We had an above the stove mw in our old house. I vented it outside. It was a good space saver.
I was afraid I'd catch myself on fire constantly reaching above it. That never happened.
I'd get a new one for above the stove.
wow, that's commitment. whenever i had pets, i used high quality commercial foods. was it any better than store brand? probably not, but it made me feel better.
If you remove the microwave from above the stove, does whatever you have for a backsplash go up all the way?
Vents that just blow back into the room are useless.