Cats are often stereotyped as independent, aloof creatures with no real interest in their human housemates. In reality, the opposite is true, as cat owners far and wide will testify.
Many cats can’t get enough of their owners and just have to follow them everywhere, especially the bathroom.
As you tend to close the bathroom door more than any other, it’s the room your cat feels compelled to follow you into the most. Cats are curious; they like to see what’s happening everywhere. Your home is definitely your cat’s castle and it has the right to know what you do within every room!
Why cats really need to join you in the bathroom
Cats love to follow their owners in and out of every room and the bathroom is no exception.
If you try to exclude your cat from that particular room it seems to make it all the more determined to follow you in there. But there are other reasons too.
There are a number of very important objectives behind gaining entry to the bathroom. One (or all) of the following reasons could apply to your cat.
Attention seeking
When your cat follows you around like a lost soul, it just wants you to take notice of it, especially if you’ve just been asleep and ignoring it for the last 8 hours.
The bathroom is the perfect place for a rendezvous as you don’t have that many distractions whilst you’re in there. Forget trying to read or browse social media – pet your cat instead!
Your cat can command your undivided attention for the duration of your visit to the smallest room in the house and it knows it.
Curiosity must be satisfied
A cat just has to know what’s going on and it’s not driven by nosiness. Total knowledge of what’s happening everywhere makes a cat feel secure.
Knowing what you’re up to behind that bathroom door assures it immensely.
Therefore you must be followed every time you go there because you might do something unexpected and endanger the whole household.
Guarding instincts
When you do your bathroom business you are in a vulnerable position as far as your cat is concerned – so it is doing you a serious favor by following you to your posh china litter box to guard you while you use it.
After all, you aren’t going to be able to run fast with your undies around your ankles are you?
Something that always fascinated me was how after using their litter box, cats zoom as far away from it as possible, almost in a euphoric state.
For a long time, I presumed they were just enjoying the relief of empty bowels (I can relate to that). But then I was told it’s a natural instinct to get away from the smell they’ve just created before a predator is attracted by it.
The basin is a cool bed
On a hot summer’s day, as soon as you open the bathroom door, your cat might leap into that cool white bed (you call it the basin).
Don’t expect to wash your hands, you can stoop over the tub to do that… That’s what my cat, Harry, used to say (below).
Seriously, if your cat does this, make sure it has access to lovely cool spots around the house to prevent it from overheating.
There are hot water pipes heating the floor
Don’t flatter yourself. Your cat is not always following you, it just wants to flop out on the mat above the hot water pipes and chill. Cats love heat, and bathrooms tend to be naturally cozy.
Your protection is required
If you go into the bathroom and shut the door, your cat might suddenly feel vulnerable.
A strange predator may enter the house and attack it whilst you are otherwise engaged behind that closed door.
If a cat has felt this way once, every time you head for the bathroom memories of those scared feelings are evoked, hence it will trot quickly after you to be sure it is safe.
Water fetish or thirsty
If you’re about to run the shower, your cat may be desperate to hop in too. A few cats like water more than we realize.
Be kind and let your cat in. It will probably cry pitifully outside the door if you don’t.
On the other hand, your cat might want a quick slurp of water from the basin faucet, as my cat Charlie often did (above).
Toilet fascination
Some cats want to watch you pee. They will unashamedly stare at you as you do so. It can be quite off-putting, but your cat doesn’t care.
On the other hand, you mustn’t so much as glance at your cat when it’s in its litter box.
That is absolutely not allowed and cats do actually look embarrassed if spectated!
Bath games
Have you ever put your cat in an empty bath with a ping pong ball? Hours of fun. Of course, it will follow you to the bathroom ever after in the hope of a repeat of the game.
Why your cat really follows you to the bathroom
Cat’s are creatures of habit and if yours follows you to the bathroom on a regular basis it’s simply because it is part of its daily routine.
Once upon a time, your cat had a reason for trailing after you in there, but after a while, it just accompanies you because it has become accustomed to doing so.
And that’s it in a nutshell. No real rhyme nor reason really. Your cat is just being a cat!