Pandemic or not, we cat parents know that there are certain day-to-day health and safety rules that we’re meant to abide by. One of those is the age old problem of keeping cats off the kitchen countertops.
It’s an issue that many cat parents aren’t as vigilant about enforcing as they should be. But there are important reasons to stop your kitty from setting paw on your cooking and eating surfaces.
Here’s why you should keep your cat off of your counters and actually make sure you enforce the rules.
Those Paws Have Been Places
First up, why do the “experts” always tell us to keep cats off countertops? Well, it’s two-fold — to protect both us and our cats.
Since we humans use kitchen countertops to prepare meals, it’s obviously pretty unsanitary to have a cat strutting all through the prep area, and this isn’t just about a few stray cat hairs making their way into the pasta sauce.
You’ve got to consider that, at some point during the last 24 hours, your cat will have likely done a little business in the litter box.
The idea of having the same feline paws that have been burying nuggets of poop stepping all over surface that you’re using to chop up vegetables ranks pretty high on the gross scale.
Put it this way: You wouldn’t take a poop and wipe your butt and then start handling food without washing your hands, right?
It’s Not Just About Your Health
Unfortunately, considerations of hygiene aren’t enough to deter some people from letting their cats on the countertop.
Sure, I get that it can be cute when it looks like your feline is just casually hanging out in the sink or perched on a kitchen island. But remember, kitchens can be exceptionally dangerous environments for cats.
Stovetop burners that may still be hot even after being turned off, sharp knives, even scraps of food that may be poisonous to felines can all hurt your cat.
So please, if you have one new cat rule to stick to this week, make sure it’s no cats on the kitchen countertops, okay?
Do you keep your cat off the kitchen counters for health and safety? How do you enforce the rules? Let us know in the comments below!
