To think cats swanning about on work surface/table is gross?

[Fluffy24]

One minute it's in the litter box and the next it's on the kitchen table. Urgh.

But surprises me how many people I know who think it's fine.

Is it just me?

Mine has occasionally. But I just knock her off and she hasn't done it for years.

Sparklingcat possibly would teleport if she was awake long enough.

iirc toxoplasmosis is a childhood disease in cats in the same way as chickenpox is for us. Therefore most cats you come across will not have it because they are immune.

Anyway, I was like page smug because my cats never went on the table or kitchen counters- then we got our current cat who rolls around with joy on the table and jumps across the sink to stare at the neighbour's cat.

She loves water too.

We always wipe up before preparing or eating food- I'm over it.

I just assume the worktop is filthy & use chopping boards.

I do also spray & wipe the worktops down before/after prepping food, but I'd never have food in direct contact with them anyway.

One of my cats is an irrepressible Siamese. He doesn't bother sitting on kitchen work surfaces, but he'll give the dirty plates a good checking-over for anything tasty if there's any hiatus between stacking plates & washing up.

My immune system is pretty robust!

I don't own a dishwasher, I do own four cats.

Ours know they aren't meant to be either on the table when we're eating or on the work surfaces. But I've no doubt they get on them when we aren't there. If anything though it makes my table and kitchen cleaner, because they are cleaned thoroughly before every use as I never know whether they've been on them or not.

We own 3 cats. Cats on worktops disgusts me. It's not difficult - train them from kittens, keep kitchen door closed when the room is unoccupied. Ours have the decency not to jump on worktops when we're around and we prevent them doing it on the sly by keeping the kitchen door shut at other times. It's not rocket science. I've seen the state of their litter trays so there's no way I'm having that paddled across a food preparation area.

It's not difficult - train them from kittens, keep kitchen door closed when the room is unoccupied. Ours have the decency not to jump on worktops when we're around and we prevent them doing it on the sly by keeping the kitchen door shut at other times. It's not rocket science.

It can be difficult, depending on the individual cat, and some of us live in open plan houses so closing the door isn't an option.

And not everyone gets their cat as a kitten - ever heard of rescues?

Hahaha at cats having any decency.

Mine doesn't do it - I stopped her as a kitten (told her off, removed her, put some pepper on it a couple of times) and now she doesn't. But that might be lucky - some cats do whatever the fuck they want, its part of what I like about cats.

I don't put food straight on my worktops anyway, and they get wiped pretty often.

Our old cat didn't go on the work surfaces and our new cat hasn't so far either. I'm glad and would actively discourage it if they did.

I have no issue with them going on the dining room table. I wipe it down before setting it for a meal and then the cat isn't allowed up there (just constantly removed) if food is on there.

YANBU.

My old office had an office cat. I'm allergic to cats. The women who previously sat at my desk kept treats in the drawer for him so he was constantly on MY desk. FFS.

An office cat sounds fab. All offices should have a cat.

Oh, you'd love my house. My cats sit on the dining table and in the kitchen sink. Never been ill though and I clean plenty so it doesn't bother us.

Once when I had the patio doors open because it was hot I walked into the kitchen to find a rather grand looking cat sitting on my draining board. It normally runs away from me, but seemed to have made itself at home.

I thought it was funny, but I probably wouldn't encourage it if I had a cat. That said, most small dog owners I know let them sit on the sofas which I find worse because it leaves a smell lingering, at least you can quickly disinfect work surfaces.

YY to office cats.

I don't have a cat now but always had them growing up. We never had litter boxes though (once they were past being kittens). I've never suffered any ill effects of them walking all over the show.

Once a neighbours cat crept into our house via cat flap and pissed on a giant fruit cake on the bench I had made - it was covered in a tea towel. I hissed the cat out but didn't realise it had peed on the cake - until I ate some and sniffed the tea towel. I felt grim when I clicked what had happened but wasn't ill.

I really hated that fucking cat though.

YANBU it's unsanitary.

I keep my cat away from my surfaces by making sure they're covered with dirty dishes and shopping that needs putting away.

Antibax -lots. Where do people stand on rabbit disembowelment by cats (during family BBQ yesterday)? Managed to chase him out into garden and he ate THE WHOLE THING under the rhubarb.

Page - seems funny that we've got 3 individual cats and none of them do it. We've obviously just been extremely lucky and has nothing to do with us training them

Our cats never go on the kitchen surfaces - I have always just lifted them off and put them straight down on the floor the minute I saw them on there as kittens, and it doesn't seem to occur to them now. They're not allowed on the dining table either but I don't mind them sitting on the coffee table, for some reason!

mine were never allowed on when i could see them i understood that i was not around 24/7 so i cleaned before i cooked

i also static mat trained them its a mat that gives them a small static shock when they stand on it basically stops the unwanted behavior

Anybody else have visions of a cat "swanning around" dancing like the dying swan or something, ballet dancing across the surfaces.
Maybe sliding up and down whilst trying to flap about.
Or have I been smoking too much

Yep, I'd have said the same about our previous nine mostly-unrelated (with one or two exceptions) cats, LittleLion, who were all trained not to jump up without too much trouble. It came as a hell of a shock when the present pair of little sods simply didn't respond to training despite DH and I trying consistently for months on end. So yes, there is a certain element of luck about it - the luck of the draw when it comes to the cat's personality and receptivity to training, so less of the humphy-face if you don't mind.

Yes Gross. My mother's cat does this - I have refused to eat a sandwich prepared by my mother because I am sure the cat licked the ham.