We have strict rules about no cats on the following surfaces:

Stovetop
Kitchen counters
Fridge
Dining room table
Entertainment center (aka plant world)

Ordinarily, they're allowed to jump on whatever (I think it's stupid
to try to keep them off everything, they don't hurt the end tables,
coffee tables, bed, desk) but we do try to stop them from hanging out
on places where food is prepared and served.  In Halifax we had no
problems with anything except the dining room table, where Tyche would
try to ooze her way up and where Smokey thought that a "table boy,"
sitting pretty in the middle of the placemat, was a "good" thing to
have.

New apartment and back to square one.

I walk into the kitchen to see Tyche meatloafing on the kitchen
counter.  Nocturne bunts me, then jumps up onto  the stove.  I look
up, and there are eyes looking down at me...Smokey's on the fridge,
and from there he makes his way up on top of the cabinets.

Kumani is the only one who hasn't thrown the old rules out the
window....probably because I catch her inside the couch 3 times a
day.  More badness.

I'm going to Toys R Us to invest in a super soaker.

--Fil