u/Extra-Newspaper-8509

Our cat gets on the counter when he wants attention. He knows he is not supposed to and does it to get a reaction. The issue is almost always food. Jiji used to graze but we got a second cat a couple of years back that stress eats. So we had to stop letting them graze because they both gained weight competitive eating. We now have a super regimented wet food feeding schedule and an automatic food bowl. But jiji still just wants food whenever he wants food and demands it by doing things he is not supposed to. It is really frustrating because we know not to use adverse responses, but he does it to get us to pay attention to him for food. What is the solution here?