Why Does My Cat Always Follow Me Into The Bathroom?
Adorable, but kinda creepy đđ˝
The bathroom is a private place, but it can be pretty awkward when your cat â who you love with all your heart â is just staring at you while you pee or shower.
Youâd think theyâd get it, since their litter boxes are private, too, but apparently privacy doesnât apply to their favorite human (hey, thatâs you).
And since itâs kinda weird, The Dodo spoke with Dr. Kate Blair, a cat veterinarian with T.H.E. Cat Hospital of Marina del Rey in California, to find out why cats are so obsessed with following their people into the bathroom.
Why does my cat follow me to the bathroom?
Itâs strange, for sure, but there are actually a few reasons why your cat might follow you into the bathroom.
These reasons include:
- Curiosity
- To sit in the sink or play around with other things in the bathroom
- Because she loves you! (Awwww.)
- Hyper-attachment
- Separation anxiety
âFor many [cats], [the motivation for following you into the bathroom] is simply the need to know what is going on at all times,â Dr. Blair told The Dodo. âBecause we usually close the door after entering the bathroom, the bathroom can seem like a mysterious place they donât want to be kept away from!â
So thatâs why they go in once youâre already inside!
And while theyâre in there, they might enjoy exploring a whole bunch of things in the bathroom that are actually super appealing to cats.
âFor other cats, the lure of the bathroom is all about the cool and smooth feeling of the sink or bathtub to play in, a dripping faucet to drink from, or a warm, captive audience of their favorite person on the toilet to cuddle with,â Dr. Blair said.
But if your cat follows you into the bathroom for no reason at all â other than she canât stand to be alone â thereâs a chance she might have an attachment issue.
How do I tell if my cat has attachment issues?
These issues include hyper-attachment and separation anxiety.
âHyper-attachment occurs when cats seem to be overly dependent on being near a person and spend much of their time going anywhere they go and seeking attention from them,â Dr. Blair explained.
But according to Dr. Blair, separation anxiety is a more serious condition.
If your cat is separated from you â or even another cat sheâs close with â the anxiety often causes her to exhibit destructive or dangerous behaviors like:
- Urinating outside the litter box
- Abnormal vocalization
- Pacing
- Self-mutilation
If your cat is exhibiting these symptoms, itâs super important to reach out to your vet.
âA veterinarian can look at a specific catâs behavior and determine if there may be a problem and how best to address it, either with environmental modification or in some cases anti-anxiety medication,â Dr. Blair said.
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