If I go to my brothers and I play with his cat or dogs she will totally ignore me when I get home. When she was hungry she would smack her bowl so hard it would go flying and hit me right in the face. During that first year I didn’t have a bed frame just a mattress on the floor. If that happens then she will sit outside the door and give this god awful howl until I finish going or get up and let her in. Now, she is pretty independent unless I am in the throne room. For the first year, I couldn’t leave her side without her freaking out. The male cat, was too far gone and I couldn’t save him, but little smokey girl was and still is a fighter. So my cat and her brother were abandoned as kittens. They respect their privacy, so don't stare at them when they use the litter box, okay? They'll see you in the bathroom, though. Whether it's because of curiosity or vulnerability or your cat simply playing its role as a furry, heat-seeking missile, the fact of the matter is that cats do respect privacy. which might explain the various photos of cats curled up in their humans’ undies! Of course, it could simply be that your cat is trying to find the warmest spot in the house. The humans are a captive audience that must then give them pets. They know that when a human is doin’ their business in that strange, small room, they can’t go anywhere. You’re stuck there.Ĭats are quick learners. You elevate the value of the space by choosing it for yourself and denying your cat access. That is what you do every time you close the bathroom door. When there is competition for a resource, its value increases.
Animal behaviorists utilize this trait to motivate animals for training purposes, using reward systems. High-value resources are ones that are immediately desired and strong enough to motivate action.
He can only know if he checks."Īnimals must place value on resources in order to prioritize their actions. "You might be hoarding resources or making friends with other cats. “How dare you shut him away from his own territory?" she says, from the cat’s perspective. Primm writes that the bathroom is within your cat’s sphere of influence. They might just be making sure their humans do the same.Īfter all, your home is the cat’s territory, and that includes the bathroom.
“Cats always want to know what’s going on in their territory, and they probably want to make sure you don’t do anything that might attract predators.” As smaller predators, housecats i nstinctively bury their feces so it does not attract the attention of predators. “Felines are territorial animals”, writes Dr. But their curiosity likely stems from a cat's territorial nature (a common cause of furniture scratching). We all know the adage about curious cats. So when you disappear behind a closed door, they might feel less safe than normal and as such seek you out to continue to take advantage of the comfort and safety you provide them. Your cat likely views you, the Almighty Can Opener, as a source of safety and comfort (as well as food).
Kathryn Primm writes that without you, your cat might suddenly feel vulnerable and susceptible to attack from an unknown predator. While cats might get the reputation for being highly skilled predators who will happily swat at bears and big dogs, housecats are also prey animals – and they know it.