Cat food saucers in the dishwasher - minging or fine?

[UsedtobeFeckless]

Row raging at work over whether putting the saucers you've been feeding the cat from in the dishwasher at 60 degrees is a no brainer or imperilling your family with horrible cat-borne lurgies ... What do you lot think, please?

I absolutely hate this, but I know it's an irrational hatred, so I don't say anything to DH when he puts them in. I just shudder to myself.

I bet the 'That's gross' brigade let their cats walk on the counter tops. That is gross.

We also wash the cats' blankets with our dressing gowns every week.
Two large fluffy blankets and two large fluffy dressing gowns; they fit just nicely into the washing machine and have the same temp wash.
And we haven't dropped down dead yet.

I don't see the problem with using a general knife/fork for pet food? It's not poisonous!

I know that for a fact - years ago my DH and I had a little fall out over the quality of the sandwiches I was providing for his pack up. I can confirm that 'Chappie' potted meat sandwiches went down very well and the complaints stopped.

Oops

I don't exactly let them - they know damned well they're not allowed to - but the kitchen is the one bit of the house which they have access to at night.

At least I haven't found any headless rodents anywhere other than on the floor yet

(Disclaimer - I do always wipe surfaces down before doing any food prep, whether or not the paw prints are visible)

I think it's disgusting! (I have never owned a pet)

The thought of it makes me feel physically sick to be honest. Looking at it rationally then I'm sure it's fine.

Joins Squiggle ...

Mind know their place - on the floor/ window sill/chairs/ underfoot whinging about impending starvation - when I'm there, but I've found paw marks on the worktops in the morning so I always give them a wipe before I do anything!

Our cats waltz all over the kitchen surfaces all the time. We merely wipe over the place before food prep. Heads and tails of rodents? Yes, in the past. Pick up, put in bin, wipe floor. 'Minty' been sick yet again? Clean it up. (He binges on cat biscuits then huffs up, the nit.)
So many germs, so many hygiene horrors. For 70 years. And yet here we still are. Amazing isn't it?

But what do the "urgh" folk actually think they are going to catch from cat/dog food bowls/forks?

we do it, not a problem. As far as i know amigacat hasn't caught anything from us yet!

i do remember a How Clean is your House episode where the lady put riding stirrups and bridle bits in the dishwasher. Complete with hay and horse shit. Maybe a step too far.!

I honestly believe that (within reason of course) one's immune system benefits from contact with germs. It's stimulated to produce antibodies. In a sterile environment it lies dormant. And when germs finally arrive, they knock one flat.
That isn't to say one should lick poo or never wash one's hands. But total antisepsis isn't natural or beneficial.

It's absolutely fine. If the dishwasher wasn't cleaning things properly I'd be more worried about knives and chopping boards used for raw chicken anyway.

How do you even go about stopping cats from walking on countertops then? I mean obviously when you are there you can, but there is no way they will follow the rules when you are out.

The vet told us to assume the cat had been on them and just proceed accordingly before doing any food prep.

I don't wash the cat bowl in the dishwasher but mainly because it is plastic and our dishwasher eventually annihilates anything plastic. And, if I am honest, because I am still a bit squeamish about it despite knowing I am being illogical.

I'm sure it's fine, logic tells me that it is, but I can't bring myself to put them in the dishwasher.

I also have a separate cat food fork, but I blame my DM for that because she did too.

I wash animal dishes by hand in the utility room sink, never in the kitchen.

Dishes fresh from being used, fine. Ones with old, encrusted, decaying remnants on them, not so much. Litter trays, never.

But.... I feed my dogs raw and the food sometimes comes in those plastic take away dishes. I can never bring myself to reuse them for human food, no matter how hot they've been washed.

In my teens I was paranoid about any dog feeding accessories mixing with ours. But now I'll happily put the cat bowls in with the dinner plates. It's too much of a faff to do them separately.

If my cat thinks im ignoring him he sits on the worktop next to the kettle it works tho cos he gets his food then!
I have no dishwasher only dh but I cant see a problem. I use a Separate bowl of water and sponge to clean cats bowls.
our cat also likes to drink Water out of glasses and they just get washed up in the usual way.

I just put the cat bowls in the dishwasher with everything else.

As others have said, I also put raw meat chopping boards/knives etc in there, and I trust that it kills those germs so I'm not too worried about the cat's bowls.

It's fine. My dog has eaten off my plate before I'd even finished my dinner and I'm still alive

Well the euwwww brigade are just going to love me then......

Dogs bowls go in dishwasher, as well as the water bowl. I even put the bin lid in the dishwasher. And even worse than that, highlightadog will never miss an opportunity to give all the dishes waiting for a wash, a good old lick if she gets access............

So, is it generally frowned upon to use normal spoons/forks to dish up cat food? Or should the pets have their own special ones?
I probably shouldn't mention that I let the cat lick the plates if they want to. Only when DH isn't here though, he goes mad about this. They go through the dishwasher, it's fine. I lived through a childhood with no dishwasher and our childhood pets used to do this too, so it can't be that bad.

I bet the 'That's gross' brigade let their cats walk on the counter tops. That is gross.

I love the idea that you let or don't let a cat do something. :o

Our cat eats out of a people bowl which I wash up in the sink and then put back in the cupboard so gets used by me and DP