I have a question....

kittywhiskers

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Do you mind if your cat's get onto the dining table or kitchen counters?

Personally I don't mind, I do understand that they go in their litter box and what not but I always have a quick spray round with antibacterial spray before preparing food and serving dinner anyway.

How about you?
 

betsygee

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Ours can get on the dining room table because we rarely use it for eating--it's more for storing stuff we're too lazy to put away.  


But we've taught them to stay off of the kitchen counters--those are off limits.
 

GemsGem

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No I have no problem with it at all. My cats are allowed to go where ever they want. :lol3:

I do the same as you - my work tops are always getting sprayed with disinfectant and wiped down. Always before I prepare any food and just generally though out the day as I'm just generally cleaning up. :D
 

MoochNNoodles

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Ours are not allowed on the counter or table.  Now that doesn't mean they don't get up there...but they get shooed off if we are around.  
 

pinkdagger

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No counters, no tables, no desks for our cats. They all have delicate or breakable and costly things and need to stay relatively clean. I would rather have consistence that they stay off of all tables than take the risk of letting them on one so they assume all similar ones are fair game.
 

pushylady

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We feed Wiggies on top of the counter, so there's no way we could keep them off. And the dining room table gets all the lovely afternoon sunshine, so it would be unfair to expect them not to lie there.
Having said that, whenever I'm prepping food, I always consider my countertops to be unclean and I clean them first. I did that even before we got taken over by cats! I figure they're exposed to all the dust and insects etc all the time, and I wouldn't dream of say kneading bread on the counter without cleaning it down first.
 

Winchester

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I really don't like the cats on the counters (not that it matters one iota what I don't like, in their opinion) or the stove. They're allowed on the kitchen table and on pretty much everything else in the house. It wouldn't kill them to stay off the counters! 

I don't want them to get used to being on the stove because my brother and SIL had a kitty jump up on a hot burner. She burned the skin right off her paw pads and it was an ugly situation for the poor kitty for quite a while. So it's really for their own protection that I don't want them there; I don't want them to get used to being on the stove. However, I've come home from work and I've seen the paw prints on the stove top, so I know they're there. 

The first thing I do before I cook or work with any food is thoroughly clean the counters and the stove.

I have to add that it's nothing for the girls to sit on the kitchen table while we're eating dinner. They've been known to sit and clean their "privates" while we're eating. 
 I can't help but think that our Rainbow Baby Banshee (a.k.a. The Queen B) would be absolutely appalled if she were around to see them there. Not to mention royally peeved.
 
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furmonster mom

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No counters, no tables, no desks for our cats.... I would rather have consistence that they stay off of all tables than take the risk of letting them on one so they assume all similar ones are fair game.
Same in our house.

Some of the tables and shelves have plants on them that I don't want them chewing on.  Those get booby trapped with sticky tape.

Kitchen counters are for food preparation... no kitties allowed!

They are also discouraged from begging while we eat.

I know, I know... I'm such a hard case. 
 

bbdoll22

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I don't like my ladies or gentleman on the table or counters. But sometimes they do it. They get a firm no and get put down on floor. I always clean my surfaces before preparing or eating on.
 

sivyaleah

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We're permissive about where our two go in the house, we really don't care if they are in most places but counters tabletops are out of the question.  

Luckily, neither of them are interested to do so.  The one time either of them tried, they got a very firm no, and were removed.  They haven't been up there since.  Or, at least that I know of 
 

chromium blues

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They may go anywhere they please, except for the bathroom. My roommate keeps her medication in there and I don't want anyone getting into it (I have talented cupboard opening cats). I just clean the counter before I cook...And after...Oops! Messy! We feed Montgomery his canned food on the counter. Funnily enough he's the only cat in the house who can't get up there by himself.
 

betsygee

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I have to add that it's nothing for the girls to sit on the kitchen table while we're eating dinner. They've been known to sit and clean their "privates" while we're eating. 
 
For me, the problem with allowing them on the dining room table is that on the rare occasions we have guests over for dinner and actually use that table for eating, the cats think nothing of jumping up there to see what's going on.  We do get them off the table right away if there's food on it.  Only once, though, was someone offended by a cat jumping on the table when they were eating.  That person hasn't been invited back.  JUST KIDDING.  
  
 

goholistic

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Ours can get on the dining room table because we rarely use it for eating--it's more for storing stuff we're too lazy to put away.  


But we've taught them to stay off of the kitchen counters--those are off limits.
Same situation here! Plus, Caesar has been using the dining room table to get away from the other cats when they get into a scuffle. So how can I possibly tell him to get off of something that he's using as a safe haven.

Oh, and they're not allowed on the wine rack either. 
  They know to stay off the wine rack and kitchen counters.
 
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kittywhiskers

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I have pretty well behaved girls and they very rarely jump onto the counters. There is never anything there of interest to them anyway.
My boy used to be the one that would be on the counters. He used to hang around while we were preparing food too. When we saw that he was getting into the crouching ready to jump position we would give him a little push with the side of our foot and say "no!", He would then walk away sulking. :lol3:
I sit at our dining table to do my artwork and my Sasha has always liked to sit with me ever since she was a kitten, she likes to inspect and check that my paint brushes are clean! I love to talk to her while I'm painting.

Winchester, that poor cat jumping on the stove! Oh my goodness it doesn't bear thinking about!
I too have found paw prints across my ceramic hob. When we first got it my boy took to sleeping on it, I have a photo of him somewhere I will find. We put a guard across the top after we finish cooking until it gets cold.
 

stewball

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My two are allowed anywhere except the oven top. Putting them down from the counter tops doesn't help much as they just jump up again. Also they too get their brightly tin of food that they eat off the same plate.

 

ladeekatt

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Ours can get on the dining room table because we rarely use it for eating--it's more for storing stuff we're too lazy to put away.  :lol3:
You took the words right out of my mouth! As far as counters, I try to keep them off, but that doesn't meanthey don't try. I have one dork who likes to drink dribbles from my kitchen sink faucet!
 

Draco

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Cassie never jumps on my table or counter, she seems to know. otherwise, they're allowed up. Sometimes I wish Monet would stay off my counter since he gets into the cabinets and makes a mess. brat.
 

misty8723

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No, I don't mind.  Only insomuch as I want them to stay away from the stove, which means I don't really want them on the kitchen counters.  I never go and leave the stove unattended.  W
 

denice

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I let mine get up on the counters and table and I will wipe down the counters before preparing food.  They are both 11 now so they don't get up on the counters or table much anymore.  Patches will every once in awhile while I'm getting their food ready.  He will start eating and Alice who has pretty much given up jumping on the counters will sit on the floor and be very loud.  I guess she thinks I am going to forget about her and let Patches have it all.
 

swampwitch

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Our cats are not allowed on the kitchen countertops or the table. I prepare food there every day and that just grosses me out. 

It always takes a few weeks to train a new kitty… kitty jumps up, we say NOOOOO and gently put kitty back on the floor. Kitty jumps up, NOOOO, back on the floor. After you do that enough times, kitty gets tired of trying and leaves the countertops alone.

They do have a bay window (with catnip plants growing) and a small table they can go on, and we also have a 8-nest Kuranda cat tower in the kitchen 'cause they like to hang out with me while I'm working. I like it, too. 


 
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