# I pit the restaurant with a cat **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 21, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866 "2008-11-21T17:17:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/61 "2008-11-22T14:24:46Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Amazing. Nothing like having the people from Zagat show up at your restaurant and see a cat roaming around! That was just a review from a member of the Zagat website, not actually someone from Zagat. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/62 "2008-11-22T14:25:35Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Turkish restaurant, you say. > > I read something once about how cats are revered in Turkey. Had to do with the spirit of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, as I recall. Perhaps the presumably Turkish owners of the restaurant are loathe to evict the cat for cultural reasons. Yeah, for whatever reason, the Turks are just crazy about their kitties. When I visited Turkey a couple of years back, I found that cats were omnipresent. Of course, I’m nuts about the unsanitary little furballs myself, so I love the idea! [Cat in pizza place.](http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/8445/dyr11ac7.jpg) See, they’ll even join you for dinner. [Cat in a bar.](http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/7940/dyr4rx5.jpg) [Turkish Angora in a carpet shop.](http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/3186/dyr1jk4.jpg) If you’re looking for a refund because of cat hair on your newly purchased Turkish rug, you’re not likely to find much sympathy in Istanbul. ---
**Author:** ![Rack-a-Bones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rack-a-Bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rack-a-Bones)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/63 "2008-11-22T22:20:44Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > It was an obscure joke. Sorry 'bout that. _Joey, have you ever seen a grown man naked?_ I’ve never seen a cat in a bar around here. Plenty of dogs but no cats. Saw a parrot once. **psychonaut** , though I tend to find ferrets weird and their owners even weirder, that picture was freaking awesome and I would SO go to a bar where one of the regulars is a “lesbain with a ferret.” I think I would have some good conversations in a place like that. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/64 "2008-11-22T23:04:29Z")
> [@Peak Banana](#): > > Yeah, for whatever reason, the Turks are just crazy about their kitties. When I visited Turkey a couple of years back, I found that cats were omnipresent. Of course, I’m nuts about the unsanitary little furballs myself, so I love the idea! That’s probably less to do with the Turks’ mythical love of cats than the lack of funding for animal control. Stray animals are a common sight in lots of developing countries. My own fuzzball, [Max](http://pics.livejournal.com/postmoderngirl/pic/0004r3ra) was a tiny kitten when I adopted him off the street in my village in Bulgaria. Now, I wasn’t in Turkey, obviously, but Bulgaria is VERY strongly influenced by Turkish culture (they neighbor each other, Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire for 500 years, and there’s a large ethnically Turkish minority in Bulgaria; my municipality was about 40% ethnically Turkish) and peoples’ reactions to my treatment of Max ranged from amusement to horror. It was hilarious that I fed him actual cat food and let him sleep in my bed, and horrible that I didn’t let him go outside and had him fixed, which is apparently a “violation of nature”. I guess have streets full of homeless cats is better? I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/65 "2008-11-23T03:35:16Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > It was an obscure joke. Sorry 'bout that. :shrug: > [@Peak Banana](#): > > Cat in pizza place. See, they’ll even join you for dinner. That is SO cute! The situation is similar in some/many small Israeli towns, by the way. I stopped in a small seaside town once and stray cats were walking around everywhere, like people, just going about their business. All were well-fed and happy. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/66 "2008-11-23T14:46:50Z")
I pit the restaurant with a cat. I’d never eat at a place like that. Though they don’t serve green ham and eggs, I’ll bet that kitty breaks health regs. Though I’d not invoke Death with scythe, I do question the use of “with.” Now “with” can mean accompaniment Or means or manner may be its intent. “I pit the restaurant using a cat”? If so, your post would look like that --------------\> rjejwwewqrwr4wwrw “I pit the bistro with cat-like style”? “When you say that, podnuh, you’d best smile.” Most cats have far more style than you; For that matter, so does Hal Briston’s ewe! “I pit it with my act as aide”? No wonder, then, you can’t get laid! I do not like this feline pit. I do not like one bit of it. I do not like it on this board; I do not like it in a fjord. You might have asked it in GQ Or is that just too much for you? With all the hate on this earthly sphere Your issue’s cats? Get out of here! And if you think my scansion’s loose, Too bad! I’m sure not Dr. Seuss! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/67 "2008-11-23T17:18:01Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Quit making shit up. ;p “ **leander** impersonation - you’re doing it wrong” ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/68 "2008-11-23T19:07:58Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > “ **leander** impersonation - you’re doing it wrong” Googleboy Sez: [Return to the Source - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_To_The_Source) ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/69 "2008-11-23T19:40:16Z")
Years ago my favorite neighborhood Italian place in NYC, a little basement bistro, had a nice fat white kitty who blended in with the decor. One day I came in and there was no kitty. Health department said no. Still a good place, but it closed awhile after. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/70 "2008-11-23T19:49:09Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Years ago my favorite neighborhood Italian place in NYC, a little basement bistro, had a nice fat white kitty who blended in with the decor. One day I came in and there was no kitty. Health department said no. Still a good place, but it closed awhile after. ☹ Some asshole probably complained. It’s so nice to live in such a sterile world no? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/71 "2008-11-23T20:16:44Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Googleboy Sez: [Return to the Source - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_To_The_Source) Would that be the mystic Source of the Druids, now:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/72 "2008-11-23T23:43:06Z")
> [@Hostile\_Dialect](#): > > I searched for “cats in Turkey” on Wikipedia with no real luck, then Googled it and ended up on webshots looking at pictures of cats in Turkey, and then I realized that all I was really looking for was cute pictures of kitties. So here are some gratuitous pictures of Turkish cats: Istanbul is Catstantinople. Why is Catstantinople free of rats? That’s nobody’s business but the cats’. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/73 "2008-11-23T23:53:50Z")
