Mary Allen
Has your cat disassembled the toilet roll again? Don’t scold. There are several reasons for this behavior.
When some cat owners come home in the evening and enter the bathroom, they always have the same picture in mind: the tattered toilet paper is hanging on the roll again or it is completely crumpled and shredded on the floor or distributed throughout the bathroom.
Cleaning up is a hassle and toilet paper isn’t available for free. But please don’t scold your furry sweetheart, because a toilet paper roll is irresistible for cats for several reasons.
Play and hunting instinct
The roll of toilet paper challenges the cat’s instincts. Because cats can live out their natural play instinct as well as their pronounced hunting instinct with the toilet roll.
Once the cat has the loose end of the toilet paper in its claws, there is no stopping it. The movable toilet paper roll is processed in a very short time. Here, the animal that loves to hunt can claw it’s the way in with its paws to its heart’s content and tear up the material like prey.
It is all the more exciting for the cat when the toilet paper roll is spinning, as this also stimulates the urge to hunt. And the more toilet paper there is in the room, the more “prey” the mini tiger thinks it has killed. There the paper is usually picked apart in no time at all. And if you didn’t love your cat more than anything, you wouldn’t be quite unjustly angry.
Protest over penalty
However, it is just as possible that your cat will take revenge by attacking the toilet roll for lonely hours or other “offenses” by its human. Does your darling have to be alone a lot or has something changed in their environment recently (new apartment, new people, new furnishings…) the tattered toilet paper roll could also be a sign of protest.
How do you keep cats away from toilet paper?
If you don’t want your pet to shred the toilet paper with its claws, you should create alternatives. Of course, it’s best if you play with your sweetheart yourself.
In addition, you can create venues in the apartment. A rubber band with a ball attached to a door handle e.g. B. some cats for a long time. The animal can catch the ball, which keeps bouncing back. So you won’t get bored even when you’re away.
Sounding toys, rustling material, and, of course, living playmates (other cats or cat sitters) also prevent the cat from repeatedly targeting the toilet paper.
Of course, the simplest solution is to simply close the bathroom door. But beware! For one thing, cats are hugely inventive and real acrobats when it comes to opening doors. And on the other hand, your sweetheart has a reason for his behavior.
If you want to break the cat’s habit of “role-playing”, you should rather consider the possibility of playing alternatives or giving your furball company in the form of a second cat. Because many cats are much happier with two.