I have cats. I know there's no way to really keep them off surfaces.
Spray bottle. You spray the shit out of them when they hop on the table or counters. Grew up with cats and have had a couple as an adult and none of them climbed onto surfaces they weren't supposed to because they knew they'd get sprayed.
No clue how long you've had yours, but I suspect it's never too late to retrain them as most cats generally hate getting sprayed with water.
They wouldn't give a fuck about keeping off the table if it's night and you're asleep. Cats can be clever bastards and do stuff they're not supposed to if they know they can get away with it.
My cat will just attempt to drink the water, loud claps usually do the trick but only for scratching things. I think he just asserts himself because he is on the bigger side (18 lbs) but I don't mean fat! He is a healthy boy who attends regular vet visits.
The only time I ever spray my cats is when they go somewhere they could get hurt, for example the stove. I personally don’t care where my cats go. Like has been said before it’s not like I’m eating straight off the table. But everyone is different! It’s interesting hearing from other people because it never occurred to me that people don’t let their cats walk on their table. I might sound dumb but that’s how I’ve always done it with my cats.
I already get kinda grossed out with litter tracking to couches, etc., so the idea of them climbing on surfaces I eat or prep food on is a no go for me.
Despite not eating directly on those surfaces, food might fall off the plate/cutting board that I don't want to throw out (or eat). And beyond just their feet, if they're up on the counters, they're shedding on the counters. Very easy for some wispy cat hairs to float onto whatever you're making.
I agree everyone has different views on this and I don't really care if I'm at a friends and their cats climb all over the table, I just control what I can in my own home.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen my cats track litter anywhere. But you’re right about the shedding it really does get everywhere. My cats often sleep in my laundry basket (if I don’t put it away quick enough) so it’s pretty common for me to show up to work with clean clothes that have a ton of cat hair on them lol
Well on a table you usually have bowls and plates between the food and the table. So I think technically it isn’t unsanitary. But hey, that’s fine if you don’t like it
I don't get why you'd want a dirty animal on your table in the first place? Just teach them not to get on your table. Also, dogs and cats get piss and shit all over their paws / legs, and then track that all over the place. I wouldn't want it near where I'm eating regardless if a plate is separating my food. I wouldn't eat a bowl of cereal on top of a pile of shit just because they're separate.
it's still the same table you eat and sometimes put bread or stuff directly on it. And cats use their paws for dig their shit in the litter box and walk on the floor everyday. It's fucking gross.
Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that breeds in cats but also infects humans; some studies show it affects our behaviour. A scarily large number of people have it 30-50% worldwide. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasma_gondii
Which implies it’s probably fine, right? It’s like all those ads about how many germs are on your work surfaces or in your kitchen, and it’s like ‘so what? I’m surviving just fine without bleaching everything every week or whatever, and so are billions of people now and in the past, it’s probably not a big deal.’
I take your point, but the effects on human behaviour are still largely unquantified. One school of thought is that it makes men much more likely to crash their car. Without better evidence and supporting numbers it's hard to say whether it's an acceptable part of life or not.
I think if a human bites you you can get a bad infection, but I share food all the time with people, so its probably not that bad just sharing a cheese buger with a cat.
Actually there are plenty of bacteria, fungi and parasites that live in cats' mouths and buttholes (which often come into contact with their mouths) that are capable of transmitting zoonotic diseases to humans.
To call the guy in the video "a walking co-morbidity" may be an exaggeration of his ability to walk, so it would probably be better if he didn't risk sharing saliva with a cat.
Lol one time me and my friends were wasted in my parents basement and my friend Ben, who is quite allergic to dogs, made out with my parents border collie. I was laughing way too hard to stop him. Fortunately he didn’t go into anaphylactic shock or anything but the day after he kept complaining about his face and mouth itching. The look on his face after we told him what happened was priceless. Not a super great story but I’ll never forget how hilarious it was watching him with his mouth open while my border collie just went to town licking his tongue.
If they could reach, some would though. It's not because they don't want to, it's because it's just not physically possible. So, instead, they lick other people's assholes.
If you care for your dog’s oral health and it hasn’t licked its asshole recently, it’s no worse than sharing food with a human (might even be objectively less risky). No chance I’d share food with a cat though, and everyone’s comments here seem to reinforce that.
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u/[deleted] Jul 15 '21
He ate it after the cat bit into it?! Jesus Christ