Good thing I swallowed my coffee before I came to this statement.
"(I haven't coughed up any hairballs yet)".
I grew up with pets and still have a dog so I am sure I have injested some pet hair.

I'm not bothered by the occasional hair from my own dog, and I'd probably feel the same way about a few select other dogs. But anything that can be described as constantly picking out hairs is definitely unacceptable.

"A person's hair would bother me more than a dog hair, however, because they should know better."

I do know better, but my hair is thinning faster than I would like and it does gross me out when I find it in the kitchen. I take precautions like others by tying my hair back when I cook, using a lint roller etc, but animal or human, "hair happens".

"Lars - dogs aren't meant to live outside. They aren't an "outside" animal."
Some dogs are meant to live outside, such as livestock guardian dogs. They live with the flock. But, most are pets and are members of the family.

"and cats do not smell the way dogs do."
A smelly dog is one that never gets a bath.

"I'm tolerant of cats..."
Hee, hee, hee, hee...I'm sorry...it's typically the other way around...cats tolerate people...

Like Noinwi, no hair ball coughs from me either and I have always had cats and dogs. And I can't say I have ever found animal hair in my cooking either. Dylan the dog is part Maltese, so no shedding from him, and BearCat is strickly indoors. He is solid white and the risk of skin cancer is too high to let him out. When I had Skyes or GSD either, nor at anyones home.

But just in case I do, I have a large pasta bowl that has "the cook is not responible for dog hair in the food" written on the rim. Always gets a chuckle from guests at dinner.

For those that have hairball issues, 1/2 teaspoon of mineral oil in thier food solves the problem. It coats objects and lets them pass via the back way. No midnight Urps.......

I sure don't freak out....but I don't eat at anyone's house who has more than 2 cats...and yes they get on the counters. I figure I don't see a lot of what goes on behind the scene in a restaurant, so I don't freak out about perople's houses.
And Lars....you need to get a poodle. Soft, fine fur, no odor.....and I take my baby to the beauty parlor every month to get styled.

Linda, would you really turn down a dinner invitation if the host had more than 2 cats? I've never heard that before. I wonder if it's a common sentiment.

Chi - I took Linda's comment to mean none of her hosts happen to have more than two cats. But I could be wrong. :-)

I loved Mudlady's and others' responses that showed how much this stuff in really just in our minds. We'll eat off our own floors if no one is looking, but would be grossed out to eat off someone else's floor. Right?

Like I said earlier, for me the issue with pet hair - or human hair - comes down to frequency. It happens. Not nice, but it happens. If it's a recurring theme in your kitchen, then you should really do something about it. Especially when you're feeding guests.

Oooh, okay, yeah you could read it either way.

I took LindaC's comment the same way you did Chi.
I'm hoping it means that none of her friends have more than 2 cats and not the way we took it.

Cute dog, Linda!

Hot dog anyone? (Sorry if it's a bit furry.)

Yes! so much so, that I don't eat at my best friends house. Cats are on the counter there. Often. One cat used to live up on top of the top kitchen cabinets. YUCK!

Any hair in food grosses me out.

No, I don't have pets, and I won't get a pet ever! I have to many pet allergies.

Yes, I do take allergy meds when I go to my friends house.

Moni

For me it's a matter of quantity, I suppose. If I find one hair in my coffee cup, I shrug and fish it out. if I find a dozen hairs in my coffee cup it's time to get a different cup.

Cooper is a Sheltie and has long hair. I find that easier to find and fish out of my coffee cup than when Pancho, Elery's chihuahua was alive. He had that short hair that got everywhere and he shed way more than Cooper does.
o I brush Coper everyday to keep the shedding under control and vacuum daily and I'm careful about food prep, but it's going to happen. And, if you have a cat, it gets on your counter, trust me. I had an 18 pound cat who was blind in one eye and deaf in one ear. He was far too lazy and fat to jump, I was certain and I never saw him on anything, including the couch. One day, though, I came home to find him napping on the dining room table. Ashley told me that she'd caught him a couple of times too so unless he learned to nap on the table sometime after we'd had him for 12 years, he'd been on the table more than once.

As for what cats have on their feet before they walk on your counters, well, whatever is in their litter box is what's on their feet, along with anything else they've walked on or dug in. It's pretty much a given if you think about it.

Remember, though, I'm a farm girl who has kissed a horse on the mouth and ate a cricket on a dare so a stray pet hair probably isn't going to cause me too much consternation. As I said, a dozen is going to make me more careful about what I ingest at your house but it won't necessarily gross me out.

