Anybody else cook with a pet under foot?

[vilasman]

I recently got a cat, a maine coon, who just loves to come in the kitchen when I cook and meow until I drop a scrap for her to taste test. Anybody else go through this? I am refering to cats more so than dogs, cause dogs are bigger and you can see them to avoid stepping on them more so than a cat.

As an aside, which is really off topic, anybody else have a cat that likes to sleep on there back with their legs akimbo? Mine is snoring beside me now with her front pawas sorta tucked on her chest and her hind legs gapped open.

 

[Shunka]

Your Maine Coon sounds like the majority of my cats!! My dogs know to stay out of the kitchen (for the most part) when I am cooking but as you said, cats are different. I can't count how many times I turn to take a step and darn near kill myself trying not to step on the cat that all of a sudden appeared in my path!! They also think that the back of my legs need a fur-massage when I am doing dishes. One thing that I absolutely will not tolerate is any of them on the counters and they know it.

 

[lulu]

Hi vilasman. Your Maine Coon sounds cute. I have two Siamese girls. One is a bit of a pest. She sits on my left shoulder while I am cleaning and cooking and as the idea of serving food with cat hair is to much for me we have now compromised and she sits on the cooker hood while I cook instead. Other wise I have a strict not on the worksurface rule. A friend of mine also has a Siamese for whoim she bought a papoose (sp?) because the shoulder riding got too awkward. I might try that. My other cat does get underfot though.

I never give them tasters while I cook.....it would only encourage them, but they are allowed any approprite scraps after we have eaten -on their own plates. my girls also sleep on their backs sometimes, when their pig-lamp is on and they are warming their bellies under it - not habitually like your cutie!

 

[sattie]

I have 2 chis and they both linger close by and hope for scraps. All I have to do is start chopping stuff and they come a runnin!!! Binks sits right up under me when I am at the stove, Boots keeps a bit of distance... guess he has been stepped on a few times. They happily accept anything that I lose or purposely toss at them.

 

[cloudybutnice]

Yes, my cat loves to be in the kitchen, and we've had several near misses over the years. She can smell prawns from several hundred yards away.

 

[vagriller]

No pets, but my son loves to be underfoot in the kitchen!

 

[lulu]

What are "chis" Sattie?

 

[sparrowgrass]

Dogs are usually in the kitchen when I am cooking, but under the table, not underfoot.

When they are in my way, I (gently, but firmly) step on whichever piece of them is handy. They learned quickly to remove themselves from danger.

And it is dangerous to have critters (or children) underfoot while you are juggling sharp knives and hot pots.

 

[thumpershere2]

I have 2 cats and 1 small dog in the house and 1 large dog outside. The ones in the house know to stay out of my way now in the kitchen. All I have to do is say everyone out in a loud voice and that takes care of it.

 

[mugsy27]

im constantly tripping over and stepping over a 4 year old yellow lab and a 9 month old kitten...the love to curl up together right ontop of my feet when im cooking...just waiting for that accidental drop!

 

[Andy M.]

...And it is dangerous to have critters (or children) underfoot while you are juggling sharp knives and hot pots.

Safety trumps cute every time.

 

[Harborwitch]

It wasn't so bad in the house - because they (4 Pugs) could, sometimes, be shoooooed to the living room. Now we're in 210 sq ft and it's all one room. The couch is a futon, which becomes a bed at night. The galley (kitchen) is on the opposite wall and all 4 are underfoot all the time. The cat is smarter - he stays out of the way.

 

[Opiñanita]

As an aside, which is really off topic, anybody else have a cat that likes to sleep on there back with their legs akimbo? Mine is snoring beside me now with her front pawas sorta tucked on her chest and her hind legs gapped open.

Your cat sounds a lot like our dog, Tashi. She often sleeps on her back with her legs splayed open and her little front paws tucked in. Tashi will always be underfoot. Right now she's only 7 pounds and will only get to be 10-12 pounds when she's full grown. We've gotten into the habit of looking around us before taking a step when we're in the kitchen cooking. My fiance and I are always warning each other in case the other doesn't see she's right behind one of us.

 

[sattie]

What are "chis" Sattie?

Sorry, I talk about them so much that I tend to abbreviate... Chihuahuas!

 

[Michelemarie]

No pets, but my son loves to be underfoot in the kitchen!

Me too! My cat would rather sleep on the couch.

 

[pdswife]

Lily Lily Queen of cats gets fed in the kitchen so she's there a lot. She just stays by her bowl though and gives us very dirty looks until we feed her.

She sleeps on her back with her feet in the air all the time.

 

[amber]

Vilasman, I know you said you have a Maine coon cat, and wasnt much interested in dogs since they are so obvious to see underfoot, but man, Maine coon cats are big too!

 

[bullseye]

I recently got a cat, a maine coon, who just loves to come in the kitchen when I cook and meow until I drop a scrap for her to taste test. Anybody else go through this? I am refering to cats more so than dogs, cause dogs are bigger and you can see them to avoid stepping on them more so than a cat.

As an aside, which is really off topic, anybody else have a cat that likes to sleep on there back with their legs akimbo? Mine is snoring beside me now with her front pawas sorta tucked on her chest and her hind legs gapped open.

Every day. I have three cats, all are part Maine coon. They have learned, in the kitchen, to move fast when my feet move--as AndyM says, "Safety trumps cute every time." Somehow this has not translated to when I am carrying the laundry basket . . .

Growing up, we had a Maine coon, Knuckles, who was a lean 22 lbs. He rarely bothered with anyone at the counter, but always knew when I was carving a turkey (my job since I was tall enough). Juice and scraps were bound to find their way to the floor--with a little help from me <g>. He learned to somehow adhere to my right calf and not hinder my movement while remaining at the ready for any stray morsel.

As far as the upside down cat thing, all mine seem to do that in various frequencies. My Brindle loves to have her tummy rubbed, and when purrfectly content, will start to vibrate from happiness. She will also, on her own, go tummy up, legs akimbo, and start vibrating for no apparent reason. Don't try to figure cats out; that way lies madness!

 

[vilasman]

My cat is to fat, to jump up on the counter. When tries to hop on the couch (or bed), she puts her front paws on the couch and then hops, and then tries again and maybe by the third or 4th try she manages to get up. She can get to the table top if we leave a chair out so that she has a stepping stone, but we sho her away from there. If I ever catch her on the counter top, we'll have to sho her from there too.
We thought our cat was weird for sleeping on her back
Most foods I just cut a finger nail sized sliver or 2 or 3 for her and she eats it and is satified. Other times i give her a hair ball treat and she is happy. Other times like with the chicken I made last night, she just has to sit and look pitiful and purr and watch us eat.
My wife wanted this beast, she got this beast and guess who has to take care of it? Go figure.

Oh, ours, Maxine was 16 lbs when we got her but we have her on low calorie cat food and her poor tummy is dragging and her back half seems to be shrinking

 

[middie]

Yep I went through it all the time with Disney. Sheba isn't too bad.
Rocky seems to be filling Disney's "shoes" pretty well.