One of my furry Angels used to use a barrel I had a small tree planted in. I placed 4 inch cobbles on the soil and he never bothered it again. The stones also acted as mulch, making the tree happier too!
He also used to get up on the table occasionally, so I placed orange peels on it...no luck. A squirt bottle worked wonders though! But you have to catch him doing it, and be close enough to use the squirt bottle. It didn't take long before he would run just at the sight of it!!
My DH peels an orange for an evening snack every night, the cats never move from his lap.