How to Design a Pet Friendly Kitchen

Unlock your dream kitchen with a personal one-on-one consultation - mtkd.ck.page/products/design-...
Ok pet lovers, let's see if we can make your kitchen a little more pet friendly. Don't expect the words Barchitecture or Fur Babies in this video, only great ideas to make a functional kitchen that includes your pets needs too.
Let's get connected! Join my newsletter here - mtkd.ck.page/39795d15fb
NKBA Guidelines (USA) - amzn.to/3wrQqcJ
NKBA Guidelines (Canada) - amzn.to/3fViJdh
Music from Epidemic Sound - grab your free trial here
www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
Connect with me on Social Media
/ mark_tobin_kitchen_design
#kitchendesign
FTC Legal Disclaimer - Some links found in the description box of my videos may be affiliate links, meaning I will make commission on sales you make through my link. This is at no extra cost to you to use my links/codes, it's just one more way to support me and my channel! :)

[@pecanthecat]

thanks for sharing these design ideas. wish my tiny kitchen (and upcoming renovation) had room for a built in food station for my cats! with only 72 sq feet of space, im super limited. definitely a no go on a litter box in the kitchen...im pretty sure most kitty owners would never consider it even if they had the space.

[@teri-joscott8279]

Great video! I have a medium sized dog (45 lbs). She doesn't try to get on the counters or steal food from there, but when I am in the kitchen, she paces between where I am standing and the stove or cabinets where I am working to catch any accidentally dropped food. There are no 5 second rules in my house, because I have a 2 second dog. I kind of like the gate idea. She doesn't bark (hardly ever), but I think there would be much sqeaking and whining if we put a gate up. I didn't know those things about the flooring options. All of those options would be more comfortable than my current tile floors. Tile floors are hard on a body when you're cooking all day. Interesting thoughts about a dog station. Sparked some ideas for me. Always learning from your valuable content. Thanks Mark! Hope you're feeling better!

[@darlene19668]

Vlog for pets Your the best, Some are treated almost like family, Others just a dog or cat… a commonality. So provide a space just for them, some would say is their best friend, Others of course say not for me This kitchen is not for animals you see… Cleaning and cooking part of the chores Now added work to counters and floors, Yet worth it all for their best friend, Kitchen of their dreams is an extra dividend. Wagging tails along with the barks Meows and purring are never sparse. Hair balls adrift along the sideboard and cupboard Crumbles of treats…to the owner of course-never look cluttered. If, in your kitchen for your best friend an area was built for your family to blend, Don’t look back or second guess your choice, Do it with forethought plus heart that gives your best friend a wee lil voice. 😂😂😂😂the things I think when I am board😂😂😂😂😂😂 Thumbs up all day everyday 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@darlenebergantzel1534]

You didn’t mention ceramic tile floors as an option. They are essentially indestructible. I put washable rugs down in front of the sink and range for comfort. I wish I had the room for a pet feeding station in my remodel. I am able to fit in a drawer for their food and treats, though, which will get it off the pantry floor.

[@deedsh6280]

Loved this discussion. And am glad to get a few new ideas. Hoover (not her real name, but her function) is an integral part of our family and the kitchen is the hub. Great to incorporate some planning for the future. TY.

[@maryp2747]

I'm with you about cats on the counter. Yuk... I trained my cat not to go on the counter when she was a kitten. A topic that I would be interested in is, how you live in your home while your kitchen is being remodeled. This is where I'm at now with my kitchen remodel. Eating out all the time is not an option, I'm on an extremely tight budget.

[@valeriehowden471]

Former cat owner here. If I cleaned all my dishes and counter tops of clutter, my cat rarely got on top. Of course, I always cleaned the counter tops before each meal cause cats are going to search the high ground. Litter boxes in the kitchen is gross!

[@tzehr2617]

Keep trash in mind; my schnauzers loved to dig into it, so we installed a trash compactor. If you use a trash bin in a base cabinet, dogs might try scratching to get into it, which goes back to finish durability.

[@amydelpiere9315]

Just because a dog or cat can do something/be somewhere doesn't mean you can't train them to not do certain things/not be in certain places. We had three dogs for several years and that is way too many feet in one kitchen so we trained them not to come in and hang around that area of the house. If you feed and water your pets in your kitchen, they will obviously be underfoot in your cooking and eating space. I'm all for durable, easy-to-clean kitchens but not necessarily making those material choices so a house pet can do anything they please. SCAT mats are a great tool for training dogs and cats to avoid places they are not welcome, like the kitchen counter. Dogs are easily trained to pause at the door to dry their feet on a mat or towel before wandering further into the home. Having a pet will always include extra cleaning but after you have 'pet-proofed' don't leave out the training. Pets need to have manners too.

[@juliesiefke1173]

I see the pull out food & water stations as a potential trip hazard. I’ve seen designs with them in a toe kick drawer. Pets need access to water at all times and some folks “free feed” so there is always a bowl of dry food available for grazing, therefore “sliding it back in when not in use” is not a situation that exists in that house. Finding a safe location for pet bowls is an important consideration for planning. Folks lucky enough to have a mudroom or laundry room might be able to locate them there.

