Cats and Kitchen Counters

According to one survey in which more than 1,000 veterinary professionals and 167 cat owners were asked if cats should be allowed to freely roam the kitchen counters. Without discussing what the kitty might be up to, whether to troll for food or survey the landscape, 21 percent viewed it favorably, 13 percent said they "rarely" allow it and 54.5 percent responded with a resounding "no." There was also an "other" option, which claimed 11.4 percent of the votes from veterinary professionals.

Cat owners seemed somewhat more permissive than the veterinarians; 28 percent said their cats' counter surfing was okay with them, 11 percent said "rarely," and 48.1 percent gave it a definite negative. The remainder of the survey takers put an X in the "other" box.

Why Would Cats Get a Counter Pass?

In comparison with cat owners in general, 35 percent of the veterinarian group had slightly different reasons for being okay with cats on the kitchen counter, figuring that kitties feel safer when they're higher than ground level. The owners, at least 39 percent of them, were simply not bothered by the issue.

Of course, a lot of the vets (me included) and cat owners (22 percent and 17 percent, respectively) decided it's a moot issue whether or not they're okay with cats jumping up on the kitchen counters, because cats are going to do what they want to do anyway, especially when nobody's around to object.

Is There Ever a Reason for Cats to Be on the Counter?

The general consensus for jus...

Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - October 26, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news