You are certainly right about cats being trainable. Our gray &
white (she felt like velvet) decided she wanted to make her bed
on our diningroom table. She was full grown when we got her.
I would give her a good smack and raising my voice say 'no'
After a few days I didn't have to touch her, just do the 'no'
thing, and she would jump down. Next didn't have to do or
say anything, but when she saw me she would jump down.
Next step she just quit doing it at all.
I quilt in a hoop (in my lap). She would try to get in my lap
while I was quilting, and you know that didn't work. She learned
quite quickly that if I wasn't quilting, she was free to come up.
She was a little different, never ever bothered anything that
we left out, butter, tuna etc, only wanted her cat foodl. Never
wound around our feet, but followed us like a little puppy dog.'
She's been gone two years, and we still miss her, but you all
know how that goes