[@luzy]

Thanks! These tips were Really helpful. More reasons to not only keep watching - but get help designing a renno. (Too early to contact you) 😊

[@PeloquinDavid]

Good discussion, Mark. We struggled with the gating issue in our current reno. We have a large (30kg) dog who's an adorable but devious food thief with a very long reach. So an open-concept kitchen was never going to be in the cards... In our horrible old kitchen, we had two gates to cut off her access to/from (1) the adjacent (separate) dining room; and (2) the nook area across our peninsula. The latter involved anchoring the gate into the peninsula and pantry cabinetry on the opposite wall - something we don't want to do to our expensive new cabinets that span the entire wall between the two doorways. We looked into a built-in/pull-out gate, but it wasn't an option since the kitchen/nook together are relatively small (10' x 20') and the gate would have had to be slotted into a structural wall somehow - i.e. not an option without envisaging massively more expenses than even an (already-expensive) pull-out gate system would entail. (It would also have reduced our already limited storage space.) So our new plan is to cut her off with gates at both doorway entrances to the kitchen/nook and move her feeding station from the nook into our (also small but still serviceable) laundry/mud room at the other end of the house.

[@torit5640]

Aight… watched your small kitchen video and now this one, and long previously the ikea corner cabinet video. Got a challenge for you if you’re up to it! 😁 I’ve spent countless hours and have about 6 different ikea kitchen designs haha We’ve got a small galley kitchen that is our only walk-thru from our breezeway/attached garage into the house so HIIIIGH traffic area. It’s tiny and non-functioning for a hosting couple. I told my husband when the kitchen was previously renovated it was renovated for those who cook out of microwaves and freezers. Not for us who love cooking from scratch. We also have 4 pets (2 dogs, 2 cats). Cats are not supposed to be on the counter, but at times will sometimes counter surf. 😅

[@MTKDofficial]

I'm up for a challenge!!

[@mavisjones4750]

I'm with you about the cats on the counter. I have family and friends that if they find out you have cats, won't eat anything you cooked just because of that.

[@MTKDofficial]

Right?!!! So disgusting.

[@erikanoble4176]

I was really excited to read the title on the video since I have both cats and dogs and planning a kitchen remodel in the next few months. I think you have some great ideas and appreciated that you created a video on this topic, however, I was a surprised on how often you said you were "disgusted" by cats on the counters or dogs putting their paws on on the counters, or even having a litter box in the house. For the record, I don't believe anyone actually likes these behaviors, and as pet owners, we do all we can to stop or at least minimize this, but at the end of the day we just make due as best we can and realize that owning animals brings with it added cleaning. I wasn't expecting that you would be "warm and fuzzy" regarding pets, but I felt that some of your comments were a bit harsh, and even though I do not personally have a problem with my cats doing this, I know many pet owners do. If your gonna make a video for people that actually care enough about their pets to make their kitchen pet friendly, I would expect that it would also make sense that you would show less contempt in your video for their animals. Just saying...

[@MTKDofficial]

Wow.

[@trinaroe5132]

I’m really surprised to hear cork and bamboo recommended because I thought Consumers Reports had them listed as not recommended for kitchens, but maybe that is old and they’ve improved over the years. They idea of having a litter box in the kitchen just sounds gross! But if a mud room is attached to the kitchen and fitted out with matching cabinets that would be a good idea. Actually that seems like a better location idea for most pet related items to me. But then I don’t have pets.😂

[@privateinfo1711]

Kitty litter in the kitchen? You've got to be kidding?

[@2CraftySeniors]

I've had cats and dogs my whole life and none of them were ever allowed to wander around on the kitchen counters or take what they wished off the table. Training is mandatory in my house and animals are smart enough to learn. I love animals but there are rules and I've never had a pet that wouldn't learn them. We all lived much more happily that way. As for the ideas you've given... some I'd love, others there is no way I'd have... like a litterbox in the kitchen. Never going to happen in my home. A bathroom is a better place for that... or somewhere that the cat can easily get to but is not in anyone's face. I had one cat trained to go on the toilet... and flush the toilet after. That cat was a dream... and admittedly not usual. I like the feeding station as well as the dog/cat food storage ideas. But the bed in the kitchen cabinets... no. I need those cabinets for kitchen things. However, I have seen some very nice cabinet beds that would go nicely in the living room or bedroom. Thanks for the ideas!

[@MTKDofficial]

Thanks for watching and commenting! Glad the video was helpful!

[@melissaforget8831]

Hi Mark! Do you have availabilities before for a consultation before the end of December? Trying to find an email address to write to you with this question but can't seem to see one. Since we have to pay upfront on the website I need to know if we would be able to have an appointment before the end of the month. My spouse and I have gotten some unpleasant news from our architect that is throwing us off in our remodel and need an expert set of eyes... quickly. 😂

[@MTKDofficial]

Sure thing. mark (at) mtkd (dot) ca

[@tee4272]

Don't feed or water your dogs in the kitchen and they will be less likely to hang out there.