Purely circumstantial, Deedaa , hard to imagine now but Digby was a bit timid when we first got him, and used to "hide" behind the kettle. At the time, the general rule was definitely no cats on the worktop, but an exception was made for him "just until he gets a bit more confident"
Well, of course the precedent was set, and as every cat owner knows, they have to "sit" on something, the newspaper when you are trying to read it, a pile of washing waiting to go into the machine etc, so it just seemed easier to put a hand towel on the worktop in a position where he was at least partly out of the way.
The main problem arises when Mr P forgets and puts a tea towel down instead of hanging it from the oven door. It's amazing how often I have to get another clean one out because the current one has been sat on........