You don't even WANT to know what goes on in restaurant kitchens or you'd never eat out again!

Annie

Yeah....I have no friends....currently....who have more than 2 cats. One friend had 3, but one kitty went to that great cat-nip patch in the sky.
Frankly I am a lot more creeped out by people who serve boxed mashed potatoes and shake a bunch of chicken nuggets out of a bag for their kids than by any animal hair I might find floating in my coffee cup.

Uggh Lindac, so true. What is with the chicken nuggets? They've become standard fare for children. And Gerber makes those little toddler meals- same amount of sodium as McDonalds french fries, but do people know this? No. It says "toddler" on it, so it must be just right! I'm a dog person through and through. My Eskie just had a puppy and cleans up after her when she does her business. I don't know what that has to do with any of this but I would like to believe that she'll do that forever.

This is just the most amazing forum....I never know what I will find when I check in. Don't post much but read/lurk almost everyday.
I have almost always had a dog or two. Currently I am owned by one tiny Maltese. Never owned a cat but I have family and friends who do.
But the most amazing thing about this whole conversation is I have never ever even thought about animal fur getting in my food. Just never occurred to me. So I guess ignorance is bliss.
I just love all of you for bringing so much "new knowledge" and "diversity" to my life. Thank you! Thank you......:)
Murphy
Oh....btw, I guess I have been more worried about the food itself and where it comes from...will have to be more diligent in the future.

It would be an ugly world if every animal and every person were hairless. ;) However, I still prefer my food to be so.

"It would be an ugly world if every animal and every person were hairless. ;) However, I still prefer my food to be so."

Amen to that!

Alexa

Ynnej, I think she'll do it until the puppy eats food. She's trying to make sure predators don't sniff out her whelping box.

I agree with barnmom!

Big GAG here, can't even read the post with out the gag reflex.
No pets upstairs for us. 3 cats in the basement that has kitchen counter which always has cat prints, liter pieces and hair in between wipe downs. No way that a cat doesnt climb on a counter when folks are out of the house. Those critters have lots of folks fooled :)

Call me finicky!

This is a very interesting thread! !
I am amazed, as always,
At all the different (and sometimes far-fetched) ideas!

We've been animal lovers all our lives.
Almost always have one or two dogs,
And have had a cat on occasion, too.
'Furry food' has never been a problem.
An occasional dog or cat hair in my coffee or food
Doesn't bother me in the least.
Perhaps growing up on a farm amidst
cows, horses, pigs & chickens
Has something to do with this.

"Frankly I am a lot more creeped out by people who serve boxed mashed potatoes and shake a bunch of chicken nuggets out of a bag for their kids than by any animal hair I might find floating in my coffee cup."

Agreed ! ! !
One hundred percent ! ! ! !

Rusty

Trudy, you keep your cats in the basement? When do they get to interact with the family?

We have two cats, both long haired and we also have a feral cat that comes in occasionally to eat but doesn't stay long.

I have had cats in the past that would get up on counters, but Abby and Monty have never been counter cats. But they do have the run of the house and sleep on our bed, guest bed, living room furniture and Abby likes to be on the computer desk with me. They are part of the family and treated as such. Needless to say, with Himalayan cats, cat hair is always a problem.

Trudy, my thinking is along the line of AnnT's when I read your post. Are they relegated to the basement with no human contact? If they aren't part of the family, why have them at all?

Our cats are allowed on the furniture, sleep with us, they can do what they want. 2 long-haired and a short-haired, cat hair is a way of life on our clothing, and the carpets. (The long-hairs are easy, just pick it up in a clump). I have however, never ever seen any in our food.

Years ago, I had a job that involved a lot of knocking on the door of strangers, and often I would be invited in while we talked.
In one house the woman was fixing dinner while I sat at the kitchen table.....and on the counter was a bowl with 2 turtles. They were front feet on the edge of the bowl obviously begging for some food. She said they got them as those tiny baby turtles several years back, and apparently cared for them well and they grew and liked to be fed a piece of hamburger now and then. All I could think of was SALMONELLA!!!
Turtles on the counter, feeding them bits of hamburger as you are making meat loaf?? EWWW!!
Linda C

Our cats have been(squirt bottle)trained(we like to think) to stay off the kitchen counters...at least when we're awake. Who knows where they go when we're sleeping. The counter gets wiped down every morning in any case.
One of our cats will briefly jump up on various shelves and surfaces just to get our attention...he knows it will get us out of our chairs and looking at him(negative attention is better than no attention). He either wants food, to go outside, or to play with his fishing pole(string on a stick). He will drag it around(sometimes up onto the computer desk)until one of us finally plays with him. I guess he has us trained too.

