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A ruddy Abyssinian cat sits at a floury kitchen counter as an elderly couple rolls dough and shapes cookies behind it. 35 / 38

Cookie Day Got Messy Fast, and Saffron Was Not Impressed by the Rules

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Flour is everywhere: on the counter, in a metal bowl, across the cutting board, and drifting in little clouds near the rolling pin. Ruth, in a green cardigan, laughs as she works a sheet of dough, while Harold, in a plaid shirt, mixes another batch in a big steel bowl. Rows of rounded cookie dough balls wait on a baking tray, and a plate of chocolate treats sits nearby. Right in the foreground, Saffron sits at the edge of the counter, chin lifted, ears tall, staring off with the slightly offended look of a cat who has been told, once again, that she cannot taste the dough.

Baking days are full of tempting smells for pets, but several common ingredients are risky. Raw dough containing yeast can expand in the stomach, and raw eggs and flour aren't safe to eat uncooked. Chocolate is toxic to cats and dogs, with darker chocolate being more dangerous, and some sugar-free products contain sweeteners that are harmful to pets. Keep cats off counters while you bake if you can, clean up spills quickly, and store chocolate and dough out of reach. If you think your cat has eaten something it shouldn't, call your vet right away.

Harold and Ruth's kitchen is warm, messy, and full of laughter, which is just how cookie day should be. Saffron may not get a cookie, but she'll certainly get the credit for supervising.

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