Is This Gross?

Well, considering their paws are in a litter box....I would be grossed out. Too close to the food prep area for me.

I would be totally grossed out and frankly wouldn't want to eat. Animals have absolutely no place near any of the eating/food prep areas. We have a dog that knows he is not allowed in the kitchen at all. His food and water is kept in the laundry room.

I personally would be grossed out - gross might not be the right word - but I definitely would NOT like it....cats go everywhere, walk in kitty litter with pee and poop - it would make me a tad nauseated.....

Food or no food being served - not something that works for me.

Pretty grossed out. I'd wonder how clean your counters were, if the cats went on those, too, and how you would keep animal hair from getting in the food you're preparing.

I think it's gross, I'd feed them in another non food area like the laundry room.

Personally, I think it's gross.

Yeah, that's gross. Sorry.

I love animals, but I'm a stickler for cats being on counters or the table.
Can you put the cats and their food in your bedroom or somewhere else while your guests are there? Just a suggestion.

I can't eat in a house where there's animal hair everywhere, dogs scratching right next to the table and cats crawling around on things. I went and stayed with someone who had a little dog in the house. I got up and smelled breakfast cooking but had to navigate landmines in the hallway. I didn't say anything, but I wasn't hungry either after that.

Best wishes and enjoy your company.

yuck-that is really gross. Sorry.

It would probably freak people out, they will ASSUME the cats are on the counter and other areas if they see them on the bar. I dont let my cat get on any surfaces that would contain food or drink.
I'd just feed them on the floor in another room. Surely you can gate the dogs, cats can get over the gates easily enough.

I think one of the only reasons that I have never had a cat is because they get up on tables, counters etc... I guess it depends on the house guests. Do they have any cats or animals at all?

I'm not a cat lover and I would be grossed out. However, if your guests are used to cats and you know them well, mabey it will be ok.

Are your friends cat people? It wouldn't bother me at all. But then, I'm a cat person and my cats do the same thing.

If they know you and your animals, they won't be grossed out and if they are they won't return. As long as it's clean and tidy and well maintained daily, I don't see the problem. Then again I am an animal lover. I have place mats down for my dog and cat food.

Blessings...

It would not bother me - but then again I'm a cat owner.

I'd be bothered and so would my hubby. =) I grew up with cats and although we prevented them from getting up on the counter, they still did. YUCK!

My cats food is on the kitchen table, where its been since the day I got her :) My dogs would eat it all lol.

But then again, I don't use the kitchen table, except to put things on that shouldn't even be in the kitchen lol.

I wouldn't be grossed out, because you aren't serving food there.

Instead of the bar, why no the chair next to the bar? Or while the guests are there, on top of the dryer (while not going). Easy peasy, or on the bathroom counter.

That's very gross, but I really dislike cats and don't have ANY pets.

I think it depends if you have a cat. Pets become like part of the family. But if I was going to someone house and I saw their pets eating off of the same counters they were working off of to prepare the meal we were going to eat (regardless of if the counter is higher or not) I'd not eat. I'd be polite, but I would not eat and I would not go back to eat again. (We dont have any pets because of my kids allergies)

Wouldn't bother me at all. At the moment we have 4 cats. Since my husband and I moved in together we've had a total of 6. 2 Have passed on from old age within the last couple years. Cats are very good at keeping themselves clean. You should actually leave food out for a cat at all times so they can graze. This is more natural then feeding them at a set time or 2 in the day. They are less likely to over eat if they have a constant supply of food and fresh water. If you have dogs that prevent that from happening than you need to do what works in your house for the health of your cats.
I've seen people putting food on counters and one time on a shelf on the wall before. Doesn't bother me at all.

do you have a baby gate that you can put in the doorway where you might have a litter box or another room so they can eat? i probably wouldn't mind, but i grew up with the same thing happening with the dogs eating cat food, so we had to do the same thing. but people seem to be more finicky than i am :).

.