I rescue cats. At any given time I have atleast 3 in my home and a few in my sons home. I have feral colonies outside that I take care. I live on 35 acres so this is a favorite place for TNR places to relocate them too. I also have a large dog.

I can honestly tell you cat food in our food has never been a problem. I have yet to hear my husband or other family member cough up a hair ball. :) I am always the family member who is volunteered to cook holiday dinners and that usually consists of atleast 22 people. No one has ever complained and I would think if they were freaked out about the cats they would volunteer someone else to cook or go somewhere else.

I recently had someone come over to my house and after being here for a bit saw one of my cats. They exclaimed Oh my god you have cats? I would have never known had I not seen one. Your house isn't catty. I knew what she meant as I have went to rescue cats from other homes and it is very apparent that there are cats in the home.

Cats are actually very clean animals it is their owners who usually aren't. That is when you get into the smell and hair problems. If the owner isn't proactive in keeping boxes clean and cats brushed and things wiped down then you start having problems.

I will admit I know some people who have cats that I would not eat in their home. It isn't just because they have cats it is the fact that their housekeeping is not to my standard. I also have other friends who have cats that I would eat off their floors because I know there isn't anything on there that isn't already on my floor.

No cat hair in food here - and I will admit to not being the best housekeeper. I brush my cats daily and sometimes twice. They bring me the brush and are usually sitting at the top of the steps when I come home. Not all cats will jump on counters. Mine don't because cats are totally trainable. And mine also fetch whatever I toss for them. I can say "who wants to play fetch" and both cats come running. I have trained all 7 cats I have owned to play fetch just to prove to people that cats are not stupid. One of my cats - Spike - will get the leash when I say "who wants to go for a walk?" I had a Maine Coon about almost 30 years ago that would do the same thing. He would get the leash and sit by the door.

Would I be upset if I found a cat hair in my food? Hmmmmm.... I should be more upset that Wally wakes me up every morning by licking my face. For all I know he has just licked his butt.

What a funny thread this is!

I have five cats, well five and a half. Mama and uncle were feral. Four kittens are not. My cats do go outside but spend equal time inside. Some like the counters, some don't. We keep a spray bottle of lysol and a roll of paper towels out.

There is more of DBF's hair around than anything. I've gotten used to his hair. Every time he cooks there is hair on the stove and counter top. I find his hair stuck in the coffee can lid, stuck to the bathroom walls, etc. etc. etc.. But I have never once noticed a cat hair in food. We are constantly washing our hands in the kitchen.

I do not like to eat at restaurants. Have gotten sick several times from eating at restaurants. Don't remember ever getting sick from something we've cooked at home. You NEVER know what is in the food at any restaurant.

jasdip we have a family room in the basement and I also grow hosta seedlings in the basement during the winter....It's were we are at all the time. They are very well loved fur babes, and dont know they are animals! They are spoiled rotten!

Spoiled rotten but not allowed upstairs as I am allergic to the dander, but love them anyway!

Oh I'm so glad Trudy!! You failed to mentioned it was a "finished" basement! LOL

I can relate in your "don't know they are animals!"

I went to a cat show. It was interesting there were so many visitors wearing face masks/breathing gears.

I was fascinated by Sphynx cats.

dcarch

Thanks everyone for all the replies. I have learned a lot and again I apologize if I offended any cat owners. It is not the cat's fault that there is hair not only in the food but everywhere else. Obviously my friend is not the best house cleaner. She needs one of those animal hair vacuum cleaners. When I come home I have to change my clothes because I am covered in long fine cat hair.
LOL
Clare

Our cats have all been short-haired, and I don't remember ever finding their fur in our food. However, they do, occasionally, check out the kitchen counters. My mom would have been horrified, but to me, it's a losing battle and the restriction is not worth the futile effort to enforce. Maybe it *should* bother me, but it really doesn't. Anyway, I always wipe down the counter before preparing food, and I don't put food in direct contact with the counter--it's always on a cutting board or paper towels.

One time, I set the table early, and Sassy said she was ready for dinner. (Yes, I did replace that dish!)

Sue

I want my food free from any kind of hair. My cats (and dogs) and for that matter most everyone I know also don't allow the critters on counters & tables and for the most part, there's no problems with it.

