Do NOT sleep on the toaster oven!

Even if there's a dog in the house!

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/artic..._toaster_oven/

Cat blamed for starting fire with toaster oven
November 9, 2010

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash.—Investigators believe a cat who liked to sleep on top of a toaster oven started a kitchen fire in Port Townsend by depressing the toaster lever. Lois Lund told The Peninsula Daily News she doesn't hold a grudge against her cat Osiris. Lund said he had been sleeping on top of the oven to avoid a pet dog and probably stepped on the lever.

Lund heard the fire early Sunday and put it out with a garden hose.

Fire investigator Kurt Steinbach said the fire originated in the oven that had been left on.

The cat escaped, and no one was hurt in the fire.

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Information from: Peninsula Daily News, http://www.peninsuladailynews.com

Humoms and Hudads -- if any of the furkids sleep up there, better make sure it is always UNPLUGGED.

WOW the things pets do, huh?

We had a house fire in the area a few years ago. I guess the dog had had a habit of jumping up on things and accidentallly turning the oven on. Well they were gone one day and the same thing happened and it burnt the whole house down. Dog was ok, just minor burns but the house was a total loss. And because of finances they had cancelled the insurance policy about a year earlier.

I think if I had an animal that was KNOWN to turn on appliances, I'd tend to crate them when I'm gone, or find a way to disable the appliance if I couldn't be right on hand to watch them. And I don't care how tight finances are, unless you have enough money in the bank to replace everything, it's always cheaper to maintain insurance on your home, because it seems like those are the homes that awful things seem to happen to.

Sam has a habit of walking where he shouldn't. In one place I lived, the range/oven had push down controls near the back top. I shut the oven/range off at the breaker unless I was using it. Appliances are unplugged even now, except the fridge and freezer. I don't want to lose house or kitties because I couldn't unplug a hair dryer.