Kitchen hygiene

You are not alone! We have 2 litter trays and would never dream of having them in the kitchen!

Never had a litter tray in the kitchen and never would. My grand-cats have them in utility rooms, near the back door.

I had a new kitchen fitted some time ago (in the last house) I had three cats at the time, and realised that in a fully fitted kitchen and utility room there was no corner for the litter tray. Fortunately the fitter had cats, so, under the sink in the utility room, he carefully cut a round hole in the cupboard door, making it perfect for the tray, and keeping it well out of the way of the main kitchen.

Of course, we eventually had no cats, and a hole in a cupboard door....

Many years ago we had a cat who lived with us (no-one owns a cat!). His litter tray was kept in the utility room and he was never ever allowed on work tops or tables.

Another thing I don't like is feeding animals (cats or dogs) from the table - as in passing them bits from your own plate. Whenever I see that I immediately lose my appetite!

My litter trays – well they're for the cats – are in the utility room. This was fine in our London house as the utility room was in the basement while the kitchen was on the ground floor and the door could be shut to keep the cats out and therefore they were never on work surfaces. In my current house, they have to walk through the kitchen to the utility room. However, years of not being able to jump on work surfaces combined with being elderly, less agile cats mean that they do just walk through rather than rampage about. Nevertheless, work surfaces are always cleaned thoroughly before any food is prepared.

I once worked with an author who lived in a lovely Georgian house. We would sit at her kitchen table which invariably held a bowl of slightly rotting fruit. At some stage in would march an elderly white, long-haired and completely ungroomed cat that was no longer able to attend to its own ablutions. It would park itself on the table and roll around. The author concerned never understood why I always refused coffee and never stayed for lunch.

I believe that I have already told the (true) story of the old lady who would take her dentures out after meals and give them to her dog to lick. [bleurgh emoticon]

phoenix I think I am going to be ill

Gross, isn't it Barrow? The reason I know about it is because I was a dental nurse at the time, and she came in wanting new dentures, as her old ones had melted! When I asked how that happened she told me about the dog and explained that he had managed to lick them into the open fire.

I used to get very annoyed when eating out in Monte Carlo. There are hundreds of silly rich women who carry those daft little dogs in their handbags. They would sit them on the banquette and the waiter would bring them a dish of meat and put it on the table. The beautiful tiled pavements and shopping arcades were a minefield to walk on as they were always full of excreta, even though they were regularly hosed down.

I was horrifically bullied on one expat forum for saying that dogs should not be in a restaurant kitchen. I was accused of being a dog hater, which I am not, I just like well behaved dogs in the right place!

MY daughter lived on a quiet lane in a village and one man would bring his dog down every single morning and let it squat right outside her door. She pointed out that she had six children using the path and they frequently trod in it and brought it into the house. She got nowhere, until her very tall, well built husband had a word with him.

I had a landlady once who had been sterilised, voluntarily, at 26, as she hated children so much. She had a big, slobbery boxer that slept in her bed and she said, very seriously, that if it died it would be as great a tragedy as if a child died. I suggested she did not repeat that to any parent who had lost a child. Did she expect the dog to outlive her?

I really like animals, but I find many animal-owners totally unreasonable.

I doubt very much if the odd litter tray on the kitchen floor would contaminate anything. Unless you dropped food into it and picked it out again of course. I have no cats so the question hasn't arisen here, but I can't think where else I would put a litter tray while a cat was young and needing one.

I have been known to have the odd dead fly on the kitchen windowsill for a few days. We seem to be fine.

I don't dogs anywhere in food eating places. Hairs and bits and pieces flying off of waving tails. Ugh!

don't like caffeine not gone through yet

jO7 flies go in the litter tray, then walk on the worktop, hence bacteria gets spread.

I agree - people taking dogs into restaurants and cafes is a definite no no as far as I am concerned. I am, of course, aware that blind people with guide dogs want to eat out as well but if I see a dog in an eating establishment I don't go there.

Guide dogs are usually very quiet and well behaved and just lie under the table.

Aren't you supposed to clean them out in the mornings? And I think I would have to clean them after any usage during the day. Or at least keep fresh litter on top.

I just think you can be too particular.

I'm not a cat lover, mainly because I like to be in charge and cats just don't obey!
I can't understand why people have litter trays. If you can teach a kitten/cat to use one, why can't you teach them to go outside?
Please don't jump on me, it's a serious question.

Ella one of our cats doesn't set foot outside, her decision not ours! The vet thinks she has had some sort of nervous breakdown Don't know about that, but she does seem to fall into the special needs catergory.

We only had a litter tray for our cat when he became elderly and found it difficult to get through the cat flap. During the day we could open doors to let him out but at night he used the litter tray.

If I did have a cat it would have to have a tray on the balcony as I live in a second floor flat.
I love cats - it is their very egotism that I find appealing. Unfortunately, my nomadic lifestyle does not allow me to keep one.

Who else had a potty in the kitchen when they had little kids just learning to use a potty?

It wasn't a hygiene problem.

I guess you don't empty litter trays so promptly, but the real hygiene issue is cats' feet in places that were not designed to be walked on, like kitchen benches.

I kept the potty in the living room and emptied and washed it as soon as it was used. It would be expensive to change litter every time it was used but of course you could just remove faeces with a plastic bag every time they appeared. The modern clumping type of litter does prevent smells. I have no objection to litter trays, I just don't fancy them in kitchens.

I sometimes come home to see Digby on the kitchen windowsill, which means that he has walked across the worktop, I never prepare food on it, I have a selection of boards, and I'm a bit fanatical about hand washing and wiping surfaces down.

That's what I've been thinking Ella. We had cats for years and never had a litter tray.