5 Pet Problems Solved by Design

maison21 says:

wow- i love that cat tower! i think my 22 pound behemouth of a cat would knocok it right over and kill himself, but it's a great idea for people with non-mutant sized cats!

hannabell says:

That shower unit with the pull out chairs is indeed pure genius, plus it looks like a sliding door closes the whole thing off. fabulous

hannabell says:

correction: meant to "stairs", not "chairs" :)

brendanf says:

Hi everyone, the understairs kennel in picture 3 looks a great idea, but if you opt for this, make the door a lot bigger, as eventually (and with some regularity) someone will have to get into this space to clean out the junk your dog will bring back to his basket, and probably the off tennis ball, trainers, shoes, socks, food etc. We had a golden retreiver and made a kennel under ther stairs with a fancy door with a grill etc, and every few months I had to haul muself in there to see what he had squirrelled away, and the things I found were a revelation; in addition to the items above, there was the polystyrine base that you get with a chicken (thats where that chicken went), chocolate wrappers from the christmas tree (he loved shiny objects), wooden ornaments - very chewable; he was a dreadful thief, but all dogs are, so - my suggestion - dont build a space that only the dog can get into, but do get a dog as they are man's best friend! Brendan

patscats2 says:

brendanf, that's so funny. I have a mixed lab who tends to "collect" all his toys into one area. He's more organized than I am.

I don't understand how the cat boxes in bathrooms work out. What happens if the cat has to go and someone has the door closed? I wouldn't want to chance that. LOL

Functional Home Designs says:

These are great ideas! Although my animals will never have their own showers, I love the creative ways to use doggy/kitty doors and beds. ~Kerri www.functionalhomedesigns.com

dancingfish says:

With our basement remodel our kitty box must be reloacated. Currently it is in an unfinished basement section with a kitty door installed in the door. With the remodel I will need to find a new area for kitty and a new way for kitty to enter. Loved the hideaway idea in the bathroom but not loving the idea of having a cat door to enter the bathroom... and as Patscats2 mentioned it would be no good to have kitty locked out.

bowen390 says:

Love these pet (dogs especially) ideas! Keep them coming...

Vanessa Brunner says:

@dancingfish and @patscats2, I totally thought about the same issue with the cat door—I have a two year old orange tabby at home, and he would not be a happy camper if he got locked out of his litter box. Ick. I'm sure some home owners who opt for the bathroom litter box put cat doors in the bathroom door itself. It also kind of looks like that tiled one might have a separate entrance. But that's definitely why I like the laundry room solution the best! It's not quite as awkward to leave the door open there...

17th and Riggs Contemporary Home Furnishings says:

This is such a great ideabook! I absolutely love the miniature door that mimics the doors in the home as well as the kitchen island with built in food bowls.

I wrote an article on our site about fun modern pet beds that are a great addition to your home if you can't remodel it to add one of the ideas above. Check it out here: http://blog.17thandriggs.com/2011/02/modern-pet-beds/

Molto Bene Studios says:

Another product out there for cat owners those who prefer a more eclectic look is hidden litter boxes (search Amazon to buy, approx $100). We customized ours with a venetian plaster finish.
Here's the how-to on the customization: (http://scandalouswalltalk.blogspot.com/2011/02/heres-how-to-upgrade-your-hidden-litter.html) and a picture of the final product.

Denise Vilim says:

Thank you for all these wonderful design-friendly pet ideas! I love the pet showers! I'd never seen or heard of one before now. I especially love the built-in from the first photo and the food bowl niches built into the cabinets! I have actually been coveting the Tigrito cat food bowl by Alessi for sometime, but can't bring myself to spend $100 on it....yet....

delynn says:

Great ideas. Thanks for sharing.

Vanessa Brunner says:

Love those hidden litter boxes--I had never thought of that!

ecascio says:

Also love the hidden litter boxes, but how do you get to them to clean them and all the litter (at least my cats) love to throw around???

Tonja Morris says:

I love the table dog crate. I'm a cat person myself, but I've seen too many of my friends using their dog crates with a blanket thrown over them as tables to not appreciate this idea.
The cat box in the bench is a no-no in my book. "Excuse that scratching coming from under your seat" And what about the odor? My cats can be stinky!

Molto Bene Studios says:

The hidden litter boxes come apart (the top comes off). And the front view shows how it keeps the litter in. My cat is a champion litter thrower (placed second in the litter olympics) and this contains his efforts.

snstearns says:

I love the litter box in the bathroom idea. I'm going to try to incorporate that into our upcoming remodel. Patscats2, dancingfish and Vanessa_Brunner - no need to worry about the cats needing to go when the bathroom is closed. An adult cat can "hold it" for eight hours without difficulty, so the few minutes plus for you to be private in the bathroom would not cause them any difficulties or you any messes to clean up.

jcarpentercc says:

I recently stayed with a friend who keeps her cat's litter box in the bathroom. I guess poor Henry had to go while I was taking a shower, because he used my suitcase instead! Not fun to clean up... :(

My cat spends half of his time outside, and he'll usually hold it until he can go out because he doesn't like to use his indoor litter box...

Shoshana Gosselin says:

great topic! i really like the laundry room one in the cabinet idea. i have 2 cats and litter is always a topic of conversation in my house.

scarbowcow says:

That dog coming through the little door into the dining room tickled me. I expect him to be carrying a newspaper, put it down and bark, 'Honey, I'm home!'

Christina says:

Great ideas, although I can't imagine having my golden sleep and eat in the kitchen, that's the only room he isn't allowed in because of all the fur. :) I recently made a really inexpensive food table for him (http://littlevictorian.blogspot.com/2012/03/doggie-diner.html)

mjsamuel says:

great... emailed co-petlovers