One of our favorite Bangkok restaurants, a French creperie called Crepes and Co., has a beautiful chocolate-colored cat named Crepe. Or used to; haven’t seen him for a while ☹ . I had an uncle who was a food health inspector for the state of California. Or was that Los Angeles County? Either way, I’ve often wondered what he would make of some of the places over here. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/74 "2008-11-23T23:59:01Z")
Gorgeous [book](http://books.google.com/books?id=HQvsutFm6gMC&dq=cats+in+the+sun&pg=PP1&ots=FOGOKnoA-7&source=bn&sig=6xZprF5pDpHg2HABjJMFABY28fU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result) appropriate to this thread. The Greeks have kitties around everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/75 "2008-11-24T00:05:51Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Gorgeous [book](http://books.google.com/books?id=HQvsutFm6gMC&dq=cats+in+the+sun&pg=PP1&ots=FOGOKnoA-7&source=bn&sig=6xZprF5pDpHg2HABjJMFABY28fU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result) appropriate to this thread. [hijack] Google book search is cool! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/76 "2008-11-24T06:45:57Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Would that be the mystic Source of the Druids, now:rolleyes: The answer you are looking for can only be found in the Templar ruins in Goa. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/77 "2008-11-24T15:07:14Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Years ago my favorite neighborhood Italian place in NYC, a little basement bistro, had a nice fat white kitty who blended in with the decor. One day I came in and there was no kitty. Health department said no. Still a good place, but it closed awhile after. ☹ Years ago one of my favorite Mexican restaurants had a gorgeous large bird (macaw? parrot?) in a cage in their lobby. Health department said no, even though the lobby was a separate room from the dining area (and kitchen). And of course the place closed down after a while. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/78 "2008-11-24T15:19:12Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > In the US, pets (except service animals) are generally barred from indoor seating areas of restaurants I don’t mean to sound rude, but do you have a cite for that? In my experience people tend to be quite ignorant about health laws, often making unsupported assumptions about what they restrict and the extent to which they apply. In London I’ve had dozens of locals, including restaurant proprietors, wrongly insist that bringing animals into the public area of a restaurant, pub, shop, etc. is illegal.\* They were absolutely sure that they were right, but of course were unable to provide a legal citation, because there is in fact no such law. Usually they simply appealed to “common knowledge” or “common sense”. Sometimes they fell back on the argument, “Well, it’s illegal in [my home town], therefore it must be illegal in London,” which, even if the premise were true, is a fallacious argument, since laws in different local jurisdictions can and do vary significantly. Now, perhaps things are different in the US, but given its federal structure I would be surprised if there were a single national law which set out the rules concerning the presence of animals in restaurants. More likely such legislation would be delegated to the states and/or individual counties or municipalities therein. I am sure that many places in the US do prohibit animals in dining areas, but do you really have any evidence that this prohibition is (a) legal in origin, and (b) widespread enough to support your contention that the prohibition is “general”? \*I hasten to add that I recognize that business proprietors are free to exclude animals from their premises if they wish. I’m arguing only that they’re not legally obligated to exclude them in London, except from areas where food is prepared. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/79 "2008-11-24T18:51:58Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > The answer you are looking for can only be found in the Templar ruins in Goa. No thanks, I don’t like trance music. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866/80 "2008-11-24T20:55:02Z")
[FDA site with laws regarding live animals in restaurants in the US - 2005.](http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodcode.html)From Chapter 6, Physical Facilities: > [@](#): > > 6-501.115 Prohibiting Animals.\* > > (A) Except as specified in ¶¶ (B) and (C) of this section, live > animals may not be allowed on the PREMISES of a FOOD > ESTABLISHMENT. > > (B) Live animals may be allowed in the following situations if the > contamination of FOOD; clean EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, and LINENS; > and unwrapped SINGLE-SERVICE and SINGLE-USE ARTICLES can not > result: > > (1) Edible FISH or decorative FISH in aquariums, shellfish or > crustacea on ice or under refrigeration, and shellfish and > crustacea in display tank systems; > > (2) Patrol dogs accompanying police or security officers in > offices and dining, sales, and storage areas, and sentry dogs > running loose in outside fenced areas; > > (3) In areas that are not used for FOOD preparation and that > are usually open for customers, such as dining and sales > areas, SERVICE ANIMALS that are controlled by the disabled > EMPLOYEE or PERSON, if a health or safety HAZARD will not > result from the presence or activities of the SERVICE ANIMAL; > (4) Pets in the common dining areas of institutional care > facilities such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, > group homes, or residential care facilities at times other than > during meals if: > > ``` > (a) Effective partitioning and self-closing doors separate > > ``` > > the common dining areas from FOOD storage or FOOD > preparation areas, > > ``` > (b) Condiments, EQUIPMENT, and UTENSILS are stored in > > ``` > > enclosed cabinets or removed from the common dining > areas when pets are present, and > > ``` > (c) Dining areas including tables, countertops, and similar > > ``` > > surfaces are effectively cleaned before the next meal > service; and > > (5) In areas that are not used for FOOD preparation, storage, > sales, display, or dining, in which there are caged animals or > animals that are similarly confined, such as in a variety store > that sells pets or a tourist park that displays animals. > > (C) Live or dead FISH bait may be stored if contamination of > FOOD; clean EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, and LINENS; and unwrapped > SINGLE-SERVICE and SINGLE-USE ARTICLES can not result. Your pet cat wandering around the dining area or the kitchen is not allowed by these guidelines. It is my understanding that Canada has similar rules. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-restaurant-with-a-cat/473866.md?page=5)