Why your favourite feline friend becomes your ‘bathroom bodyguard’, according to an expert

The ancient Egyptians adored cats and thought they held divine energy and at one stage, the penalty for killing a kitty, even by accident, was death.

While cats appeared on everything from tomb walls to the Book of the Dead, the ancient Egyptians never recorded one particularly quirky behaviour: why our feline friends insist on joining us in the bathroom.

Luckily, a modern-day expert has tackled this mystery.

Clinical cat behaviorist Amanda Campion has a knack for deciphering the most obscure feline habits and has now explained the “endearing” reason why your tabby will follow you to your own sacred throne.

In a video she posted to Tiktok, Campion shared the many reasons why your cat wants to join you in the bathroom.

“Following you is a sign of attachment,” she said.

However, cats are also “curious creatures” and she explained that cats see doors “as a barrier to something they may be missing out on”.

“If you’re closing the door when you go to the bathroom this could be one reason why.”

They also have a sense of smell 14 times stronger than humans and so anything, from the smell of a plug hole to spraying products like deodorant, could pique their interest.

Cats also see toilet time as “one-on-one” time where “you’re just a sitting duck” and they have you all to themselves.

@kittysittycatbehaviour “Privacy? Not when you have a cat. Here’s why they follow you into the bathroom!” “Drop a toilet emoji if you’ve got a bathroom bodyguard too!” #catbehavior #bathroombodyguard #whydoesmycat #catparents #catsoftiktok #funnycats #understandingcats #clingycat #catlove #petparentlife #kittysitty ♬ original sound – kittysittycatbehaviour

Campion’s followers loved her insights and shared their own pet run-ins during bathroom time.

“It’s a whole production when I go to the bathroom 😹,” one commented.

“My little Lily follows me into the bathroom and while I’m sitting on the toilet, she does the gentlest little reach up, putting just one little paw on my left knee looking for a pat,” another added.

“My two sit outside the door… i like to think guarding me.”

“My boy follows me to the toilet then sits on my lap.”

“My cat uses it as an opportunity to bite my legs. When I can’t move.”

So next time your kitty companion follows you too closely, just know it often means they love you … sometimes.