June 24, 2024, 4:29 am | Read time: 9 minutes

I’m sure every cat owner has experienced a cat following them to the toilet more than once. But why do cats do this? There could be various reasons for this behavior.

Reasons why the cat follows you to the toilet.

When you get up in the morning and stagger sleepily towards the toilet to do what needs to be done, many cat owners usually hear an almost galloping tap of paws behind them. The cat is alert and quickly follows their master to the room where the toilet is. If the door is closed on them, a chorus of meows is almost guaranteed. A closed door? Most cats don’t like this at all.

They meow, scratch on the door, look wide-eyed, and keep sticking their heads up. This is how cats express that they are well and alert. My cat, Remo, even goes as far as placing his toy wand in front of the bathroom door while meowing loudly if he’s left outside.

But what could be the reason behind the cats’ strange fascination with your going to the toilet? Here are a few possible reasons and examples from my personal experience.

Reason number 1: The cat follows because it itself needs to go to the toilet

The simplest reason why a cat might follow you to the toilet is that it needs to go itself. If one of the litter trays is in the bathroom, it is understandable that it follows you when you go there. Especially in the morning, after getting up, their bladder is full and needs to be emptied. As social creatures, cats also like to do this in company. Cats that go to the toilet are relaxed on one hand. But on the other hand, they are also nervous because they cannot concentrate on their surroundings at that moment. Therefore, it might give them security and a sense of trust when they are with us.

Reason number 2: Interest and curiosity

Another reason why many cats want to go to the toilet is that they are very curious and don’t like it when they hear noises they can’t explain. When we go to the bathroom to get ready for the day, brush our teeth, and comb our hair, we unconsciously make noises. Cats perceive these sounds precisely and cannot explain them if they do not see the source. Whether the cat understands why we pull a brush over our head and put another one in our mouth remains to be seen. It certainly wants to be involved.

However, it doesn’t just have to be an interest in humans that makes them want to follow us to the toilet. If the bathroom door is usually kept closed, it is also possible that the cats find it particularly attractive when this mysterious room with its strange fittings opens. The toilet itself, with its mechanisms, is also attractive to cats. This is why some actually like to watch the water being flushed. Others love to play with the toilet roll.

If you have a non-fluted window in the bathroom, the view from it also offers an attractive and different perspective than usual. All my cats liked to sit on the window sill in the bathroom and look outside. There are always exciting things happening in the backyard or garden. Other cats can be seen, and you have an all-round view. However, it can be problematic if you unexpectedly use deodorant or hairspray in the bathroom. Most cats don’t like these smells at all. But that does not stop them from following us to the toilet.

Reason number 3: It’s a ritual of bonding

We humans often describe our ‘little sanctuary’ as peaceful and quiet. Some even like to sit on the toilet a little longer than necessary. We enjoy the peace and quiet, are engrossed in our cell phone, or are even reading. So it’s no wonder that cats also love this little place. The owner sits on the toilet, relaxed and at peace with himself and the world. Surely this is the perfect time for a few cuddles? Remo actually likes to wiggle around my legs when I go to the toilet or stand right in front of me when I’ve just made my way there. He knows where I’m headed and that I’ll be sitting for a while, which is the perfect opportunity for some quiet companionship.

Reason number 4: The toilet is either the warmest or coolest room in the house

Sometimes, Remo follows me to the bathroom in search of a cooler spot. In the bathroom, there are cooling tiles, the bathtub, and the sink. On really hot days, he sometimes even sticks his head under the running water or lies down in the bathtub to cool off. With some of my foster cats, I have even seen them jump into the bath enthusiastically and push the tap open with their paws to drink fresh water.

However, the bathtub has another fascination for my cats. They all like to hide behind the shower curtain and try to catch me with their paws when I walk past it. This quickly turns the bathroom into a cat playground. Other cats have even developed a preference for the warm water in the shower and don’t let their owners out of their sight.

However, cats also go to the bathroom when they want to be warm in the winter. This is because the room is usually warmer than others during the cold season, and additional heat is generated when showering. Underfloor heating also makes the bathroom an inviting place to linger. A fluffy, warm bath mat can even be used for sharpening claws or kicking.

Reason number 5: The cat suffers from (separation) anxiety

Some cats also follow their owners to the toilet due to various fears. My first cat, Minka, suffered from severe separation anxiety and always followed me whenever I left the room to go to the toilet. She was afraid of being left behind without me. My rabbits were not enough company for her.

This strong dependency also manifested itself in her becoming unclean and following me at every turn. In such cases, a visit to the vet is recommended to clarify whether there are other physical causes in addition to the anxiety symptoms. In my case, my cat’s anxiety subsided after I moved into my first apartment. But even after that, she was happy to follow me to the bathroom.

Theory: Does the cat want to protect or control us?

There are many reasons why a cat follows its owner to the toilet. One persistent theory is that they follow us because they want to protect us. Furthermore, they want to check if we dispose of our droppings properly. Cats themselves usually bury their metabolic products extensively in the litter tray or in protected places on their free-roaming route. Sometimes you might think that they expect us to handle our business in the same way. Remo, for example, jumps up and runs to the door when I flush the toilet. In many cases, he’s right, because the toilet visit is now done and he has internalized this routine.

Sometimes, however, I’m not done yet, but I continue to get ready or take a shower. My cat also knows this routine and then lies down comfortably on the bath mat to watch me put in my contact lenses or apply my makeup. In fact, he always waits patiently until I’ve finished showering, because he knows that afterward it’s off to the kitchen for morning coffee and breakfast for him.

Therefore, it seems rather unlikely that the motivation to control us or our cleanliness is behind the cat’s behavior. In fact, there is no scientific evidence for this theory. It also seems rather unlikely that these behaviors and thoughts correlate with such humanized motivations from the cat

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Therefore, the fact that the cat follows us to the toilet has almost exclusively positive reasons. But what if I, as the owner, simply find it unpleasant that the cat always wants to be there with me? In this case, only consistent behavior really helps. If you don’t want the cat to accompany you, keep the door closed while you go to the bathroom.

Even meowing and scratching at the door should not be tolerated or even rewarded with a loud voice and attention. The cat must learn that some people like to do their business alone and that it is not a bad thing if it stays outside during this time. However, the change in behavior can take a while, depending on how long the cat has been allowed to go to the bathroom with you.

Personally, I would never prevent my cats from accompanying me to the bathroom because, through this behavior, they are showing that they like being with us. The fact that they see us in a state of undress is of no concern to them. So for me personally, this loss of privacy is easy to get over.