Outfoxing a kitten

My kitten, Allie Cat, kept going where she ought not - in the bathtub.

The cleaning substances we've used on the tub make it a very unhealthy place for any animal to lick, which they tend to want to do for some odd reason.

There is plenty of water to drink in two separate places in my house but she still headed toward the tub.

Well, cats *hate* citrus and pepper.

So I generously sprinkled black pepper on the side of the tub and where she would land if she jumped in.

She approached the side of the peppered tub, sniffing the objectionable flakes at least a couple times the first day - gingerly setting her paw on it. Suddenly she realized she touched something she discovered to be awful because she had to lick it off.
She sniffed at the tub's side twice the next day, leaving it immediately, not bothering to put her paw on the pepper; once the third day and has not gone near it since.

I'll keep it on the tub's side another week because she may want to test it another time or two, after which I'll brush it off - and never be concerned about her going near it again.

If there's anything I don't want her to go near, I just sprinkle pepper on and/or around it. The hotter the pepper flakes (like those you use on pizza) the more offensive it is to cats and the longer lasting it is if it's used outside where it can be rained on or blown away.

FYI, kitten and cat owners.

I don't know if it works as well for dogs, because mine don't get into things they shouldn't - at least yet - so I haven't put it anywhere I need them to avoid. But I can say they haven't gone near the peppered tub!