# Do you give your cats free rein of the house? (Counter tops and the like) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 13, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211 "2013-02-13T20:23:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/21 "2013-02-14T04:22:23Z")
By the way guys it’s _free rein_ not _free reign_. A king reigns. A horse has free reins. [Link](http://www.dailywritingtips.com/free-rein-or-free-reign/) I only know because I Googled it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/22 "2013-02-14T04:37:58Z")
Ours are allowed most places, but not the part of the kitchen counter where we prepare food. They _are_ allowed on the edge of the counter by the microwave and on top of the microwave so that they can look out the kitchen window. Fair is fair, after all. Three-fourths of our family members close their (our) bedroom doors at night, so the cats congregate on the bed of the fourth one. She’s a heavy sleeper, so she doesn’t mind, and she never, ever feeds them in the morning, so they don’t wake her up by batting her face at six in the morning, even on weekends (this is why they aren’t welcome to sleep with me anymore). ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/23 "2013-02-14T04:47:53Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > By the way guys it’s _free rein_ not _free reign_. > A king reigns. A horse has free reins. [Link](http://www.dailywritingtips.com/free-rein-or-free-reign/) > > I only know because I Googled it. 🙂 Oh, cats reign. They reign over us all! But yes, I apologize for screwing this up myself. Free rein is correct 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/24 "2013-02-14T04:51:18Z")
No kitchen table or counters, no living room tables. Those are their only off-limits areas. In our forever home we’ll have a cat shelf the length of the room w/ a window over top. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/25 "2013-02-14T04:55:32Z")
Pretty much. In fact, we have to feed Maggie on the counter, because otherwise the dog would take her food. (When we first got Annie and Luci, Luci managed to jump up on the counter the second day – and she was so tiny she’d skid across it. It was the funniest thing) ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/26 "2013-02-14T05:18:27Z")
No kitchen table or countertops. No fighting in my bedroom (erupting from the bed and throwing all participants out has done the trick there). No signs indicating that they do it when I’m not there. Not going down the cellar: total fail I’m just not spry enough to stop them when the door is open. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/27 "2013-02-14T05:30:43Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > Not going down the cellar: total fail I’m just not spry enough to stop them when the door is open. Ha. That reminds me of when I took my oldest cat to my parents house over a decade ago, at Christmastime, for a couple days. Unbeknownst to me, they had taken the basement door off its hinges so the stairway down was open. [Noodle](http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/19355_100240580011638_7573331_n.jpg) went exploring after I let him out of the bedroom and then disappeared. I was like, “where’s the cat?” and they remembered the basement door. I called him and went down to the base of the stairs and he came strolling up to me with a trail of cobwebs starting at his ears and hanging off him like a bride’s veil. Hilarious and gross at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/28 "2013-02-14T05:59:22Z")
Yeah, the basement and attic are off-limits. A couple times one of them has gotten in one or the other and had to be lured out with food. Particularly the basement – they can get between the floor boards, and it’s just too dangerous. The last time it was Annie, and we had to give her a bath, she was absolutely filthy. It’s a shame because we get the occassional mouse. But it’s not worth the risk. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/29 "2013-02-14T06:02:40Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > Free rein. Fridge, beds, whatever. With two dogs, we can’t leave her food on the floor, so her food and water are on the kitchen counter. > > She’s a free range cat with no litterbox, so I don’t freak out about cat paw germs. Then again, I don’t eat off the counter either.😃 :dubious: Your outdoor cat roams through gumdrop fields and candy cane forests? I’m pretty sure they don’t have a bidet out there! Or if I interpret another way, you don’t care/think about cat germs, thus you don’t mind letting her out. …then the instant I type this, with paperwork in my lap, the littlest cat jumps right on top of it all with her stinky feet. Normally she’s not the biggest lap cat, but today… sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/30 "2013-02-14T06:54:44Z")
If there was even the smallest atom-sized chance I would ever get a cat… …this thread stomped it out good and proper. Next thread: spraying. ---
**Author:** ![missouri65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@missouri65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missouri65)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/31 "2013-02-14T13:12:02Z")
No counters. For two reasons. I was afraid that he would walk on the stove when he was a kitten, so he wasn’t allowed on the counters at all. I also did not allow him in the kitchen when I was cooking for fear of spilling something hot on him. We’ve moved to a house with a much larger kitchen, so he’s allowed in there as long as he doesn’t get underfoot, but I’ve never had any reason to think he’s broken the no counters rule. I use my kitchen and dining room tables so rarely, I don’t mind wiping them down before. I free feed and make a point of refilling right before bed. I have an alarm clock, and my cat is not allowed to wake me up. Several years ago someone decided to give me a kitten as a present. He didn’t blend into my household very well, so he lives with my parents, though I still consider him my cat. They let him go anywhere he wants, including counters, the mantle, and their faces while they are sleeping. He also wakes them at 5 am by slapping them in the face. I hope he never has to come live with me… ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/32 "2013-02-14T15:37:47Z")
My cats used to go anywhere and everywhere. One of them used to pose as a centerpiece during dinner. Then I got married. Now they aren’t allowed: outside, on countertops, in bedrooms, on couches, on coffeetables, on carpet, on laps which are on couches or beds, etc. They stay off the countertops. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/33 "2013-02-14T15:47:01Z")
When I was younger, our cats has free roam of anywhere they could get to. Our last cat wasn’t “allowed” on the kitchen surfaces but whenever you’d wake up at 3am and walk into the hallway, you’d often hear a “thump” from the kitchen as the cat jumped down from the Forbidden Territory. I think he just went up there then because he could. I can’t imagine he was seriously that interested in the toaster, dish detergent or bottles of olive oil. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/34 "2013-02-14T16:05:16Z")
Give your cats free rein? GIVE your cats? You don’t GIVE a cat anything. Cats take what they want. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/35 "2013-02-14T16:09:03Z")
My cats aren’t really attracted to the counters because they have two tables for themselves, conveniently stocked with fresh food and water. Sometimes they watch me cook from the top of the washer/dryer stack but mostly they aren’t interested unless there’s a hunk of meat on the stove. THEN I fight them off! ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/36 "2013-02-14T16:14:15Z")
Our cats stay off the perimeter kitchen counters, but love the kitchen island. As much as you try and keep them off, they will only jump right back up when you are gone or aren’t looking. I tried aluminum foil, double sided tape and spraying them with water. They don’t care, knock it over or go around it. The island is not a primary cooking spot, we mostly use it to throw mail and other stuff on. The cats like to sleep on that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/37 "2013-02-14T16:32:44Z")
No tables or counters. I’m sure it happens on occasion when we’re not home or during the night, but they know better than to do it when we’re around. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/38 "2013-02-14T16:43:40Z")
My cat knows he’s not allowed on the table if we’re eating, or on the kitchen counters if I’m in there working. Other than that he’s got the run of the place, and I just wipe everything down before eating or cooking. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/39 "2013-02-14T16:53:43Z")
I disagree with the title of this thread. It should be: “Do your cats give you free rein of the house?” ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211/40 "2013-02-14T16:57:52Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > My cat knows he’s not allowed on the table if we’re eating, or on the kitchen counters if I’m in there working. Other than that he’s got the run of the place, and I just wipe everything down before eating or cooking. Since this is what I was going to say, I’ll just quote it and say, “this”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-your-cats-free-rein-of-the-house-counter-tops-and-the-like/650211.md?page=3)