I have posted a similar thread a while ago. Some people don't seem have problem with letting their dogs to lick their plates clean. I wouldn't do that, but I don't have a problem with someone else doing it with their own plates or food.
Given that animals lick their genitals and don't clean their mouths, I would have a problem with it too. I would never let a dog lick my face or my food.
Well, I used to on occasion. If I went to a fast food place, which was quite rare, I would share one fry with my dog. I'd put it in my mouth and she would grab the other side. It was cute.
Meanwhile, one of the cats we have loves licking butter, which is something I tell my fiancee should be stopped. Anyway, when we have toast with butter, one of the cats comes and takes a lick so I rip off the piece and throw it in the trash.
*The cats lick their own bodies to clean, clean each other's ears and buttocks' and lick their private parts.*
I will not let any animals to eat the food I still plan to put into my mouth. Sorry, some pets might be cute, but their personal hygiene is just not up to our human standard.
That would actually be incorrect. I wouldn't even let any humans to eat the food I still plan to eat. If they want a share, fine. But they must use a clean spoon or fork to get some. I do not wish to catch any virus or disease.
Funny! I'm a big germ freak but there are some unsanitary practices that I still have, like sharing food with my pets! I have gotten better at NOT doing it as my germ-freak phobia has grown worse though! When I was a kid, my dog could lick/eat just about anything of mine, including ice cream. My Bengal cat likes to nibble food from my plate when I eat on the couch. I used to let her do it, but now I find it too gross and I just hurry to give her bits of food before she takes them. The Tonkinese is more polite. He'll just sit patiently eyeing what he wants until I pinch off a piece and give it to him. I do share bananas with my Quaker. I'll hold him and we each take turns eating bites of banana. I don't know what kind of germs a bird's mouth might have?
As for sharing food with people (Thor, you crack me up!), I don't mind sharing with the hubby. He and I share spit in other ways anyway!
If family and friends are NOT sick, I'll share a bite of food with them too. I guess for being a germ freak (I drive people NUTS!), I am pretty careless in some ways with germs, aren't I?!
07-28-2012, 03:21 AM, (This post was last modified: 07-28-2012, 03:21 AM by Ram.)
(07-28-2012, 03:11 AM)laurasav Wrote: I'll hold him and we each take turns eating bites of banana. I don't know what kind of germs a bird's mouth might have?
Bird flu?
Have you ever heard of it? It can kill humans. Not trying to scare you.
Much as I love my cats and dogs, I draw the line at licking my face or my food. It's totally prohibited with no exceptions whatsoever. Maybe I am just being finicky but then again I am not the type that would kiss just any girl either.
(07-28-2012, 03:11 AM)laurasav Wrote: Funny! I'm a big germ freak but there are some unsanitary practices that I still have, like sharing food with my pets! I have gotten better at NOT doing it as my germ-freak phobia has grown worse though! When I was a kid, my dog could lick/eat just about anything of mine, including ice cream. My Bengal cat likes to nibble food from my plate when I eat on the couch. I used to let her do it, but now I find it too gross and I just hurry to give her bits of food before she takes them. The Tonkinese is more polite. He'll just sit patiently eyeing what he wants until I pinch off a piece and give it to him. I do share bananas with my Quaker. I'll hold him and we each take turns eating bites of banana. I don't know what kind of germs a bird's mouth might have?
As for sharing food with people (Thor, you crack me up!), I don't mind sharing with the hubby. He and I share spit in other ways anyway!
If family and friends are NOT sick, I'll share a bite of food with them too. I guess for being a germ freak (I drive people NUTS!), I am pretty careless in some ways with germs, aren't I?!
Majority if not all viruses and diseases have a dormant period after entering a host. Just because someone looks healthy, it doesn't mean he or she is not a host of some possibly very nasty viruses or germs. Sometimes these hosts are immune to it, while you are not. They can be truly in perfect health while passing the virus to you.
I know some times people especially family members can get offended by I want them to get another clean spoon and refuse to let them touch my food with what they have already used, but this is all just for being safer. I don't care about how people feel about it, I just want to face reality of the nasty world full of viruses and germs lol. There is totally no point to have entire family catch the same virus at the same time if I can avoid it.
The animals are not even as clean as humans. They don't wash their hands, or claws for that matter. They don't brush their teeth or clean their mouth. They don't take shower twice a day like me. Even when they are isolated from outside world with no chance of catching nasty viruses, they can still carry a lot of germs due to hygiene problems.
I don't eat with my dog. With my dog however, my dog will always is scout's around me when I am in the mist of preparing food for myself or others. I actually do not mind it when he does this, but I do not let my dog eat any of my food. As far as if my dog want's to watch me eat the food while being near me (not eating the food), I have no problem with this.
