What is the appeal of the bath tub to a cat?

Question

My 5 month old DSH spends several minutes, two or three times per day, playing in my bath tub. He'll be running around playing, then heads to the bathroom, jumps in, rolls around on the floor, paws at the drain and the fixtures, then moves on to something else.

He has never had a bath, though I have cleaned him using moist wipes made for cats. He has also never attempted this while the shower was in use. So I can't think of any reason he would have any emotions tied to the tub, positive or negative.

He does not seem to be hurting himself or anything, just getting a little moist from the residual water from the prior shower, and he doesn't seem to care. I'm fairly sure there is minimal chance he could ingest any soap residue from the tub floor, and even if he did it would be trace amounts and very dilute. (No more than I have accidentally rinsed into my mouth on rare occasions, and I survived.) So I haven't bothered trying to prevent this.

I guess I should note that he has many toys, and multiple sources of fresh drinking water, and uses them all.

Mostly I just want to know- why does he do it?

Answer 1

There really is no other answer than, "It's fun!" Cats need different stimuli to be happy. Your cat has found the bathtub, just like many cats. My cat does the same thing. You're absolutely right. There's no reason to stop him. It lets him exercise, and it simulates his mind. People who like amusement parks like the adrenaline rush. You can think of your bathtub as a mini amusement park!🐱

Answer 2

It may be because the tub smells like the household's humans, and the rolling is another way to pick up your scent.

Or it may be anything from temperature to "Boxes are fun!"

Answer 3

I'm going with its a box type object (so, safety) also, they are fun and smell like their humans so its an all 'round fun time. I have 1 boy (maine coon/russian blue mix) who has a fascination with water in general, but has always loved tubs.