Pet Lady Article
Cats and toilet paper
Q: My cat has a fetish for toilet paper. She finds nothing more fun than standing on
the toilet seat and pawing at the toilet roll until the entire thing is
unrolled on the floor. Then she goes and
shreds up all the paper. How can I stop
this obsession of hers?
Ah, there’s nothing more fun than spinning toilet paper off
the roll! Many cats (and dogs) enjoy
this game. The easiest solution?—close
the bathroom door. O.K. that sounds simple
enough, but if you have kids and a husband who just can’t remember to do that,
what do you do then? Leaving the toilet
seat up often makes it a little more difficult for the cat to balance and roll
at the same time, but for the persistent cat, this only adds a new challenge to
the game. You could take the roll off
and put it in a cabinet, but then you might leave a poor guest searching in
desperation. You may want to get a
motion sensor device. They make ones
that spray a harmless gas that makes a hissing noise to discourage cats from
going in that area. Of course, warn
unsuspecting humans to turn the device off before using your facilities or they
may be in for a surprise themselves. Another solution is to turn the toilet
paper roll around so the paper dispenses from the back. As the cat tries to roll the paper it just
winds itself around instead of unrolling on the floor. Suddenly the fun is gone. I haven’t met too many cats that learn to
reverse their rolling technique, although I’m sure there are a few out there
that may just figure it out. Nothing
surprises me anymore! Most importantly,
get your cat involved in other activities.
Interactive toys for your cat that dispense treats or move will help
give your cat more stimulation. A bored
cat will find entertainment. Give her
plenty to do so she forgets all about the paper game.
