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A white-haired woman sets cookies on a baking tray while a ruddy Abyssinian cat with flour on its nose stares ahead. 19 / 34

Grandma Ruth Was Baking Cookies. Someone Left Evidence on His Face.

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Evidence does not get much clearer than this. Saffron sits front and center at the kitchen counter with a dusting of white flour across his nose and whiskers, staring straight ahead with total innocence. Just behind him, Grandma Ruth, in a navy quilted vest over a cream sweater, glasses slipping down her nose, is grinning as she presses the last round of dough onto a baking sheet. A bowl of flour, a dish towel, and a scatter of crumbs cover the counter, and a small lamp casts a warm evening glow across the cozy, slightly cluttered kitchen.

Kitchen helpers are adorable, but baking day has a few hazards for cats. Raw yeast dough can expand in the stomach and should be kept well out of reach, and some common baking ingredients, like chocolate, raisins, and certain sugar-free sweeteners, can be harmful to pets. A tiny sniff of plain flour is unlikely to cause trouble, but large amounts of any dough or batter are not good for a cat. Hot ovens, stovetops, and cooling racks also pose a burn risk to curious paws. A simple solution is to give your cat a comfy perch or a puzzle toy in a nearby room while you work, then welcome it back for cleanup duty.

Ruth will laugh, wipe his nose with a corner of her towel, and slide the cookies into the oven. Saffron will deny everything, of course, but the flour tells the whole story.

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