People and their pets

sodapop

Whilst I agree with your sentiments about humanising pets especially with regard to clothing etc. I do know that some people are very lonely and rely on their pets for companionship and love. Not always straightforward.

Of course they are fabulous companions- but 'using' them as dolls and toys is just 100% wrong, whatever the circumstances.

I was referring to the Valentine card issue Fleurpepper

Aww That’s disgusting, I never allowed pets into the kitchen as they shake and their fur etc goes a surprisingly long way
My dog is 17 I started training him as a baby to stay at the open kitchen door, although I have since moved and all open plan now, he still sits at the edge of the kitchen area something he taught himself ..
Besides hygiene it’s dangerous with hot stuff on the move in a kitchen.

I have three cats, but close the door to the kitchen when I am preparing or serving up food.
The Kitchen counters are cleaned with Dettol Wipes daily - but doubtless there are cat hairs floating about.
I live alone, and would always ask any visitors if they wished to eat out.
My most frequent visitor (my adult neice) is happy to eat in my house, and I would be happy to eat in the house of any animal lover. I wouldn't want the animals to eat from my plate while I was eating - but would have no other objection, assuming that I knew my hosts well enough to be aware of their general standards of hygiene.

Pets and their carers share bacteria so you are no more in danger from the cat (or a dog) than from the friends.

It is not accidental that farm children seldom get asthma compared with town children who have little challenge to their immune systems and grow up more susceptible to the disease. See cat contact as a way of stimulation your immune system! In 'normal' households thare is little danger from either pets or friends.

Gosh BlueRuby - what difference is there between cat poo and human poo? Other than that the human stuff has drugs and all manner of extra’s in it. So actually, cat poo is probably the better of the 2. People do have strange ideas! Wonder if they ever ponder that animal (and in some places, human) poo is used in crop production.

Not just asthma but all sorts of severe allergies too.

me too

I have cats trained ours not to get up on the worktops, that’s a difficult one I would probably be looking for cats hair in my meal 😜but I don’t think I’d eat there again

Oh dear wellbeck, you wouldn’t want to come in mine then a German Shepard and three cats, but then we wouldn’t invite anyone in that didn’t like animals, your choice. Our choice!

I love cats always have but i would NEVER allow mine on the worktops or tables or anywhere we would have food eaten or prepared.And he knows it! I used to have a cat sitter who came to feed him & do his litter tray when we were on holiday- and i told her he's not allowed on worktops. But one time she had him at her house instead- clearly she lets her own cats do this as he started to jump up on worktops when he got back- i told him off sternly a few times and he got the message..So im afraid i'd have had to speak up as soon as i had spotted the cat i'm afraid.And i would have asked her if she always allowed that, and why.I make no allowances on that.Id have told her health the risks of it too.If she had'nt invited me again its no loss.🙀

Cat poo can cause allsorts in particular it is very dangerous to pregnant women & their unborn babies.As well of course as many stomach bugs to everyone.

The thought of cats being allowed onto the kitchen work surfaces and/or tables appals me. It’s all well and good saying that they aren’t licking the food being served, no one has been ill, etc, but you have to consider where their paws have been prior to jumping on the work surface/table. Have they been padding about outdoors for example? No, these surfaces should be out of bounds, and any work surfaces regularly disinfected in case they’ve jumped on whilst you’re out.

As i said- ive always loved cats, we always had one when i was growing up- i adore my current puss- he's 14 now.But from being a kitten he's never been encouraged to get on worktops etc and it is easy enough to discourage it.He's not allowed to eat off humans plates either if any GC or anyone puts a plate down on floor.

MayBee70

I don’t have cats any more but when I did I was never able to stop them jumping into work surfaces so food was never put directly onto a work surface. Even now everything goes onto a plate. I think it’s easier to contain a dog in a certain area than a cat.

Me too. Do people put food directly onto the work surface?

*Meant hes NOT allowed to eat off our plates.

It wouldn't bother me from the hygiene point of view - unless the cat was sitting on the plate! Living with pets boosts our immune systems. And bacteria are funny things - there may well be more on your mobile phone than on the cat. It's a matter of aesthetics and appropriateness more than anything. Kitchen surface isn't puss's place, and it's not what you want to see before a civilised meal!

I agree shelflife- cats can be trained some things the are very smart.

Nannan2 I doubt if there was any cat poo on the cat as they are usually very clean creatures - much cleaner than we are. Yes, they do lick themselves clean but if their saliva is anything like dogs', dodgy bacteria don't last long. How many pregnant women per year in the UK actually get harmed by cat poo, I wonder? Is it as many as the number of people who die through putting their socks on?

Just another reason for me not to have a cat!

Yes Chardy, there will be instances when people might place food directly on their work surface. My surface is granite and is great for kneading bread dough and rolling out pastry as it’s a nice, cool surface. I ensure that it is thoroughly clean before doing so (not bleach), so no way would I want any animal, cat or otherwise, jumping onto the surface.

I had an eccentric Aunt who had three cats, they sat all over the draining board their food was put there (remember that revolting kitticat?) She also made tea with condensed milk and it wasn’t complete without a floating cat hair! I hated it. I thought cats belonged on the floor not furniture or laps. Strange then that I now have a little cat who is a comfort when he sits his warm little body on my lap and sleeps on the bed with us. He’s a rascal for jumping up where he shouldn’t be - watching water go down the plug hole or trying to catch it from the tap, or more precariously and delicately stepping between the plants on the mantlepiece. He is shut out of the kitchen when cooking or serving is going on and is religiously vaccinated, deflea’d and wormed every month. When he goes out its only to our catio or on a harness, so a wipe down where he has been isn’t too much of a problem

I'm a dog lover, and have 2 gorgeous Cavapoos, who are fully house-trained. Any responsible pet-owner will be fully aware of hygiene issues, and will act accordingly around the house. The disinfectant spray and wipes are always handy in case of accidents, and we always clean their paws after a muddy walk. Yes, they do sit on our laps, but we're not Howard Hughes as regards obsessional cleanliness, and a little "dirt" is good for the immune system anyway. Not impressed with cats on kitchen work surfaces, though... Wouldn't want to eat there... A commercial food outlet would rightly lose their license for such a basic breach of hygiene.

Two friends and I had food poisoning after lunch at an Indian restaurant. The cooking area was in sight of diners, and their were no cats! One of my cats particularly liked being on the worktop, and nothing stopped her if we weren’t looking. On a couple of occasions that I did see her licking food, it was immediately discarded.

I certainly wouldn't be going back, that's for sure!