Harvey vs. The Toilet.

[crumbandharvey]

So, a new problem it took me being sick and stuck at home to realize.

Harvey has recently developed an obsession with our toilet. He proceeds to watch both of us as we go (he has almost been peed on by DB more than once when deciding to peek inside... midstream). When I flush, he almost always watches the toilet paper go down.

I've also noticed him come and curl up with me damp sometimes. I took it as him getting a bit overzealous with the waterdish. Or sometimes he will jump into the shower after we're done and play with the bit of water leftover. I never really bothered to think too much farther than that.

So I walked into the kitchen this afternoon, which is attached to the bathroom. I noted Harvey sitting on the rim of the bowl, playing with the toilet water. Then I proceeded to watch him lose his balance and fall in.

He came out calm, collected, and shaking off his feet as if nothing had happened.

We're trying to keep the door shut, but we live in an older apartment, and the door doesn't really latch anymore without locking from the inside. Both cats can pretty much open any door in the apartment they want.

Anyone else had this problem? I assume he'll eventually lose interest... but could be wrong.

 

[suzygoblin]

why not jsut keep the toilet lid closed?
suzy (5.5 months) has the same fascination, and we just keep the toilet lid closed. problem solved.

 

[ritz]

FWIW, Ritz has also become more interested in the toilet recently, mainly because of the smell (TMI) and noise. Ritz is around two years old.
She is also increasingly interested in the bathtub, because there is a window sill above the tub and she is still trying to figure out how she can jump up there. (Steep pitch/angle.)
And this past week, she sits on the toilet seat and watches me take a bath! I think she is interested in the flow of the water as I turn it off/on.
I tried turning on the kitchen faucet just a little so it would drip, drip, drip; I heard/read some cats will drink more water this way. Nope, she just watches.
I don't worry about this; I think it's kind of cute. And she is certainly big enough that should I forget to put down the toilet lid and she fall in, she can get right back out.
I wouldn't worry too much about the toilet issue. Though if she is an indoor/outdoor cat, I'd watch her around a swimming pool or other body of water.

 

[crumbandharvey]

THE LID! We never use the lid on our toilet. This was all much easier than I thought. I am stupid. And feverish.

 

[ritz]

Glad I could help!
I got into the habit of closing the lid when Ritz was seven months old and, never having had a cat before, was afraid she might drown. Now I close the lid where ever I, um, go.
And, I'm female.

 

[mystik spiral]

Originally Posted by CrumbAndHarvey

THE LID! We never use the lid on our toilet. This was all much easier than I thought. I am stupid. And feverish.

I was also wondering why you didn't put the lid down. I got used to just closing the lid when I adopted Holland, now I do it without even realizing it. Ah well, we all have brain farts now and then!

 

[ritz]

My friend--the one who rescued Ritz--is also rehabilitating a squirrel. Right now "Buffy" is in the bathroom while friend is building a cage for her.
Signs are all of the room "Close lid" and "Close Door". One time someone didn't close the door, and you had four dogs, three cats and one hen chasing Buffy.
Funny, later; but now now.

PS: Yesterday I let Ritz explore the toilet with the lid open and me watching. She smelled all she wanted to smell and maybe dipped her paw into the water. Maybe her curosity has been satisfied.

 

[3catsn1dog]

I was gonna say too shut the lid. ALL of my cats will drink out of the toilet if left open. Croc has been peed on before because of his toilet obsession, and he has jumped into the shower while df was in it. He LOVES the water, even baths.

 

[calzone]

My brother's cat likes water. At least she used to. She liked putting her head under running water and taking a drink from it as it ran down. She also had a fixation on the toilet. She would get up there and watch the water during a flush. She occasionally drank from the toilet. She even somehow learned how to go #1 in the toilet! I don't live with my brother anymore so I'm not sure 100%, but she may have grown out of her toilet fixation.

My cat on the other hand, doesn't care much for water. She occasionally drinks from the toilet, but as others noted, you can easily prevent this by closing the lid.

I guess some cats just like water better than others. As long as they're not playing with filthy water I don't see the harm in it.

 

[meuzettesmom]

My Peanut like to play in the water as well.
Toilets.
You wonder when it will ever stop. Wet paw paws. Maybe in the winter...
Sure you can shut the lid to the toilet But not the water bowl and bucket.

 

[speakhandsforme]

Boots likes to watch the flush too. No idea what that's about. And Kramer likes to try to figure out what's going on in the shower. One time he jumped in with me and had to scramble out of the spray.

 

[crumbandharvey]

We've started to shut the lid now, and I just walked into the kitchen to see Harvey sadly sitting on the lid, trying to lift it up with his little paws. It was so. Sad. Maybe I should just keep it clean and not ruin his fun.

 

[blueorchid]

I keep the lid down too. It is a habit now because I have small children. Gracie loves dipping her paws in her water bowl and then walks all funny because they are wet. I don't know why she keeps doing it. She also likes getting in the tub after we shower or in the sink after we wash our hands lol

 

[nebula]

Exhibit A:

Yep - smokie likes the toilet too!! He can even open the lid, and can't keep the bathroom door shut as tht is where the litter box is

 

[melesine]

And here I blamed Cooper spending too much time with our German Shepherd who loves the toilet. I thought he learned it from her. Because I caught him in the toilet today too. Drinking water. Even though his water dish with fresh water in it was not more than a few feet away on the other side of the wall. Silly kitty. 

Did I mention that he also is obsessed with the toilet paper roll after watching me use it he has now started attacking the toilet paper on the roll and we have repeatedly come into the bathroom to find it shredded and unraveled. I've resorted to storing the roll in the cabinet above the toilet where he can't reach it. 

 

[crumbandharvey]

Harvey figured out how to open the lid too. 

 He had one day this week that was a very... wet... day. I twisted my ankle pretty badly last weekend, so Tuesday morning I ran a cold bath to soak it in. I sat on the edge of the tub, and of course Harv sat with me. He ended up trying to attack my foot in the water since I kept wiggling it around... and ended up taking a swim instead. Then that afternoon, I heard a crash and came in from the adjoining room... only to see the Harv IN the toilet, with his head peeking out, scrambling to escape. 

 I haven't given it a good scrub down in a bit, but I probably should switch to a natural cleaner so he doesn't drink chemicals, if he insists on using it as a pool.

And luckily, they haven't figured out the toilet paper game... but wrapping himself around a fresh roll of paper towels and biting/clawing it to pieces is one of Crumb's favorite games!

 

[feralvr]

YIKES!!! What a story and how clever is Harvey :lol3:. On a serious note, and don't mean to be a downer, but it scares me a bit. I just hope he doesn't get stuck in the toilet with the lid down and can't get back out for whatever reason hno:, it would worry me if you were not home. I would #1 either use a natural cleaner everyday and leave the lid up so he can swim as he pleases OR #2 keep the lid down with something very heavy (like a brick or twenty pound dumbell ) on top of the lid so he can't lift it anymore. He will soon tire of this game :nod: I am actually having a chuckle at Harvey's fascination with water :sunk:

 

[nebula]

Use one of these, it should do the trick