Pet Safety and Fireplace Inserts

[botbotfling]

I plan on buying a Regency I2400 with a cooktop ledge. My wife is concerned that one or both of our cats will attempt to jump up and sit on the hot ledge and seriously hurt themselves. Does anyone have any experience with cats and cooktop ledges/fireplace inserts?

Thank you.

 

[babalu87]

Animals arent that stupid

 

[zzr7ky]

Hi -

It was never an issue. I've had cats of all kinds arouns stoves since Nixon was in office. No issues at all.

Predetors are prett aware of the surroundings. I was suprized by how close a long haired cat would go to the stove for short periods of time but not one was injured.

ATB,
Mike P

 

[Mike Wilson]

Once burned, twice shy...

-- Mike

 

[Mmaul]

Only one even to temp fate are the kids. Dogs or cats only like it when the door is closed so they can have a place to lay.

 

[BrotherBart]

The only thing my wife's cat does concerning the stove is stand in front of it and yowl his head off if it is cold and I haven't lit a fire so he can lay under the coffee table in front of it and sleep.

I have tried to get him to jump into the stove while it is burning and it just does not work.

 

[hilly]

I've got that very stove and my two cats find the place in the room that gets the most heat from the stove (not including the top). I swear they soak up at least half of the heat from the stove, but at least it saves on cat food bills because they certainly don't have to use any energy to heat themselves.

I've had animals and woodstoves since before I could walk and I have never seen an animal get hurt because of one.

 

[kalevi]

My cat loves to lie down near the insert on the couch to soak in the heat. He won't get near the fire when it it hot. If the door is open to load when cold or when I'm cleaning it, he looks in, sees/smells the ashes and says I'm not so stupid as to go in there and get all dirty.

 

[MrGriz]

Most animals are smarter than people give them credit for (sometimes I wonder what they're thinking about us). Our cats love the insert. On cold days, they are usually in one of the leather recliners across from the fireplace. They have never gone close enough to get burned.

 

[Dunadan]

Our insert has a large cooktop and last winter our cat didn't once go near it.

At the beginning of the winter I picked up the cat with the intent to hold him close enough to the insert that he would feel how hot it was, and would thus realize it was something to stay away from.

I didn't even get him half as close as I thought I needed to before he recognized the insert was not something he wanted to be near and twisted out of my arms violently and took off.

He wasn't stupid...but I probably was thinking I needed to teach him to stay away.

 

[saichele]

Our dog (not the sharpest) has never had an issue. Much like BBs cat, if the stove isn't lit, the dog lays more or less right up against it and looks pathetic. Of course, that might be a casual way of saying - "hey dumba$$, turn up the heat."

Steve

 

[MrWinkey]

My sister's Basset Hound used to sit in front of the old Fisher wood burner when it was going full bore. You would be in the other room and hear this slight "yippp" "yipp"

Dog had got too close and fallen asleep. It wouldnt wakeup to move so it would yip in it's sleep. Had to go out and roll the dog over to the other side.

My cat will sit in his cat perch near the pellet stove and will rub aginst the pipe when the stove is not very hot but he has not ever burned himself.