People and their pets

I never encourage/allowed my cats on the worktop or table but once I saw paw prints on the cooker that had appeared overnight. When I saw my gorgeous deaf cat sitting on the electric cooker I turned the ring on. When it started to get warm he fled, never to return! No point in shouting he was deaf as a post.
On the other hand, when I had my second child at home my GP came to see me on her way home in the evening. I was in the bed with my new baby, her big sister and the cat asleep at my feet. I apologise about the cat and she said “ nonsense, we would all have to get along together so we should start now!”

I have never allowed cats on the worktops or table but when sugar and butter was rationed I made my husband a birthday cake with butter icing. When I wasn’t looking the cat had licked it clean.
I do not agree with cats and dogs sleeping in the kitchen or having cat litter trays in the kitchen.

How do you train a cat not to jump on kitchen tops? Have an occasional visiting pair. They care not about my insistence to get off. Seem to enjoy taunting me with sitting on kitchen table when my back is turned.

I’ve not been to a cat cafe, but I know quite a few cats who wouldn’t enjoy being forced to entertain Ed a load of humans they don’t know.

Our grandchildren adore our cat, their mum never had pets, and she thinks it’s weird to keep animals in the home. So I think our cat is the nearest they’ll get to having their own!

Re hygiene - I don’t agree with sharing germs with animals! I’d have to say something if I knew I was being offered food that animals had been sniffing round.

Fleurpepper

Mine will try and jump on work surface and I will shoo him off. But ...

I normally sit at the big dinner table in the kitchen when on my computer, and he loves nothing more than come and lie right next to me- and I so enjoy it, I've stopped trying to stop him. I mean, I clean the table well before we eat, and would use clean matts or tablecloth is we have visitors. Just don't tell my SIL, please shusssh.

I feel the same way about my cats. I make an effort to keep everything clean and hoovered but my cats climb on bed and furniture. They’re cats and they’re going to do what they want! They’re too old to jump up on worktops now but in their heyday they sure did. 😂 I can’t imagine life without pets.

I love most cats but would not have liked this. I would have gone into the kitchen and picked up the cat and talked to it saying things like 'this isn't your food you naughty cat, let your 'mum' get on, she's very busy, you can have any leftovers' etc. Would have found it very difficult to eat meal otherwise.

We have always had pets, but they are not allowed in the kitchen when food is being prepared, and certainly not on worktops. However, the best laid plans....I once prepared a large platter of sandwiches, enough for eight people, with all sorts of delicate garnishes - it looked like something from a magazine and I was delighted. 'Placed a large net umbrella type cover over the food, and came back half an hour later to find the cat under the net cover, just about finishing off the fillings from every sandwich. Anyone for a biscuit?

HeavenLeigh

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!

That's me too, if I did invite anyone I'd tell them about the cats and dog first and that they are family too so if they object to them we might be better eating out. Prefer animals to people in a lot of cases anyway.

Food poisoning after lunch at at Indian restaurant and there were no cats! Reminds of friends who were on holiday in India and came across what they thought would be a great restaurant for Dinner. They walked down the side of the restaurant and there were some giant woks, the chefs tapped them and the cats jumped out, they then proceeded to cook the evening meals in there. Needless to say my friends did not eat at the restaurant.

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

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'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.

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

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.

Just another reason for me not to have a cat!

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?

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

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!

*Meant hes NOT allowed to eat off our plates.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.🙀

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!