, provided you do not exceed the daily serving amount on the package (unless your veterinarian instructs you to do otherwise). You can also offer them smaller portions throughout the day if that is convenient for you, but the point is to offer them enough food to try to keep them from scavenging for food on your countertops. Watch your cat's eating habits and weight to prevent obesity if you alter their regular feeding routine. If you have cats toys or other objects cats like to play with on the countertop, then the cat will be tempted to jump up there and get them. Keep in mind that cats toys are not the only things cats like to play with. Your cat may be tempted to get on countertops to play with objects like keys, pens, lip balm tubes, and paper. Keep in mind also that you should not store cat toys in a location near the countertop, such as a cabinet. If the cat sees you put a toy there, he or she may be more likely to get on countertops to try to get the toy. Be sure you close the curtains or shades on windows that your cat can access via the countertop. Cats like to look out windows to see birds, chipmunks, and other wildlife outside, so they may jump on countertops to get to those windows. This is why it is a good idea to have cat trees or cat shelves set up for cats to be able to look out windows (see Method 2). Cats don't like lemon, so this might work on your cat(s).

Summary:
Keep counters clear of human food which may tempt your cats. Wipe off counters frequently. Consider giving more food to your cats. Keep counters free of objects cats like to play with. Keep windows near countertops covered. Clean your counters with lemon pledge or lemon oil.