It has recently come to my attention that each of my cats has a favorite room in the house. Gracie’s, of course, is the kitchen because that is where the food lives. Benjamin Bunny’s favorite room, on the other hand, is the bathroom. Why you ask? That is where the toilet lives.
I made this slightly disturbing discovery while I was tidying up after everyone else left for work. Finally, several fairly puzzling clues fit together and explained Benjamin’s fascination with bathrooms.
Clue #1:
Benjamin Bunny has always been intrigued with running water – whether it be a simple drip from a shower head or a gush from a faucet. If he thinks I am going to wash dishes, Bunny will jump onto the counter, hop-run (his version of running) across it, and stop just above the sink. Hanging his head over the edge, he will move as close to the faucet as he can get without getting wet. Tail swishing excitedly, Bunny will stare with fascination at the water as it moves over dishes or down the drain.
Clue #2:
A light shining from under a closed bathroom door is like a Bunny magnet. When we first moved into our new house, Benjamin Bunny discovered that several body slams against the downstairs half-bath door would cause it to open – regardless of whether or not it was occupied.
By the time the door burst open and a curious cat scooted inside, the occupant usually had time to readjust his or her clothing. But, the lid was often still up – which was the only thing Bunny was interested in. Without acknowledging the occupant, he would jump onto the tank and lean precariously over the open toilet. Immediately, the lid would be replaced in order to prevent further trauma to cat or human via a tumble into the toilet. (The locking mechanism was eventually fixed before too many people were traumatized!)
Clue #3:
One of Benjamin Bunny’s favorite lounging spaces has become the shelf built into the wall above the master bathroom toilet. I discovered this while I was searching for Tylenol one day. The toilet area in the master bathroom is separated from the rest of the bathroom by a door which is typically left open if unoccupied.
While reaching under the sink for the bottle of Tylenol, I noticed something frightening out of the corner of my eye – a head of hair several feet above the actual toilet. Being the only one in the house, this freaked me out.
So, I screamed – which in turn caused Benjamin Bunny (the mysterious head of hair) to LEAP straight off the shelf above the toilet where he had been sleeping, SLAM into the bathmat next to the walk-in shower, and SLIDE the rest of the way across the bathroom into me. We NOW have an house alarm system which will hopefully prevent future cases of mistaken identity.
Clue #4:
Benjamin Bunny likes to sleep on the bathmat surrounding the master bathroom toilet. This discovery was made one night when I awoke with an urgent case of bladder overload. I stumbled half-blind (my glasses were stupidly still on my nightstand) into the toilet area without noticing Bunny laying on the bathmat. I knew the moment my toes touched his tail that pain was soon to follow.
He did a mid-air turn and landed with his back claws extended on my bare feet. In my defense, he IS a black cat, and it was DARK. Besides, who sleeps on a bathmat that is positioned next to a toilet – YUCK!!!!!
Clue #5:
Flushing a toilet creates a whirlpool that sucks Benjamin Bunny’s curiosity right in every time. Unfortunately, the various human members of my family do not always remember to put the lid down on the toilets after using them – no matter how many times I nag. When that happens, Bunny usually finds out first. I will find him standing up on his back paws, pressing down on the seat with his front paws, and peering intently down at the water.
It wasn’t until I accidentally pressed on the tank lever during one of these occasions that I discovered why he was there. The moment the water started swirling down the drain his tail went into overdrive. He was swishing it back and forth so fast I thought he would lose his balance and fall backward into the toilet paper roll. When the toilet filled back up, he looked up at me so excitedly that I had to flush it for him again…… and again……and again.
So, Benjamin Bunny now stalks bathrooms. Patiently, he waits for someone to flush a toilet and let him watch the water swirl away. I think he now knows that more will then reappear to be flushed again another day.
Until next time, remember...
There is no more intrepid explorer than a kitten.
- Jules Champfleury
Recent Comments