Do you let your pets eat off your plates, bowls, etc?

[a1tinkfans]

It’s gross as are cats walking across kitchen counters and tables imho.
I love pets, I have had many pets but I draw the line at plate licking or eating.
eek!

 

[Moliphino]

The onions and garlic alone, which are base ingredients in practically everything I cook, mean most of the foods we eat are unsafe for them. Even foods that aren’t toxic can still cause GI issues if those foods aren’t a regular part of their diet. I don’t have some strict policy that they can never ever have a single bite of “people food,” it’s just that I don’t see any good reason to give it so I don’t go out of my way to offer it.

The same is true of dog foods. The Rachael Ray canned food gave my dogs horrible stomach issues and they can't eat the Kirkland turkey dog food every day without getting diarrhea. Table scraps have never given them as many problems as those two foods. They clean our plates and finish up our leftovers on a daily basis.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

The same is true of dog foods. The Rachael Ray canned food gave my dogs horrible stomach issues and they can't eat the Kirkland turkey dog food every day without getting diarrhea. Table scraps have never given them as many problems as those two foods. They clean our plates and finish up our leftovers on a daily basis.

Sure, any food can disagree with any animal (or person). My pets’ regular diet doesn’t make them sick and I don’t have any desire to go out of my way to give them things that might. They’ll have to get their table scraps the way nature intended — scavenging for day-old bits of mashed potato under the baby’s high chair.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This whole "people food" concept is always interesting to me.... what does everyone think domestic dogs and cats ate before kibble was invented less than 100 years ago...? [eta] I mean yeah, there's certain things that aren't great for them but I don't get why they can't have real food ever. Train them they only get it at their dish.

Speaking more towards cats they are not domesticated in the sense that dogs are; they can more easily fend for themselves in the wild as they've retained more of their baser instincts.

But real food and people food aren't necessarily the same at least the way many people talk about them. The way many people talk about People food would mean it would often deprives the animals of nutritional needs or contains toxic ingredients. Cats for instance cannot survive on a non-meat diet. In the wild they will hunt and kill for fresh meat. But they aren't hunting cake lol and their diets don't consist of salads or other greens.

Our cat eats a combo of wet and dry food. The wet food is either turkey or chicken variety and while our cat is hardly picky about his food surprisingly he like pate and not chunks with gravy. I've tried freeze-dried treats that were potatoes and chicken and he did not like it at all but if I gave him raw chicken he would be fine. But putting chicken on a plate sautéed with minced garlic (a common ingredient in foods we make) would be toxic to our cat. That would be to me an example of people food whereas raw chicken on a plate would be an example of real food. Semantics perhaps but usually people food is a term to describe food we eat as a whole that could not be construed as safe and nutritional for our pets in lieu of food designated for them.

 

[LSUmiss]

I worked with a guy who was one of the biggest germaphobes around. He would keep his desk immaculately clean and would use hand sanitzer frequently throughout the day - even before COVID. I found out that they would let their cat walk around on their kitchen counters. That just made no sense to me. To each his own, I guess.

You are much more likely to get sick from other ppl than pets (just see Covid). It might gross your out, but you most likely won’t get sick.

 

[tasha99]

My cats eat off of our saucers. We don't use them for human food, but I voted yes since technically they are part of our dish set.

 

[CT Yankee]

You are much more likely to get sick from other ppl than pets (just see Covid). It might gross your out, but you most likely won’t get sick.

Agreed - I'm thinking more about how the same paws that just shuffled around in a litter box are walking on top of a food preparation area. Just struck me as odd that someone so concerned about germs would be ok with that.

 

[CT Yankee]

I would be too concerned about how much salt, fat, sugar or ingredients that are toxic to dogs may be in the food that I prepare. The dog food we provide her has all the nutrients she needs. On rare occasions, I will give her "people" food, but it is usually something that does not have anything added to it (like a hardboiled egg) and will put it in her dog dish.

Also - my dog spends a fair amount of time licking her private parts. I don't want that same tongue touching my plates. I know, the dishwasher should wash all of that away but it's just a mental block for me. It's also the same reason I don't let my dog give me "kisses" on my face.

 

[C&Jx2]

I used to let my dog lick the egg yolk off of plate when I was finished. It was his very favorite treat until his last day on this earth. No regrets.

 

[C&Jx2]

Luckily my parents put a shopping bag in it first

 

[LSUmiss]

Agreed - I'm thinking more about how the same paws that just shuffled around in a litter box are walking on top of a food preparation area. Just struck me as odd that someone so concerned about germs would be ok with that.

True but I think most germaphopes are afraid of getting sick & it’s not really about cleanliness. Since he wouldn’t likely get sick from this, I guess it doesn’t strike me as that odd.

 

[EMom]

I wouldn’t even think to do that, unless I noticed something was visibly dirty.

I washed the dishes, prior to use, in every condo we have every stayed in.

 

[EMom]

Based on the comments here I think people would be grossed out to find out I don't wash the dishes/pots/silverware/glasses in the DVC kitchen before using them!

I have washed the dishes, prior to use, in every condo we have every stayed in.

 

[CT Yankee]

True but I think most germaphopes are afraid of getting sick & it’s not really about cleanliness. Since he wouldn’t likely get sick from this, I guess it doesn’t strike me as that odd.

That makes sense for germaphobes but this guy was fastidious and he was all about the cleanliness as well.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Our dishwasher is quiet, but I swear the dog has phenomenal hearing when it comes to hearing the dishwasher door being opened.

That reminds me of a memory about our first Golden Retriever. Picture this - I'm in the kitchen, wife in the master bedroom off the kitchen with the TV on and the daughter in the living room on the other side of the kitchen with the stereo on - somewhat loud too. Somehow over that noise he heard me making a peanut butter sandwich. I really miss him and the Golden that followed after him - they were great pets and companions.

I still remember the best prayer ever - Lord, please help me be as good as my dog thinks I am.

 

[RedAngie]

Our cat has his own cat dish for his dry food, but he uses a "human" plate for his wet food because he gets it everywhere!

He doesn't get human food, so he doesn't lick our plates.

Same. The cat has her own bowl for dry food. She used to have her own plate for wet food, but it broke several years ago and I never replaced it. So now she eats wet food off of a “human” dessert plate.

 

[Eeyore daily]

My last cat would swipe food off our plates for herself which I'm sure people would find gross.

As for my dogs, of course, they get the plates to lick after dinner. Best dishwashers ever!

 

[disneygirlsng]

Absolutely mine do! Don't see an issue at all, other than a harmful food of course.

 

[mrodgers]

I wouldn’t even think to do that, unless I noticed something was visibly dirty.

I wouldn't either because we would have brought our own paper plates and cups and such ourselves