From: ac999257@umbc.edu (ac999257)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cat on Counters, HELP
Date: 25 Jan 1993 18:09:26 -0500
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus
NNTP-Posting-Host: umbc8.umbc.edu

In article <1993Jan25.183826.6632@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> rkn3u@kelvin.seas.Virginia.EDU (Keith Norwood) writes:
>
>>We do have a responsibility to provide our cats with a loving home and 
>>as healthy a life as possible. We do not, necessarily have the 
>>responsibility to make them conform to our way of life -- we just 
>>like doing it.
>
>You last statement is interesting!  We don't have to make them conform
>but it works out that way.  I don't like to make them conform but sometimes
>it is necessary.  After all, they are living in my house.  If they're on
>the counter playing with food, I'm going to TRAIN them not to.  It's as
>simple as that.  If they were paying the bills and feeding me, I couldn't 
>say shit.  
>
>When you neuter/spay/declaw/train your cat, you're making it conform to 
>your way of life.   

As I said, we do not have the responsibility to make them conform to our
way of life -- we just do it! There is NO law of nature that says
humans will neuter/spay/declaw/train cats. In order for us to have
cats as pets, we find it convenient to do such things. The only
responsibility that we have is that when we adopt a cat and bring
it into our home, we must provide it with a healthy loving environment.
It is up to the adopter to decide how to do that and whether or not
to neuter/spay/declaw/train the cat. If the adopter prefers that their
cat not jump on countertops, the adopter has every right to TRAIN
them not to because it's the adopter's countertops! But it is in no
way anyone's *responsibility* to make such behavior modifications.
It is simply the adopter's choice. Making an animal conform to your
behavioral standards is your *choice*, not a *necessity* of life. I would
think you would prefer that since I'm sure there would be a ton of
people who disagree with your decision to keep your cats off your
countertops, particularly since chances of you contracting any illness
from your cats walking on the countertop is no greater than the risk
you've brought on yourself simply by having the cat in the first place.

If you don't want your cats on your countertops, that is your *CHOICE*,
and it's not a choice that I disagree with. But saying that it is
an owner's responsibility to keep their cats of the countertops is
wrong. 

This entire countertop controversy is the most ridiculous issue I
have yet seen concerning cats (this isn't directed at you, Keith,
but rather at everyone who seems to take a hardline stance on either 
side of the issue). The most common reason people give for not
wanting cats on countertops is that "no paw that touched litter
will touch my food". Another favorite is cleanliness and fear of
some ghastly communicable disease. I don't know about the rest of
you, but I pick my cats up, hug them, play with them, and allow
them to sit on my lap and sleep in my bed. I also scoop out the
litter daily. When I prepare food, I always wipe the countertop 
and very little if any food ever really touches the countertop 
anyhow. Now tell me, where am I at a greater risk from contracting
some illness from my cat or coming into contact with (GASP) litter?
The reason I keep the cats off the countertops, as well as all
shelves, tables, etc. is that I don't want them knocking things
off and I'd like to cut down on the flow of hair in the kitchen
as much as possible (a ridiculous hope!). But the only other
legitimate reason is cleanliness habits, which is a human personality
trait and not a feline issue, IMHO!!

Mary