(07-28-2012, 03:52 AM)Thor Wrote: Majority if not all viruses and diseases have a dormant period after entering a host. Just because someone looks healthy, it doesn't mean he or she is not a host of some possibly very nasty viruses or germs. Sometimes these hosts are immune to it, while you are not. They can be truly in perfect health while passing the virus to you.
Okay, Thor, now you've made me that much more paranoid about germs, as if I'm not a serious germ freak already! The hubby will be very annoyed when I tell him I can't kiss him anymore because he might be harboring a virus that won't show up for days, and I just can't take the chance anymore!
Well, I will be more careful now about letting people eat anything from my plate though. You're right about being cautious. I've always gotten sick so easily, since early childhood, but since becoming a "germ freak" and being very careful out in public, I am sick far less often than before. I avoid touching doors, public pens, shaking people's hands, etc., and I carry hand sanitizer always, just in case!
Ram, from what I know of "bird flu," I think it's mainly a concern for poultry like chickens, ducks, turkeys and such. I think the parrots I've had in my home for many years are safe from that illness. I sure hope so!
My Quaker bird used to often eat and drink with my mother when the bird lived at my art gallery. Mom fed it cookies and candy and all kinds of garbage - despite my constant protests. She let the bird drink soda pop and tea from her cup. Now that the bird lives in my house, it's on a strict, HEALTHY diet! No more garbage!
I don't let the bigger parrot eat from my food because it actually has spit in its mouth I can see (I don't know why it grosses me out, but it does), plus it often eats poop on its cage, which is even more gross!
(07-29-2012, 06:11 AM)laurasav Wrote: Ram, from what I know of "bird flu," I think it's mainly a concern for poultry like chickens, ducks, turkeys and such. I think the parrots I've had in my home for many years are safe from that illness. I sure hope so!
My Quaker bird used to often eat and drink with my mother when the bird lived at my art gallery. Mom fed it cookies and candy and all kinds of garbage - despite my constant protests. She let the bird drink soda pop and tea from her cup. Now that the bird lives in my house, it's on a strict, HEALTHY diet! No more garbage!
I don't let the bigger parrot eat from my food because it actually has spit in its mouth I can see (I don't know why it grosses me out, but it does), plus it often eats poop on its cage, which is even more gross!
Pet birds can carry bird flu, in fact bird flu can infect any birds. The reason why most birds people talk about are chickens, ducks, and turkeys are because these are domesticated "food birds". More people contact with these "food birds" than with pet birds.
Yuck. No, I would not be able to eat it. Maybe, if it was a big expensive steak, that she took a sniff, bite or a lick of without me knowing, then I would eat it just because it is a steak. However, I wouldn't intentionally let my animal eat my food.
I may give my pets a bite of human food to eat now and then, but we don't share from the same fork or plate. When it comes to my bird, I'm more worried about what I might give HIM, rather than what he might give to me, lol. I've seen pictures and videos of people letting their birds eat out of their mouths, and I shudder for the sake of the bird! Human mouths are just as full of bacteria as animal mouths. It's just a different balance of bacteria, and what's harmless for us might be harmful for the animal (and vice versa, of course).
(07-29-2012, 06:11 AM)laurasav Wrote: Okay, Thor, now you've made me that much more paranoid about germs, as if I'm not a serious germ freak already! The hubby will be very annoyed when I tell him I can't kiss him anymore because he might be harboring a virus that won't show up for days, and I just can't take the chance anymore!
Well, I will be more careful now about letting people eat anything from my plate though. You're right about being cautious. I've always gotten sick so easily, since early childhood, but since becoming a "germ freak" and being very careful out in public, I am sick far less often than before. I avoid touching doors, public pens, shaking people's hands, etc., and I carry hand sanitizer always, just in case!
Ram, from what I know of "bird flu," I think it's mainly a concern for poultry like chickens, ducks, turkeys and such. I think the parrots I've had in my home for many years are safe from that illness. I sure hope so!
My Quaker bird used to often eat and drink with my mother when the bird lived at my art gallery. Mom fed it cookies and candy and all kinds of garbage - despite my constant protests. She let the bird drink soda pop and tea from her cup. Now that the bird lives in my house, it's on a strict, HEALTHY diet! No more garbage!
I don't let the bigger parrot eat from my food because it actually has spit in its mouth I can see (I don't know why it grosses me out, but it does), plus it often eats poop on its cage, which is even more gross!
Not to add to any zoonotic paranoia , but one of the highest risks with any parrot would be psittacosis. It is common in any true parrot in the Psittacidae family. And I know it is actually very common in imported south american parrots. They way they are stored in the export facilities allows it to spread easily. Any animal that its captive bred would be much less likely to carry anything. But it is easily spread by any parrot carrying the bacteria. And some parrots can carry the disease for years without showing any symptoms.
