Why would my cute kitty be afraid of the oven?

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

Morrissey is deathly afraid when we turn the oven on or cook with oil over the gas stove. He runs and hides and doesn't come out for a couple of hours. I wonder if his previous human accidentally or intentionally dropped oil on him or even put him in the oven. He was turned in to the Humane Animal Rescue Team by someone who said they couldn't take care of him anymore. The poor little guy! We always assure him how much he is loved in this house and that we would NEVER hurt him!

Who would hurt this little love?

[DarkTirade]

1. Is it a gas or electric oven?

I know a lot of small animals instinctively panic when they smell/hear fire.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

2. Electric

It's funny - when we boil water on the gas stove, he's all right. It's just the oven and when we cook with oil on the gas stove that he freaks out. The other kitties don't think anything about it. It just makes us wonder if he had a bad kitchen experience in his past.

[DarkTirade]

3. Could just be a weird quirk, or it could have been past trauma... no way to know I suppose.

[Whoa_Nelly]

4. My rescue doggy freaks out when I sneeze

She will dart out the room, eyes frantic, as if I had yelled at her (something I never do!)

She also HATES it when I use the staple gun. She first tries to get between it and what I am stapling, and then runs and hides.

Wish I knew every little thing that ever hurt her :(

[Chovexani]

5. He may have accidentally been splashed with hot oil

My old cat Sammy was deathly afraid of the stove because he liked to be underfoot in the kitchen, and my mom accidentally got him with hot grease when she was frying fish.

At least I'd like to think it was accidental for your kitty too, I can't even fathom the alternative. :(

[DarkTirade]

6. Well, I'd hope your mom wasn't trying to cook the cat...

I mean, cats taste TERRIBLE.

[havocmom]

7. You want fries with that?

[DarkTirade]

8. But I didn't want to order a Meow Meal... :(

[Chovexani]

10. Sammy would have been a Supersize meal

:rofl:

I miss him a lot sometimes. He was a real character. He died when I was 12, due to playing with a mouse that had injested rat poison my neighbors in the attached house put down. :(

[DarkTirade]

11. Awwww.

I miss my aminals too. :(

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. Perhaps the problem lies in overhearing one too many retellings of "Hansel and Gretel"?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

12. Maybe he jumped up on the stove at an unfortunate moment...

He's so cute! :D

[MilesColtrane]

13. Morrisey's obviously seen "Kentucky Fried Movie".

"Husband: Well, what's our little skeptic doing today?
Housewife: She's frying the cat in pure Nesson oil."

[badgerpup]

14. My cat Riktor doesn't like the oven either.

Oh boy, did that ever come out wrong...:blush:

I mean...when I'm in the kitchen doing something that involves the oven, and I have to open the door, if he's in the kitchen he'll drop whatever he's doing and run like hell...
and it's the Scared Kitty run too, flat out, tail down. :yoiks:

He also runs at the sound of plastic bags rustling...and I can't use the dehydrator while he's in the house. White noise from it bothers him too much- he gets C-R-A-Z-Y to get out. Sounds like a queen in heat.
I've told him that, hoping to shame him into settling down, but it doesn't seem to faze him one bit. :crazy:

[MilesColtrane]

16. My mom has a cat who runs and hides whenever someone says the word "Didgeridoo".

Obviously abused by aborigines or has just seen one too many Outback commercials...

[ThomCat]

15. He's beautiful!

Unfortunately, there are heartless people who will hurt anything or anyone no matter how beautiful. :(

[krispos42]

17. Okay, my first thought was an absolutely horrible joke...

I don't think even the Lounge could take it. So I'm going to say instead that maybe Morrissey was playing with a candle once and got singed, and as a result avoids open flame.

[Skittles]

18. you tried to cook him, didn't you DTBK

I WILL KICK YOUR ASS

[kaiden]

19. Get a load of this.

I had an oven where the broiler was in the drawer at the bottom. I removed the broiler pan and began preparing chicken breasts. When I was through, I walked over, turned the broiler on, opened the drawer and out walked Lydia, my tuxedo kitty.

Had I been a good cook, I would've preheated.

[applegrove]

20. I have a rescued cat who the vets said was likely dropped off on the side of the highway.

I am glad I will never know who hurt him so bad. But there are people out there who are truly evil.