# Cat owners: Do you always keep the toilet lid down so cat doesn't fall in? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-owners-do-you-always-keep-the-toilet-lid-down-so-cat-doesnt-fall-in/320835 "2005-09-09T16:12:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-owners-do-you-always-keep-the-toilet-lid-down-so-cat-doesnt-fall-in/320835/61 "2018-11-28T16:59:56Z")
I have a bunch of cats and I keep the lid down because I like to imagine my home is vaguely civilized. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-owners-do-you-always-keep-the-toilet-lid-down-so-cat-doesnt-fall-in/320835/62 "2018-11-29T01:53:33Z")
> [@Gulo\_gulo](#): > > I keep the seat down because my husband insists on using those blue thingies in the tank and I don’t want the cats drinking that stuff. They were happy to use the toilet as a water bowl in the past and I never worried about any sort of safety issue. Tangent: Well known bad idea anyway. The blue makes it more difficult to notice blood, which is a symptom of bowel cancer and similar fatal conditions that you wish to notice _as soon as possible_. The blue is attractive, but back when I was paying attention, medical advice was not to use it. ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-owners-do-you-always-keep-the-toilet-lid-down-so-cat-doesnt-fall-in/320835/63 "2018-11-29T03:51:38Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Not a cat, but my ex-brother-in-law’s parrot drowned in the toilet. He said he and his parents had gone out and couldn’t the parrot, until…yeah! ☹ My parakeet flew into the toilet one night, but fortunately my brother-in-law was just about to use it, so he was able to rescue George. The lid is up for my cat who seems to prefer drinking from the toilet over all the fountains and bowls I’ve put out for him. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-owners-do-you-always-keep-the-toilet-lid-down-so-cat-doesnt-fall-in/320835/64 "2018-11-29T04:28:26Z")
Beckie, my ex had a kitten die this way. He was about 5 months and couldn’t jump back out because the seat was down. This was an oddly-shaped toilet with a deep bowl so when I first saw it, I immedietly understood his concern about my cats. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-owners-do-you-always-keep-the-toilet-lid-down-so-cat-doesnt-fall-in/320835/65 "2018-11-29T17:49:36Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > We have five cats, and keep the lids down. I’m not worried they’ll drown, but we used to have one who enjoyed flushing the toilet. I’m convinced at least a couple of our current cats would be smart enough to make the connection between “push down the little handle” and “watch the swirly-water show,” so I’d prefer not to give them the chance to prove me right! When KC the cat was younger, he was fascinated to watch the water swirl away in a just-flushed toilet. Then one time he reached out a paw and dipped it under the surface. He shook his paw with an annoyed look on his face and has had no interest since then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-owners-do-you-always-keep-the-toilet-lid-down-so-cat-doesnt-fall-in/320835.md?page=3)