how can i stop my cat from sleeping in my sink…?

Heres my cat, her name is Paris. Well every night before i go to bed, i brush my teeth and when i walk into the bathroom, this is what i see.

I initially thought it was pretty cool that she did this, but this habit of hers has caused us some grief over the past few months. She has really thick, black hair and it gets down the drain and it clogs up the pipe. We've had a plumber come over on numerous occasions and he always tells us to stop getting hair stuck in the drain, it'll cause damage to the system and it might explode if it gets hot enough. Or something like that, I'm not a plumber so i don't know how all that stuff works.

But anyway, she likes sleeping there and i try to shoo her away, but she always comes back. We have cat doors installed on all the doors in our house, so i can't simply shut the door. Ive tried spraying bitterant over the sink, but i had to stop doing that because when I take showers in the morning, the steam has an adverse effect and it tears up my eyes.

My sister has suggested leaving the sink on overnight so she won't lay in the water, but i don't want to waste all that water for a stupid thing like this.. Im running out of ideas and if this god forsaken cat doesn't stop sleeping in the sink, we're going to have to take drastic measures.

Cover it...

Close the drain and leave the bottom of the basin filled with water at night.

Use a drain stopper whenever you aren't using it.

okay Ill try these things and see what happens

Why do you have a cat door that leads to the bathroom? Does she need 24hr access to the room? Seal the cat door shut and close the door.

P.S. Daaaaawwwwww! :D

My cat doesn't like water at all, have you tried splashing some water on her? Maybe fill up one of those water spray bottles so you have some water handy. My cat used to sharpen his claws on my speakers, but I filled one of those bottles up and sprayed him when he did that, and he stopped doing it when that happened two or three times.

Awwww kitty in the sink <3

Anyways, on to business, the suggestions given all sound pretty good. I would also recommend some sort of alternative for her to sleep in if you don't have something already, obviously it likes the bowl shape, so perhaps there is some sort of crate or box you have you could leave out for it, maybe a blanket or towel you can swivel into a circle that it can plop itself down into.

@laszlokovacs: See im afraid if i do that, she might end up drowning herself. i definitely don't want that happening, but if I don't put enough water in the sink then she'll just paw it out and get it everywhere and make things even worse

I have no advice, I just wanted to say that photo made my day.

Shut the door?

@tearhead said:

Yeah, this entire post sums up where I'm at on this issue. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY is there a cat door connecting to the bathroom?

My cat used to do that but then he got too fat. So make your cat fat.

Your cat isn't going to drown itself by deliberately sleeping underwater. No animal is that stupid.

yes cover the cat with a large tarp, show her what's what.

@mhumphreys89: I spoke with a locksmith professional because i wanted to get a lock on the cat door so she couldn't get in. He looked at me like i was on crack cocaine

And for fthe people wondering why there is a cat door on the bathroom door to begin with, I like having my animals being anywhere in the house at all times. When i see her in the bathroom, its always a pleasant surprise, but she can't get in there when the door is closed, so i installed cat doors on everything.

Have like 2 or 3 dogs in your bathroom at all times. Problem solved.

As @shaunage wrote you already, you don't have any risk of your cat drowning, it's not a human baby. Just fill half the sinker with water. She'll soon find another place to sleep comfortably, maybe put an old sweater or blanket somewhere you know she likes to rest

@cagliostro88: Ive seen her when she gets in the sink, she risks breaking her legs or at least severely fracturing them whenever she makes that big jump from the ground to the countertop. I don't want her to get in some freak accident where she jumps, breaks her legs, and then falls into the sink while there's still water in it. call me paranoid but this cat speaks to me and i don't want to lose her

I am having a hard time believing that anybody would put a cat flap on a bathroom door.

This seems so obvious to me, just put a cover over the sink. A slab, like a cutting board...when you go to bed put it over the sink, when you wake up put the slab back under the counter.

I'd rename this thread: How can I keep my cat sleeping in the sink?

On a serious note, keep the sink running might do the trick?

You're really understimating your cat, especially since they have amazing reflexes, agility and physical prowess :) anyway it would be just for a couple of nights, as soon as she gets comfortable sleeping in a new place you can go back to leaving the sink empty.

I would tell you to just spray some water in her face and exhibit a dominant/aggresive behaviour to let her know that you're not ok with her sleeping there, but she would just end up doing it while you're not around

Whatever you do, PLEASE don't take your sister's advice and leave the sink running all night. That's an awful idea and a colossal waste of water.

If you're not willing to remove the cat door for the bathroom than I'd probably just say to find some way to cover the sink. Set up some more nests around the house too.

it's cute. do nothing

Let the cat sleep in it, close the stopper on the sink, and remember to wipe out the hair every morning. Cat gets to stay happy!

You don't need a professional locksmith.. just stick a door bolt on it.

It's already too late, you can only move to a new home and enjoy a new, untainted sink.

Put things cats have trouble picking up in the sink. Maybe like sauce pans, or casseroles(is that the right word). Or heavy textbooks, just make sure there isn't much room for her.

Your cat is adorable! There are drain covers you can put over your drain (or in it) to catch any hair that might try and go down the drain. It doesn't stop the cat from sleeping in the sink, but it does help the drain situation. Good luck!

Maybe lay a towel at the bottom after you're finished using it so that her hair doesn't get into the sink?

I stared at this picture for five minutes looking for a Fleshlight.

Nuke it from orbit.

Casually turn the water on every time you see her in the sink.

Alternatively, don't install pet doors on every door in your house?

However you get her out of the sink, you definitely do need to keep her out of there. Apart from the hair that gets down the drain, you're also getting pet dander and any other germs she might have picked up prowling around the house in the sink. The sink might not look dirty and the cat might look cute, but it doesn't sound like something you want around the same area that you brush your teeth.

Give her another spot to sleep that she likes more. They sell plush beds with roughly that same shape if she likes the sink. Also, my cat can't resist a heating pad, so if you put one of those under a blanket and show your cat where it is, I bet she'll start to use that.

Whenever you see her in the sink spray water with your finger tips on her face , just some droplets mind you ... cats hate that and it is a proper way to educate them on what you dont want them to do.

And yep dawwwww :´)

Since you mentioned enjoying letting your cat wander around the house, I recommend you give her more choices. My cat has a "bed" in every room, many of them different from the other: one is an expensive miniature house for pets, another is a literal bed (my bed!), another one is a plush pillow on the floor, yet another is a cardboard box with a blanket in it, etc. She alternates sleeping in them, but tends to favour a select few (the box is a big favourite). Maybe you'll get lucky and she'll prefer something else besides the sink.

This is a really dumb, possibly costly, idea. Only do this if you're an idiot like me.

Thumbtacks.

Just put a sink in the corner if it likes sleeping in a sink so much.

Get a boombox and leave it blasting at full volume near the sink all night. The cat won't be able to sleep then.

Here's a Vine of my cat drinking out of a sink. Hope it helps (it won't).

cardboard over cat door. done.

either that or give up. you'll never use that sink again. it belongs to the cat now, sorry.

You should buy another sink but don't connect it to any plumbing. Just leave it lying on a table or something where she can get her sleep on. She wins, you win. Everyone's happy.

@krulian: i don't want Ghost problems.

Put Fleshlights in there so there won't be any room for the cat.

Give the cat a 4 hour long lecture

@mb: