With enticing toilet paper hanging on the wall, it can be difficult to discourage your cat from playing in the bathroom when you're not at home. Use these handy tips to set a few minor booby traps and keep your bathroom feline-free.
Tips to Discourage Your Cat From Bathroom Play
Those with cats often complain that their felines are always getting into the bathroom toilet paper roll, or exhibiting other behaviors that ought to be off limits. Read on for a few tips on how to help train kitty not to go after your toilet paper, play in the sink, and jump in the bathtub.
Cats Don't Like Water
Get a small paper cup, like a Dixie cup, and fill it halfway up with cool water. Now, place it carefully on top of your toilet paper roll. Be sure you use an inexpensive brand that you will not mind getting wet a few times just until your kitty learns not to touch the roll. They will learn this quickly.
When your cat attempts to play with the toilet paper, wow, what a big surprise they are going to have when the Dixie cup of water falls on them. Cats normally do not like getting hit with water as a surprise. Most don't even like playing with water unless maybe there is a fish in it they want to catch.
Cats Also Don't Like Startling Sounds
Another favorite deterrent you can used to keep your cat from unraveling the bathroom roll is the old fashioned "penny can." This homemade tool is sometimes used to train dogs, but it can also be used in a pinch to train your cat, as well, because most cats do not like to be startled by the unexpected rattle.
Get an empty can, such as an empty Pringles mini can, and add about 30 pennies to it. Put the lid back on and wrap a little duct tape around it to secure it. This will keep the lid from coming off when the can is knocked over, and will prevent your pet from ingesting the coins, which can be toxic.
Next, balance the can evenly on top of the paper roll or any bathroom item you no longer want kitty to play with. When your cat begins pawing where they shouldn't, the penny can will crash down, creating enough noise to startle your cat away. Just like the water cup, the penny can reinforces the idea that the bathroom is no place for kitty to play.
Foil is a Great Deterrent
Aluminum foil is another item cats do not like too much. You can roll up a few aluminum balls and place them on the lid to the commode, the tub ledge, toilet paper roll, or anything else you want your cat to leave alone. You can also try covering the entire roll of toilet paper with the aluminum foil. This way, your cat cannot get to it at all and should eventually quit looking for it altogether.
Hang the Roll Backwards
The previous tips are probably the most effective, but it you really don't feel like booby-trapping your bathroom, you can try hanging the toilet paper roll backward. Cats generally have to reach up and claw downward to get the roll to unravel. By hanging it backwards, it just keeps rolling around as kitty swipes without releasing anymore tissue to play with.
Fill the Tub and Sink with Water
Fill your tub and sink with a few inches of water and leave it there for at least two weeks. Your cat will soon assume that the tub and sink are always full of water and will no longer consider it a safe place to play or relieve themselves. You should be able to empty your tub and resume your regular routine following the two weeks.
Keep the Toilet Bowl Closed
If the water in the toilet is genuinely fresh, some cats may like drinking from it. This is difficult for a human to believe, but consider it from the perspective of a pet. The water in the ordinary water bowl may have gone stale because it has been sitting there for a long time. Due to recent flushing, the water in the toilet may contain more oxygen and, therefore, taste more fresh.
Even if you have to place a note in the bathroom for other family members, make sure the toilet lid is always kept closed. Make it impossible for the cat to get to the toilet water and so eliminate the temptation.
The Bathroom Peaks Your Cat's Curiosity
To your cat, the bathroom is just another room to explore and spark their curiosity. There's no sure-fire way to keep your cat out of the bathroom completely without keeping the door closed. With the tips listed above, you can at least keep your cat out of the bathtub, the toilet, and other areas you don't want explored.
