Can someone who loves cats explain to me how so many cat owners seem okay with letting it walk all over the surfaces they eat from after it walks all over a box of sandy cat piss?
I've never cared for that and have negotiated with my cats to not do this (generally carried out with a spray bottle). My most recent cat recognized the concept well enough that when I moved to new places (which happened with some regularity) he recognized the concept of "kitchen counter" as "place I'm not allowed". Similarly dining room table, though he was allowed on my desk.
Of course, in actuality the cat possibly learned to not be on the counter or table around you. What they do when you're not around or sleeping is an entirely other question.
It's a legitimate question. I have mixed feelings about it myself, but not to the point that I've bothered to train the cats to stay off the counters. Mostly I just avoid putting food directly on the surfaces the cats touch. It's not that hard, really.
We don't "let them". Cats do whatever they want, we just have to adjust our lives and living spaces such that they don't have the opportunity to do anything too destructive.
But for what it's worth they clean themselves constantly, and cat litter is incredibly absorptive.
(a) Cats are quite fastidious and will avoid stepping on soiled litter.
(b) I eat off of a plate, actually. The cats are not allowed to walk on the plates. If you just pour your Cheerios all over the table and then lick them up, yeah, probably not a good idea to own cats.
