Cats are social creatures
Cats bond closely with their owners and become attached, even though they are often portrayed as aloof and independent. According to a study from Oregon State University published in Current Biology, most cats are securely attached to their owners, and see them as a source of safety and security.
Cats enjoy companionship and affection from their owners. Following you around the house provides comfort and allows them to spend time with you. Cats that are more anxious tend to become more attached to their owners and want to be near them more often. The cat-owner relationship meets many of a cat’s social needs.
Cats are curious
Cats have an innate sense of curiosity and a desire to explore new places and experiences. This curiosity starts from a young age, as kittens use their senses to discover the world around them. As cats grow and develop, this curiosity remains strong. The bathroom offers new smells, sensations, and even echoes that intrigue cats.
When a cat follows you into the bathroom, it is driven by its natural instinct to check out new spaces. A cat’s curiosity helps it learn about its territory and surroundings. The bathroom is likely a room the cat spends little time in compared to the rest of the home. The different textures, surfaces, smells, and sounds serve as stimulation for a curious cat.
Cats use their powerful sense of smell to pick up new and intriguing scents in the bathroom. Disinfectants, perfumes, and cleaning products all produce smells that appeal to a cat’s sensitive nose. The cat comes to the bathroom to investigate these smells up close. The smooth porcelain or tile surfaces also feel different under their paws compared to carpets and furniture. The bathroom offers new tactile experiences to explore through touch.
In addition, the bathroom tends to be a quiet room, which cats find comforting. The echoes from porcelain surfaces and enclosed space allow cats to hear noises amplified. These auditory quirks also appeal to their great hearing and curiosity. By entering the bathroom with you, your cat is simply following its natural instincts to explore new places and discover novel sensory experiences.
Cats Want Attention
One of the main reasons why cats follow you into the bathroom is because they crave your attention. Cats are highly social creatures that require daily interaction and affection from their owners (Source 1). When you go into the bathroom and shut the door, your cat sees it as an opportunity to get your undivided attention.
Cats will often meow loudly or rub up against your legs while you’re using the toilet. This is their way of demanding your affection and care. The sound of running water or flushing seems to especially prompt vocalizations from cats. By meowing or head-butting you, they know you will talk back or pet them (Source 2). Your cat has learned that the bathroom is a reliable place to get your attention.
Cats like routine
Cats are creatures of habit and they thrive on routine. Having a predictable schedule helps cats feel safe and secure (Source). If you go to the bathroom at certain times every day, the cat will come to expect this as part of their daily routine. Cats like to follow their owners around to keep an eye on them and be part of their regular activities. By following you to the bathroom on a consistent schedule, the cat is maintaining its sense of normalcy and order. The bathroom itself also becomes part of the cat’s habitual territory.
Cats that have a routine tend to be calmer and less stressed. Disrupting a cat’s routine can cause anxiety and behavioral problems. So when a cat joins you in the bathroom as part of its daily ritual, it is looking to preserve the reassuring repetition and predictability of its schedule (Source).
The bathroom has appealing surfaces
Cats love lying on cool surfaces, especially during hot summer days. Tiles and bathtubs provide a cold surface for cats to press their warm bellies against to bring down their body temperature. As FurryTips.com explains, “Cats cool themselves off by placing their bellies on colder surfaces, which act like very mellow ice packs.” The smooth porcelain and tiles of a bathtub or bathroom floor feel soothing against a cat’s furry body.
Additionally, cats prefer sleeping on hard surfaces rather than soft fabric beds. According to Experts on JustAnswer.com, “The other factor, I believe is that the cool surface feels good to them. The fur is insulating and it seems to be more common in arthritic cats to prefer the cool tile or wood floor to a furry cat bed.” The bathroom simply provides an ideal cool, hard surface for comfort-seeking cats.
The bathroom is quiet
Cats love peace and quiet as it allows them to relax and take cat naps without disturbances. The bathroom tends to be one of the quietest rooms in the house, away from noisy appliances, TVs, music, and other household activities. With no loud noises or disturbances, the bathroom becomes a peaceful sanctuary for cats to settle in for a nap.
Cats have very sensitive hearing, so they like to retreat to calm areas to sleep and relax. As this article points out, “Cats like peace and quiet. Household conveniences, like vacuum cleaners, can easily disrupt their nap time.” The bathroom provides an environment with minimal noise pollution for a cat.
Since cats sleep over 15 hours a day on average, they seek out quiet spaces around the house for undisturbed cat naps. With its quiet atmosphere, the bathroom is an ideal spot a cat can settle into for some tranquility and recuperation.
The litter box is nearby
Cats prefer easy access to their litter boxes, so they will frequently follow their owners into the bathroom since that is often where the box is located. According to the Humane Society, litter boxes should be kept in a spot that feels safe but is also convenient for your cat [1]. This often means placing it near the bathroom where there is frequent human traffic.
Having the litter box close by allows for easy access if your cat needs to use it. Cats feel most comfortable eliminating in their box, so they want it to be readily available. Following you into the bathroom brings them closer to their box just in case they need to use it while you are occupied in there.
Safety in numbers
Cats feel safer and more secure when they are near their trusted humans. According to Quora, most cats will follow their owners around the house because proximity is a sign of affection. Cats see their owners as a source of protection and companionship.
Research from NBC News also indicates that cats form attachments to their owners and depend on them to feel safe and comfortable. When a cat trusts you, they are likely to seek out your company, especially during activities like using the bathroom when they may feel more vulnerable.
By following you to the bathroom, your cat is showing that they feel safest and most at ease in your presence. The companionship you provide helps relieve their stress and makes them feel protected.
The toilet contains water
Cats are fascinated by moving water and often prefer it over standing water in their bowls. The constant flow of fresh water into the toilet bowl appeals to their natural curiosity. Additionally, the cool porcelain of the toilet and bathtub provide relief from summer heat. According to Ultimate Pet Nutrition, plumbing provides a source of fresh running water that is more enticing than stagnant bowl water for cats [1]. Cats’ origins as desert-dwellers make them inclined to seek out and drink fresh water whenever they can find it.
Summary
In summary, there are several reasons why cats commonly follow their owners into the bathroom. Cats are very social creatures who crave affection and attention from their human companions. They also tend to be curious and want to explore new spaces and be involved in everything their owner is doing. The bathroom in particular has features that appeal to cats, such as tiled floors for lounging, a quiet atmosphere, and a source of fresh drinking water from the sink or toilet. Cats also seem to enjoy the routine of accompanying their owners on bathroom visits. Overall, it stems from a cat’s natural desire to be near their beloved humans as much as possible, even during private moments like using the bathroom.
