Cats are solitary creatures most of the time, but they also love attention- when it’s given to them by their rules.

This might explain why, although they don’t want you or other pets to be around when they eat their food or answer nature’s call, they just love following you to the bathroom when you want to use the toilet or have a relaxing bath.

Since cat owners have long wondered why their feline buddies like to join them “where even the king goes alone”, experts have been studying their behavior and come up with some potential answers to this question.

First of all, as Jenna Stregowski, RVT, says, an explanation could be that cats find the bathroom to be a never-ending playground. They enjoy messing with toilet paper- even better, if there are towels hanging around- and rolling on the floor or playing with the rug.

At the same time, we should not forget that cats are curious creatures and closed doors only pique their interest!

They cannot imagine why you would want to enter a room without them and close the door behind you- this sounds like torture to them! So, when their favorite person- you- goes to the bathroom, they tend to paw on the door and meow until they are let inside.

Another explanation, according to Stregowski could be that they enjoy lying in the sink.

Don’t be surprised if you see your cat making herself comfortable in the cool sink during hot summer months: she fits perfectly in there and uses the much needed low temperature to bear with the heat. Similarly, during cold months, cats like warming up the sink with their body temperature and making themselves cozy in there for hours!

And, what about water? Don’t cats hate it?

Well, this is a misconception, according to scientists. Researcher Mikel Delgado, a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, argues that many kitties love fresh, running water, while others like playing splish and splash under the faucet. Apparently, there are also some cats that love water so much that they don’t hesitate to join their owners in the bathtub for a swim!

But, at the end of the day, it could all be about them seeking your undivided attention.

“Cats also probably know that when we are on the toilet, we are a captive audience — nowadays we are so busy and distracted that many cats are probably looking for an opportunity to have our undivided attention,” says Delgado.

The researcher goes on to add that cats have probably observed that humans don’t do much when sitting in the toilet, so they perceive it as the perfect opportunity for cuddles.

“Lap sitting is really popular in the loo — I assume this is characteristic opportunist behavior to find the warmest spot in the house and exploit the attention of their human servants. I think they want to be the center of the universe and have learned that humans don’t do much when sitting in the small room with the strange water chair,” he says.

Whatever the answer is, it is good to have some insight into cat thinking anyway. Of course, we are going to observe our cat’s behavior more closely during our next journey to the bathroom- what about you?

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Source: iheartcats, Inverse, The Spruce Pets