For myself, I don't eat after any animals. I'd be lying if I said I'd never eaten anything a cat had licked, but I do my best to avoid it. The only real rule the cats have in our house is that they aren't allowed on the kitchen counters or tables.
(07-29-2012, 06:11 AM)laurasav Wrote: Okay, Thor, now you've made me that much more paranoid about germs, as if I'm not a serious germ freak already! The hubby will be very annoyed when I tell him I can't kiss him anymore because he might be harboring a virus that won't show up for days, and I just can't take the chance anymore!
Well, I will be more careful now about letting people eat anything from my plate though. You're right about being cautious. I've always gotten sick so easily, since early childhood, but since becoming a "germ freak" and being very careful out in public, I am sick far less often than before. I avoid touching doors, public pens, shaking people's hands, etc., and I carry hand sanitizer always, just in case!
Well I guess it's fine with your husband. You will only double the risk of catching something if you are still careful with everyone else.
I am just being extremely careful. When one family member catches something, we would all have separated tableware for each person until everything is alright. Even when everyone looks healthy, we still have one "public" fork or spoon in every dish, and nobody shall put them into their mouth.
Back to the topic, I will be extra restrict with any pets on these issue. To most pet owners, pets are family members, but they are not as clean as the rest of the family members.
It doesn't bother me at all. As a child I once shared and ice cream cone with my cat. As long as the ice cream wasn't chocolate, we'd give the bowls to our cats to finish when we were done. Any left over bits of meat went to the cats, tuna water, and sometimes a piece of meat just as a treat. One of my cats (we were connected at the hip) would sit on my lap almost every night at the dinner table. My grandfather hated it so whenever my grandparents were over I would shoo the cat away.
No, I don't eat something my cat has licked. But then, I wouldn't if another person did either. I've learned not to leave certain foods where she can reach them. For instance, a bowl of cereal. The milk is, of course, a big draw for her. I also would never leave a tuna sandwich by itself. That's just an engraved dinner invitation as far as she is concerned. In fact, I usually try not to eat tuna in front of her. She can become quite the annoying moocher.
One thing that I recently found I can't leave around her is iced tea. She loves the smell. It's just regular Lipton tea. But most of all, she loved the ice! I've taken to putting a few ice cubes in her water bowl, even though she's an indoor kitty and the water isn't evaporating or getting hot. She loves it. She's drinks a bit more water if I put the ice in, which is probably good for her.
I don't let humans share food with me. Therefore, I definitely wouldn't let my pet. Apparently human mouths are dirtier but I don't know if I believe that. Plus, dog food is pretty gross. You could also get them sick, yes. I don't think they would though if you had a cold or something. Hygiene wise, it is unclean.
As much as I love my dogs, I don't let them lick my face nor do I let them lick my ice cream cone. My husband lets them lick his face and he gets on the floor with them. I prefer snuggling up with them on the sofa and have them on my lap or right beside me. If I have ice cream, I will give them a little in their own bowl.
Ok, I know I’m pretty sick here, but I’ll just go ahead and fess up. While we’re eating meals, my big dog will sit right next to me and maintain some type of bodily contact so as to not be forgotten. I’ll occasionally pass a bite of something down to her on the fork at which point she’ll normally remove it with her teeth. About the only thing I usually worry about is Kaylee chipping a tooth on the fork. Pretty sick, huh?
I have trained our dog to stay in the porch while I am cooking or while we are eating. It is quite annoying to me to be at someone's house and having their pet beg for food. I made the mistake with my cat over 20 years ago, and vowed to not make the same mistake again. If our dog does get leftovers, they go in his food dish in his kennel. He knows that is where he is to eat.
I would think that it would be a wide spread fact among animal guardians that cats and dogs have a lot cleaner mouths than humans... To answer the question, yes, I would let my cats have a bite or a lick of my meal (as long as it's not harmful to them). I would not let them eat something that I have bitten, since my mouth are more germy. And I don't feel like I'm doing something nasty. I've seen people eat after their children, or let children bite a cookie and put it back with the others, and just smile about it (sadly, some adults do this too). I really hate sharing with people because they consider themselves the "clean" race and can be really inconsiderate about other peoples health. I've seen them pick around shared food with their used utensils, lick their fingers and touch food that other people might eat and, again, let children touch and pick on the food as they please. When I share with my cats, at least I know they're not sick, and a lot of the diseases cats get aren't even transferred to humans. I'm really not trying to pick on anyone in this thread (honestly, I only glanced over most of the comments so it's purely coincidental if something similar was mentioned).
The only way I would share my food with my pet is if I handed the food to the dog. I would never let the dog lick the plate then continue eating off it, that's just disgusting and could make you ill. I think in general it's just bad training for the dog to feed it, even if you are hand feeding it from your plate. It could be training the dog that human food is there and so it may then leave it's meals. I used to have a dog that became really spoilt because of my family feeding it scraps from the table.
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