How do you keep cats out of the kitchen? Introducing intrusion prevention goods to prevent burns and injuries.

Many cat owners are troubled by their cats entering the kitchen.

Your cat follows you everywhere with bright, sparkling eyes. While it’s very cute, there is a risk of them getting burned by touching a hot stove or pot. Knives and scissors are dangerous, too.

Therefore, in this article, I would like to introduce some measures to prevent your cat from entering the kitchen.

Why do cats want to go into the kitchen?

Why do cats want to get up into the kitchen?

Because it smells like food

The kitchen smells like all kinds of food.

Cats love the smell of dashi (soup stock), the scent of grilling fish, and, of course, the aroma of preparing wet foods like canned cat food.

For a cat, the kitchen is a place where delicious things are. When they smell something good, they want to go into the kitchen.

Because there are things that pique their interest

Cats are very curious. They seem unable to resist playing with plastic bags that make crinkling sounds or cooking utensils like spoons and ladles.

Some cats like to climb into pots, some like to dig through trash cans, and some like to relax on top of the refrigerator.

Because you are there

Cats often enter the kitchen when their owners are there.

It seems to be because they want to spend time with their owner in the kitchen, or because they enjoy watching their owner cook or wash dishes.

The kitchen is a dangerous place for cats

The kitchen is full of dangers for cats. There are many places you don’t want them to enter or climb onto.

Risk of burns and injuries

Gas stoves and induction cooktops pose a risk of burns if touched during or after cooking. Touching piping hot food is also dangerous.

There is also the concern of accidents where they might accidentally turn on the switch and start a fire.When you are not cooking, you need to take measures such as turning off the gas main valve or using child locks.

Furthermore, cooking utensils like knives and scissors left in the sink, as well as tableware like forks and chopsticks, can cause injuries. Make sure to store them out of your cat's reach.

Watch out for accidental ingestion and eating!

Since food is kept in the kitchen, you must also be careful about accidental ingestion or eating the wrong things.

Some foods that we eat casually can be toxic to cats if they consume them.Since it can be life-threatening, please be careful about where you store food.

What are effective ways to prevent your cat from entering the kitchen?

It would be ideal if you could train your cat not to climb on the stove or sink, but that is quite difficult...

To keep your cat out of the kitchen and stop them from climbing on counters or the sink, you need physical barriers.

1. Create a barricade with prevention goods

You can purchase gates or fences at home improvement stores or pet shops to keep your cat from entering. You can also DIY by gathering materials from home centers or 100-yen shops.

Tension rod types are easy to install, making them great as barricades for kitchen counters, or you can even attach a gate to the entrance.

Curtains or partitions can also work, so try to find a solution based on your kitchen’s layout and your cat’s personality.

2. Keep them away with smells cats dislike

Commercially available sprays with citrus scents that cats dislike are available. By spraying them on places you don't want your cat to climb—like stoves, sinks, or trash cans—you may be able to discourage them from getting close.

However, effectiveness varies from cat to cat, so you will need to test it out.

3. Put them in a cage or isolate them while cooking

Another approach is to have them stay in a cage or be isolated in another room only while you are cooking.

To ensure your cat doesn't feel stressed, you could even make the time they spend isolated their "snack time."

We asked cat owners about their kitchen prevention measures!

When we asked cat owners about their measures to prevent kitchen entry, many said they "install a gate." Physically blocking entry is definitely the most reassuring method.

Poponeko Twitter also received some real-life ideas, so I'd like to share them!

DIY with 100-yen shop fences

I put a gate I made from 100-yen shop items on the counter! pic.twitter.com/OmsnatFcI5

— Nicchan (@5kt70) June 22, 2023

Installing a DIY door

I used a product that turns 2x4 lumber into a tension rod, had a lumber shop cut six pieces of fire-retardant cedar board, set up support pillars, carved grooves for round rods to ensure ventilation, and added hinges to make it door-style. If you push hard from the kitchen side, the pillars and the door come off together. pic.twitter.com/KaxgG8KZye

— Toki no Tabibito (@cyanfortland) June 22, 2023

Using the popular "Noborennyan"

I use Noborennyan!!
It's a tension rod type, easy to install, and can be opened and closed, so it's convenient😊✨ pic.twitter.com/PhRD9VsgQj

— Kamino@Zatta-aka (@4i3jGo) June 22, 2023

Other measures too!

The idea of using double-sided tape on places you don't want them to climb!

It’s not in the kitchen, but I put double-sided tape where I don't want them to climb lol
They might climb there a few times, but they feel the stickiness and think 'Gross!', and eventually stop climbing.
There is a downside where other things get stuck to it too, but it's easy to try and I recommend it.

— Ruruko (@ruruzi62983098) June 22, 2023

Is it also effective to just watch over them without paying attention!?

If you keep saying 'No, no!' to the kitchen or dining table, they tend to come more, so I put away dangerous items and just watched silently, and eventually they stopped coming.
Maybe it's not fun if you don't pay attention to them.
I've raised many cats, and it was the same for all of them.

— 12-hour Sleep (@CMpIL92UBM9MwJy) June 23, 2023

Summary

Cats acting freely are very cute, but the kitchen is a place with many dangers. Measures to prevent your cat from entering are essential.

To stop your cat from climbing into the kitchen, it is important not only to block access routes but also to avoid leaving anything that might pique their interest or food items out in the open.

The kitchen is a place where you need to be concerned about burns and injuries, as well as accidental ingestion. Use prevention tools effectively and take appropriate measures.

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