I wouldnt be grossed out! Cats climb on everything. its not like they are dirty and clumsy (well most of them anyways) like dogs. most cats are pretty clean.

We have two dogs and two cats in our house so I am no stranger to pets and the messes they make and how dirty they can make your house no matter how much you clean. However, I would not want my cats on the counters even if we didn't serve food there. I would probably be a little grossed out if I saw that in someone's house. That being said - if it works for you and your family isn't bothered by it - who cares? I'm sure there are people who would be grossed out by the way my dog slobbers all over the floor after he's done drinking! We love him and that's all that matters! I just always have a towel on the floor to soak up the majority of it!

I just thought I would let you know what we used to do with our cat - we had 2 Yorkies and they were always getting into the cat food/litter box, it was nasty. So we finally got ourselves a table that was just high enough so the dogs couldn't reach it and we set her litter box and the feeder on there (just make sure the table is big enough for both LOL) and that worked wonders!!! It kept the dogs out and the cat could easily leap to the table to do her business or eat. My cat only got on the counters that I knew about a few times, so I can't say whether it was gross or not LOL. But the table idea might be something you can work with :)

I am an animla lover, especially dogs, we have 3. However, if I walked in and saw cats up on a counter of some sort where I was visiting, I would probably not eat or sleep there.

My daughter loves cats but we flat out said no because cats just go everywhere in the house to hang out and I personally see it as gross. It is hard enough to keep up with 3 dogs.

Hmm, I might be in the minority here and considering I am a clean freak and neat freak this response might seem odd. But it would probably not bother me at all. My cat goes on our kitchen counters, I don't feed her there, but she lays on the kitchen table and has helped herself to food we are eating form off our plates. I do stop this when I see it happen, but it doesn't gross me out or anything. But having said that, my cat is an indoor only cat, her litter box is completely washed out and sanitized with the cleaner a vet uses after every single use, so she never steps into a dirty box nor drags any dirt around the house due to this type of litter box. It is a self cleaning, self washing box, I don't use litter at all. So, I have a very clean cat. I use human grade organic food for her only and she does est on a placemat on the floor of the kitchen but I would be fine with her eating at our table if need be. Maybe I am just eccentric or just plain weird, but no it wouldn't gross me out.

If it was dry food...I would be OK.
If it was wet food..I would cringe.
Since it's your home and makes sense to you..I would put up a funny sign, like No Dogs Allowed. Friends can help themselves...IDK...just so you don't have to explain your choices.

May I suggest you build a "cat bar" in a room that is not a common room or even in the bathroom where they can get up there but the dogs can not for food/drink puposes. My best friend has dogs and cats (2 ea also), she feeds them once a day all together ... it took some training (water bottle) but it works. As a guest I would think your allowing the cats on that surface you allow them the run of the house and I now have no idea what is clean and what is not.

Moving it a good move. Animal people might understand but why take the
chance.

I think it would be yucky to me, If you explained it and warned me ahead of time, i might be able to get over it, but ....

In the scheme of things, if you clean the counter, it's not a place where people sit and touch often or you prepare or serve food it's probably okay. If this was obvious, I wouldn't care.

I have a cat and she knows she can't get on the counters or table, even the one behind the sink in the awful bay window (whole other drama there). It really grosses me out and as we all are when we hear about a disease, no matter how rare, I'm freaked out by toxoplasma.

My MIL and FIL do the same thing for their cat.
On their bar area too...just like you.
I don't think it's a big deal...but we have 3 cats ourselves.

I live with cats who don't understand that the kitchen table is not a perch. LOL
I always just make to run them off, Clorox wipe and polish the table before guests come over.

If you are not serving food from the bar, and the cats don't saunter across your food prep or eating surfaces, I don't see a problem with it.

Love me
Love my cats
(and dogs)
(and teenager)

We have a separate table in our kitchen just for the cats' food, to keep the dogs out of it. As long as it wasn't in the food prep area, it wouldn't bother me to see cats on the counter. I would understand purr-fectly.