# Cats and bathrooms **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 6, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121 "2010-12-06T05:42:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/21 "2010-12-06T16:40:54Z")
If I don’t leave the door open and let them come in the bathroom with me they sit outside and cry like they think I’ve been kidnapped by terrorists. They drink out of the sink and get petted but they have to stay out of my lap while I’m in there. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/22 "2010-12-06T16:43:37Z")
Cats are welcome. They usually don’t want in the lap, but they can be there - sometimes I’ll pick her up, sometime Bella jumps up herself. (Brixie is not really a Lap Cat. Which is sad.) SpouseO has an absolute moratorium on cats in the bathroom. Apparently he’s concerned for the dangly bits. Or doesn’t want to pee on a cat fascinated with the open bowl. (We keep the lid down, always.) I find his reasoning here to be eminently reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/23 "2010-12-06T17:02:00Z")
Lately, I prefer to keep them out because I have a bird in there. He’s a feather picker so I can’t put him in the other bird room because it gets a little cold in there in the winter and he’s bald. He does have a little sweater but I don’t think it’s warm enough. Also, he gets plenty of attention as I visit often. Anyway, the cats like to come in and poke around and see what they’re missing and will rub against my legs, then they stare at the bird. A few of them like to follow me into the other bathroom where I shower. They like to lick my legs afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/24 "2010-12-06T17:11:24Z")
One of our cats is getting a bit obsessive about the bathroom - she’ll roll on the bathmat, begging you to come in and sit down on the Official Adore-The-Kitty Throne. She’s not exactly standoffish at other times, but she’s definitely over-the-top affectionate when someone’s taking the Browns to the Super Bowl. She’s not a lapcat, though, so she doesn’t jump up on your lap, thankfully, just rolls around your ankles and rubs her chubby little cheeks on your shins. My reaction is equal parts “weirdo!” and “cutie!” Still, bathroom time is my chance to catch up on my newspaper comics, so sometimes I ignore her to read and then feel bad. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/25 "2010-12-06T17:50:44Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > If I don’t leave the door open and let them come in the bathroom with me they sit outside and cry like they think I’ve been kidnapped by terrorists. [http://www.twolumps.net/d/20040326.html](http://www.twolumps.net/d/20040326.html) And keep clicking “next” until the end of the story arc. Warning: I very nearly laughed myself to death when I first read this, I had pneumonia and didn’t have much wind to start with. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/26 "2010-12-06T20:37:08Z")
If she’s making a racket outside the door, I might as well let her in so I can do my business in relative peace. She just wants to be in the room with me, to reassure herself that I haven’t been kidnapped by aliens or something. If my business is the messier sort, the kind where I feel disgusting and don’t want contact with any other living thing until I’ve washed with soap, I’ll just have to put up with the whining. ---
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/27 "2010-12-06T21:20:16Z")
As if we have a choice. If Jack or Kitten think hubby and I are even contemplating entry into the bathroom, they sprint in and put on their best “love me now” faces. It’s kind of sad when I don’t actually go in… ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/28 "2010-12-06T21:26:25Z")
The only reason my cats follow me into the bathroom is so that I may turn on the water for them and they can lap at the running trickle in the sink. Because, you know, fresh water in a dish isn’t good enough for them. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/29 "2010-12-06T21:42:46Z")
The past few years my cat has decided the bathrooms are the best place to hang out. Better heating and cooling than the rest of the house somehow? She gets seriously offended by any of us humans using her lounging area, even just for hair fixing or to teeth brushing. I get a withering look of disgust upon entering, and if I whip the door shut behind me before she’s got a chance to leave, she’ll park rightnext to the door and meow piteously, refusing to look at me the entire time. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/30 "2010-12-06T21:56:56Z")
My cat follows me everywhere. When I’m sitting on the toilet he usually just sits on the rug and dozes. Sometimes he brings me one of his toys and we play fetch until I get done or he gets bored. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/31 "2010-12-06T22:17:14Z")
