You know how cats always want to be with you in the bathroom?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

It's one of their rules: No human may occupy or use a bathroom unaccompanied by at least one cat.
My cats try very hard to enforce this rule, but sometimes I close the door, which thwarts them and they don't like it. Until now, they have reacted by reaching under the door and waving their paws and howling.

Until today.

So I'm in the bathroom with the door closed, expecting the usual whining and paws under the door. But instead, I hear the doorknob rattling. And I see it move a little bit. And it's not just that one bathroom: Same thing happened later with the upstairs bathroom.

Milo has now discovered doorknobs, and he understands how they work. Fortunately for me he doesn't have thumbs. If he did....

[PoliticAverse]

1. If he did...

[Agschmid]

2. Oh the brits! n/t

[TexasTowelie]

6. Uh oh! A possible draftee for RKBA...

[graywarrior]

7. LOL, that is hysterical!

[Jack Sprat]

3. Sure enough.

I have seen one trying to open an iron door. He knew the knob turned, but he just couldn't quite get the grip on it to actually open it to get outside. He never got tired of trying though.

[libodem]

4. Ralph

Usually sits on the scale.

[MuseRider]

26. Somewhere I have a photo

that I took while sitting down with a kitten cozied up in my long johns as they hung between my knees. It is very cute but very odd.

[Purveyor]

5. I have a bodily function phobia...I only live with two dogs and always close the door when I'm

'doing it'.

That said, being naked in front of my babes isn't an issue.

Go figure...

[MuseRider]

8. I went from two kids

who would not let me in the bathroom alone to dogs who would not and now I have 3 cats. My bathroom time is always shared. One cat insists on being sung to while he is in there with me.

I have a friend who has a cat who, when he does not get what he wants, goes into their bathroom and slams the door and yeeowls from there until they let him out.

I think I would rather have them in the bathroom with me.

Let us know if Milo figures it out without thumbs. He seems to be stubborn enough and smart enough to do it!

[catbyte]

37. I have to play with little Sammy with the laser pointer every time I hit the john,

LOL. She's one obsessed little feline.

[siligut]

9. Had a Russian Blue who could turn door knobs

He had to be up on something and the knob had to be an easy one, but he used both paws and opened doors

[LoveMyCali]

13. I had a Siamese cat

that could open turn door knobs and sometimes get the door open. I had to keep the doors locked at all times. Even when I was home.

[2naSalit]

22. I've had two

who could open doors without thumbs, one also caught flies with one hand and another who was a vegetarian, ate more salad than I do! He would eat tuna once in a while but he had to have his greens every day, wouldn't touch anything else that had meat in it, even pieces from the table that disbelievers would give him.

[Demoiselle]

34. The salad eater was just eliminating the Middle Mouse.

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[2naSalit]

36. Good one!

[RoccoR5955]

10. Give them enough time

and they will figure out how to open doorknobs WITHOUT thumbs!
Take it from someone who knows!

[tavalon]

11. Aw, thumbs, thwarted again!

[spooky3]

12. Don't relax yet. When I was a kid, we had a cat that could open doors.

She jumped and hung/pulled on the knob to turn it.

And she didn't even like being with us all that much!

Milo may figure out the technique soon.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. I might as well replace all the doorknobs

with those lever-type handles. I feel bad that he is so impeded by his lack of thumbs.

[spooky3]

15. Nooo!!! He'd probably learn to pull those even more quickly.

You are doomed.

[Pachamama]

23. Dont bother - my siamese figured it out a long time ago...

Loves coming in while i am showering, lays on the rug in front of shower door entire time (blocking exit of course) and when I have managed to get door wedged open (barely) and squeeze out of shower, she will come into shower stall and lap up water. I think she likes the perfumed water droplets....so strange...

[politicat]

29. Watch her labs carefully.

Being desert evolved, cats have amazing kidneys... Right up until those kidneys fail. Water-seeking and playing with water is an early sign.

