This Kitty Kitchen is Purr-fect for Cat Owners

If you have cats, keeping them off your kitchen countertops can be a constant battle.

The cat-owning designers at Mobitaly have felt your pain, and came up with a novel solution: A kitchen that’s also a playground to keep your feline friends occupied while you cook.

{{amazon name="ökocat Natural Wood Cat Litter, 18-Pound, Clumping", asin="B00IYI0LI6", align="right"}} The Mocaki Modular Cat Kitchen is the brainchild of Francesco Vintrici and Daniele Schinaia, two kitchen designers who decided to target the 8 million cat owners in Italy with a specialty product made just for them.

At first glance, Mokaci looks like any other Italian-made kitchen: Sleek, with hidden handles and built-in appliances, plus a stainless countertop and sink.

However, those normal-looking cabinets and counters are built on a set of modular cat-friendly furniture, with just the kinds of nooks and crannies that kitties love to explore.

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Owners can arrange them however they want, installing everything from cozy corners and toys to food and water dishes. And it’s all designed to keep cats occupied so humans can cook in peace.

“The cat has his own place, so he doesn’t come bother you,” said Vintrici, who owns a cat named Atila.

We got our paws on the kitty kitchen at Design Week in Milan, and a few details stood out to us: The stainless countertop isn’t just attractive and easy to clean. It’s also a repellent for many cats, who hate the texture of cold and shiny surfaces.

We also like the optional tall cabinet that’s intentionally easy for kitty to climb up on.

The tops of cabinets are a favorite perch of many cats, who like to survey their surroundings. (In fact, when this writer’s own cat isn't loudly opening and closing cabinets in the middle of the night, she likes to climb up on top of them.)

For now, Mokaci is simply a concept kitchen design. But if cat culture in Italy is anything like it is in the U.S., we expect Mobitaly to have a hit on its hands—and for cats the world over to collectively yawn, and continue playing with stray paper bags.

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