I'm far more grossed out though by babies and purses being on food prep and serving areas. They're far dirtier than any animal's paws.

OMG Sue!! That is just Tooooo funny (and cute)!

Sue - That is funny!!! Your cat looks like my sister's (also Sue) cat called Tommy Girl.
Clare

cynic, I agree about the purses. I know a lot of people who put their purses on the floor of the car, on the floor in public bathrooms, on the floor in restaurants, on the ground, etc.

Then they take that same purse and plop it on the table or counter where they eat and prepare food and I think "why don't they just take their shoes off and stick them in the middle of the counter, they've been in many of the same places".

Annie

My purse stays on the floor from now on! I get so annoyed when the stall in the bathroom has no place to hang your bag.

My MIL had a Doberman and she used to say that the only spot that didn't have hair in the house was the inside of the eggs.

Cat hair on your food? Just think of it as garnish.

Jim

I have some personal issues--who doesn't?--but I am pretty scarred. The emotional comfort and the simple diversion I receive from my pets is far better than any prescription drug. I think I let my cats do almost anything they please because I am so grateful to them for being so good for me. I have never caught any illness from my cats or dogs and as long as I don't get sick from them, other than allergies, I will continue to be lax about disciplining them. If I cook for someone else, which is done only rarely, I am scrupulously clean. After all, I am a terrible germ freak when it comes to other people and their pets.

Jim - your comment made me laugh so hard my cats came running to see what was up!

Teresa

April said everything that I wanted to say! For me, it's more about the owner's cleanliness than the cat(s) hair. I have a friend with just one cat and I would not want to eat at her house.

I've had cats and I have a dog, I have friends with both. I have never in my life found a pet hair in my food. Don't people know about Roombas and Swiffers?

I've read enuf of these comments to justify what I already suspected about most cat owners... they are indeed very delusional in assuming they're furry prisoners would not do what they are hard wired to do (mark territory & explore heights) when left home alone. I witnessed many cats counter and table surfing hellbent on marking everything human hands have touched, from patron bottles to wooden mallets to coffee machines and after much thought I liken these irrational owners to ciggarette smokers who light up near babies or wherever their selfish addiction takes them I think good people waste too much time watering down the truth for ignorant or irrational people so I happily share my view why I will not take another bite of their food or that they are smoking in smoke free area and walk away. a valued friend will take the time to explore reason and commonsense

Hahaha, and that is all part of being a pet owner. Don't limit your disgust to just cats, dogs counter-surf as well. Sadly you're missing out on the unlimited joy a pet brings you. To each their own. And, I've never ever had cat hair in my food.

"I happily share my view why I will not take another bite of their food"

I would guess that after that happens, there isn't a second dinner invitation from those friends.

Goodbakerllc - the next time you eat your favorite peanut butter, keep in mind that the FDA allows an average of 30 fragments of insects and rodent hair per 100 grams of peanut butter, and that the FDA has other such permissible amounts of hair and insects in other processed/canned/bagged food you might eat. Give me cat and dog hair any day.

Yup, it's "particulate matter" and it's in all commercial food. I'm assuming you bake? Know what's in commercial flour?

WHEAT FLOUR Insect filth: Average of 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams Rodent filth: Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams.

Like a nice lasagna? MACARONI AND NOODLE PRODUCTS Insect filth: Average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples Rodent filth: Average of 4.5 rodent hairs or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples.

Well, you get my point. You can check it all out here, this is what's allowed: https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/SanitationTransportation/ucm056174.htm

And so I garden and can my own vegetables, at least I have organic insect parts! (grin)

Annie

I am not quite sure what you mean by marking everything? Do you mean rubbing their face or actually spraying items? There is a huge difference between the 2 and if they are spraying that is the owners fault for not having them fixed. You can also have the vet put them on prozac. I would also be disgusted by that.

I have quite a few cats always have, always will and I can honestly tell you what you are describing is not the norm and no I am not delusional. It just sounds like you don't like them which is fine and is your choice.

You lumping all smoker's into a group who smoke around babies or in smoke free environments or all cat owners having cats constantly marking everything seems a bit irrational and delusional. While you will find many people like that, you will find many more who aren't. That would be like me lumping all people who have a cocktail at dinner or stop at a bar on the way home for a cocktail as drunk drivers.

Wow, igoodbakerllc, ignorant, irrational and delusional? Not the way to get people to consider your viewpoints. Also, why revive a thread that was inactive for more than 5 years?