I don’t currently have cats of my own, but I grew up with them, I’ve lived with them in the fairly recent past (\<5 years ago), and my boyfriend has two of them. I have no problem with any level of cat-in-the-bathroom contact, up to and including sitting on my lap for pettin’s, assuming that I’m not trying to read. They may even be especially welcome if I have a stomachache that has come with chills. Two apartments ago, my roommate’s cat loved to come into the bathroom with you. One of the most adorable things he ever did was stick his head up the leg of the boxers I was wearing as PJ bottoms while they were around my knees as I peed and stare lovingly at me through the open waistband. “My” bathroom at the boyfriend’s place has the catbox in it, but neither of the cats has gone in there with me yet. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/32 "2010-12-06T22:24:09Z")
My cat is fascinated by the bathroom in general. His favorite thing is to be in the bathroom when I’m showering, though. If I can’t find him when I’m about to shower, he will inevitably show up mid-shower and sit outside the bathroom and cry because he’s locked out. After I’m done, he goes into the shower and sniffs around and does…I’m not really sure. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/33 "2010-12-06T22:39:26Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > … > > Two apartments ago, my roommate’s cat loved to come into the bathroom with you. One of the most adorable things he ever did was stick his head up the leg of the boxers I was wearing as PJ bottoms while they were around my knees as I peed and stare lovingly at me through the open waistband. > > … There are _tears_ running down my cheeks from this! Now _I’m_ gonna laugh myself to death… 😛 Anyway, I’m very glad to know I’m not the only one whose cat thinks the potty is the Adore The Kitty Throne. My cat rode the short bus to school anyway, bless her little heart, so it’s nice to know she’s not so unusual in this, at least, after all. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/34 "2010-12-07T07:53:12Z")
I voted for the second one, but that’s not because I make her stay away, she’s just naturally polite I guess. 😃 Though she’ll occasionally come over to me for a quick pat on the head. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/35 "2010-12-07T13:40:53Z")
My cat is extremely offended by any closed door. She will nose open the door and come in and look around. She will brush up against my legs and ask how I am doing. No laps, though. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/36 "2010-12-07T16:38:36Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > After I’m done, he goes into the shower and sniffs around and does…I’m not really sure. Roommate’s cat used to immediately hop in when you were done and lick the water off the tub and walls. He’d also sit on the edge of the tub while you were showing and lick the condensed water off the cold water knob. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > There are _tears_ running down my cheeks from this! It was quite possibly one of the most adorable things I’d ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/37 "2010-12-07T16:42:54Z")
If I’m on the downstairs toilet, often a small object like a scrunchie or a duct-tape ring will appear, batted under the door by our playful tortie. Shoving the ring back under the door will result in it being batted back with force. Failing to continue the game will often result in a tortie paw appearing under the door. It is really hard to do one’s business while playing floor hockey with a restless cat. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/38 "2010-12-07T19:12:29Z")
I feel much better seeing everyone else’s cats behaving like mine. My wife thinks my cat and I have a very strange relationship, because if I start moving toward the bathroom, the cat will come tearing in from another room at barely subsonic speeds and LEAP through the door and onto the counter, where he will sit down and pretend he’s been there waiting for hours. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/39 "2010-12-07T19:34:48Z")
Brown Cat likes to hide behind the shower curtain and using the toilet is the perfect time to play Poke the Shower Curtain Monster. She also likes sitting on the closed toilet lid and staring at me when I put my makeup on in the morning. She likes it when I rub the blush brush over her whiskers. White Cat is just offended by the closed door. She’ll cry and cry and cry outside, but doesn’t actually want to come in if I open the door for her. She likes to jump in the tub post-shower and lap up all the people-flavored water. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121/40 "2010-12-08T00:57:32Z")
I used to have a cat, years ago, who insisted on being in the bathroom when I was. His litter box was there. When I dumped, he dumped. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-bathrooms/563121.md?page=3)