Cats can be very curious creatures sometimes and often they like to go on surfaces and places they shouldn't be like the counter top. We don't want cats and animals on our counter tops. It can be unsanitary and just plain groose. So one technique I like to use is a spray bottle of water. The main reason why a spray bottle works so well on your cats is that cats hate water. So if you were to spray a big jet of water in their face, they are not going to like it and get off the counter right away. For that reason, I like to keep not only one but two spray bottles around so that I can have one on hand when necessary. It doesn't hurt the cat at all which is why using a spray bottle is a good idea. It is a good idea of disciplining the cat without hurting him. Giving him a scare but not enough to really traumatize him but to teach him a lesson. One thing you want to make sure of that you get a durable spray bottle. There are several types of spray bottles out there but I would go with a heavy duty, sort of generic garden line sprayer. Something where you can adjust the hardness or softness of the spray depending on how much you want to spray the cats and what they are doing.