Why Do Cats Follow Their Owners Into the Bathroom?

Cats fascinate us with their unique behavior and their silly habits. Although every cat has a unique personality, many cat owners will agree about their curiosity and common habits that seem weird from our human perspective. One of these silly habits is cat’s eagerness about bathroom and its facilities. Many cats follow their owners into the bathroom and jump on the closed door when the owner or his/her guests are inside. For cats, privacy is not a big thing. They like to explore dripping faucets, bathtubs, toilet paper rolls, and many little things hiding there. For them, bathroom activities of their owners attract a lot of attention and need to be followed-up. The excerpt from the article “5 Reasons Cats Love Bathrooms” addresses 5 possible reasons why do cats follow their owners into the bathroom.

1. Cats hate to be in water, but love to be near it
Shortly after we adopted Ghosty we found out just how much she hated water. After the poor girl had an accident while traveling in her carrier, my husband took it upon himself to give her a shower. The aftermath was a very wet and very angry Ghost Cat.
I thought that her traumatic shower experience would keep her out of the bathroom, but Ghost Cat was not about to give me any alone time in there. She just could not stand to see that door closed.

2. Cats think toilet paper is simply irresistible
Every cat guardian knows that toilet paper must be guarded, or the humans in the household will have to get used to wiping with shreds. It seems no cat can resist a white spool of Charmin. Those soft cylinders make for fun games of unravelling and shredding.

3. Cats love the taste of human bathwater
If you’ve got a cat who won’t drink from her water dish, water cooler or water fountain, just try taking a bath with her in the room. For some reason, Ghost Cat just can’t pass up the opportunity to sip from a tub I’m soaking in, or lick the shower floor after I pull back the curtain.

4. Cats just don’t get privacy (theirs or ours)
Cats don’t need privacy to go to the litter box, and mine seem to think that humans shouldn’t either. Back in our old apartment everything was out in the open — including Ghosty’s litter. I’d be stirring the spaghetti and she’d lock eyes with me while fertilizing her sand. Now that our compact downtown days are behind us, we’re basking in the square footage of our little bungalow, so Ghosty and Specter have their own special cat room to squat in. I think Ghost Cat still remembers the days when she was expected to poop with an audience, though, because she sure thinks I should have one. I have to tell my cats shoo so that I can … you know.

5. Cats love us
I will always brush my teeth and even bathe with them in the bathroom, but despite what Ghost Cat thinks, there are some times when a girl just needs to be alone with the throne. If I shut the door on my cats they’ll either go bother my husband until I return from the bathroom, or they’ll both plop down in front of the bathroom door and just wait for me to come out. I have to admit, it’s kind of oddly adorable and heartwarming to open the door to find your little furry friends have been waiting on you.

For some owners, cats’ fascination with a bathroom comes from closing the door. As many cat owners know, cats do not like a closed door. May be closed door attracts their attention because they challenge the cats as forbidden territory that does not allow them access or induce them to think that there is something mystical or adventurous behind. Others think that cats are attracted by a variety of activities, their owners perform there, like shaving, brushing teeth, washing hair, etc. Generally speaking, kitchen and bathroom are the most interesting areas in our house because we do the majority of our activities there, and for our cat, this is an opportunity to participate. Maybe it is only their way of feeling as the equal member of our household.