Pet-Friendly Features to Include in Your Kitchen Renovation

Summary: If you’re a homeowner planning a kitchen renovation and want to include pet-friendly features, read this post. A leading kitchen company in Mississauga offers design tips to make the space more accommodating of our furry friends. These include allowing them to be within sight while you’re cooking and performing other tasks in that space. 

Pet owners consider their animals to be part of the family, so it makes sense to take into account their needs as well as your own when planning a kitchen renovation. 

Ideally, the new elements and designs should make it easier for all family members, including pets, to use the space without inconveniences or injuries. When thinking of ways to upgrade your kitchen, consider these pet-friendly design features. 

Kitchen Renovation: How to Design a Pet-Friendly Space

Here are some features you can add to your kitchen renovation to make the space more accommodating for your pets.

1.Rethink Your Flooring

Flooring materials are impacted in various ways by pet claws, spills, and then there are bathroom accidents. For instance, hardwood floors can be scratched by your pet’s nails and may stain or warp with repeated exposure to water or urine. By contrast, laminate or ceramic tiles are better options as they offer ease of maintenance and you don’t need to worry about staining. Your best bet is to contact a kitchen contractor who can suggest a flooring material to stand up to daily (ab)use from you and your pets. 

2.Hide Waste Bins

Open waste bins in the kitchen corners may result in knocked-over garbage. And there will be a foul smell in the kitchen and nearby rooms.

To avoid this unnecessary hassle, consider dedicating a pull-out drawer to store your waste bins. This will keep your kitchen free from clutter while ensuring you don’t have to deal with accidental spills caused by your pet. Plus you won’t have to deal with unsightly garbage on your kitchen floor, which should always be clean. 

3.Create a Feeding Space

We’ve all accidentally knocked over our pet’s water or food bowl when moving around the kitchen. However, there is a way for you to avoid having to clean up these spills, and it comes down to containment. 

Rather than placing the bowls on the floor, dedicate an open cabinet to function as their feeding and storage space. Alternatively, you can also consider keeping them in a pull-out drawer. But make sure they are tucked away in the lowest ones to keep the bowls within their reach. This will help you have a clean and orderly space while ensuring your pets are well-fed and hydrated. 

4.Add a Bed Area

Let’s face it, the kitchen isn’t the best place for pets, especially when you are cooking and moving about. But they almost always want to be where we are. So, kitchen renovation companies recommend having their crates and beds tucked away to keep the kitchen organized and ensure they stay out of the way while you work. A good place for them is an open cabinet space at floor level for easy accessibility. Alternatively, you can transform the dead space under your staircase, if there is one close to the kitchen, into a cat lounge or doghouse. 

The kitchen is a family space so it makes sense to design it to accommodate your pets while keeping it as comfortable as possible for everyone else. Keep in mind that the design features you intend to add shouldn’t be related to specific trends or styles. Instead, your kitchen should be designed to allow your family members – including the ones on four legs – to live their lives more comfortably.