[toddwv]

16. Won't be long now...

[siligut]

20. So cute

Took Buster a minute to remember how, but he did it!

[2naSalit]

24. I don't think he forgot

it looks more like he expected the human with the camera to open the dang door since they were standing right there... and since they wouldn't he decided to do it himself since he could. It's pretty cool either way.

[siligut]

31. Yes, I watched again and I believe you are correct

Makes perfect sense, "Hey! Can't you see we want in? Oh, alright, if you want something done right . . ."

[RiffRandell]

39. That is so cute!

My daughter (she's six) couldn't stop giggling.

[calimary]

17. At least one of our cats and our dog accompany me to the bathroom in the morning.

Nice to have an escort service! And they give you something to do while you're just sitting there.

[VOX]

18. Cats have the capacity to learn simply by watching (you)...

With no specific treat or reward employed in the process.

Or maybe they're just plain rude.
(Actually the former is true.)

[frylock]

19. i enjoy the company

[ReRe]

21. There are no doors...

...completely shut in my house of two cats, except the front door.
They will not allow it. They rule the place.

[Bluestar]

25. My kitty could open doors and let himself into the house

He looped both paws over the door knob. Then he hung on the knob until his body weight turned the knob and the door swung open. Smartest cat I ever had.

[siligut]

30. Neighbor's cat just used to ring the doorbell

Susie and I were playing in the den when the bell rang. I asked why she didn't answer the door. She shrugged and said that it was just Smokey. I was so impressed that I went to the door to let kitty in. Smokey was a long, dark, shiny tortie. I think she was pretty smart too

[OnionPatch]

27. I wouldn't mind if they would only close the door behind them when they come in!

My cat busts the door open and leaves me exposed to the half the house. I had to put in a hook latch for extra measure. That lasted about a month. Now she's figured out how to head ram it just so that the latch flips loose.

I bet Milo will figure it out even without thumbs.

What is it about bathrooms and cats?

[ZombieHorde]

28. Cats love the smell of human feces.

They can't get enough of it.

[NewJeffCT]

32. Some of the doors in our house have latches for handles

so, if the cat is on the right side of the door, he can push the latch down and his weight on the door will open it.

[bluedigger]

33. So I'm sitting there in the library reading...

And when I finish up and go to pull up my shorts, there's a tennis ball in them...

Never a moment of peace...

[Cherchez la Femme]

35. Couple of mine do too. They got the attic door down to a tee

(Is that the correct spelling of that idiom?)

So I put a hook and eye on the door. Took them about two days.
(Edit; one of my favorite poems: "We fit together like a hook and eye. A fish hook in an open eye." --Margaret Attwood. (No, it was not a great relationship)

Just put one of those slider locks on yesterday. Time's counting.
I'm thinking of starting a pool.

[TeamPooka]

38. my dog treats me like a captive audience when I'm sitting on the toilet

she comes over turns around, sits down and waits for me to pet her.
If I don't she whines a little and pouts.

[RiffRandell]

40. Too funny!

Yes, I certainly know how cats want to be with me in the bathroom.

If I dare shut the door I will get (like you said) the paws sticking under the door. I'm home alone during the day so I'm not too concerned about the bathroom doors (except the one downstairs--I know weird) but sometimes just to mess with Jackie I leave it open just a crack so she (gasps) has to push it open. She comes in, rubs against my legs and expects to be petted.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

41. When I was growing up, we had a dog who could work doorknobs--and he had no thumbs

He'd stand on his hind legs and work the doorknob with his paws and teeth.

[alarimer]

42. My cat insists on drinking water straight from the bathroom faucet

When he sees me get up to go anywhere, he immediately runs toward the bathroom. It's gotten to the point where he hardly drinks out of his bowl. I have to leave the lid on the toilet down or he will drink out of that too. I thought only dogs did that.

So yes, he's in there when I am, if only to get a drink of water.