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Shower curtain/liner... UGH!!!!

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16K views 16 replies 15 participants last post by  cinderflower  
#1 ·
Anyone have issues with their cats and shower curtains and shower liners?? Apollo shreds every shower liner I buy, from thin ones to thick, heavy duty ones. He even chews on the edges when he feels like it. It's pretty counter-productive, having a shredded shower liner with big, gaping holes in it.

I just bought a new, beautiful shower curtain. It's white with a biiiiiiiiig silhouette of a branchy tree. Within minutes of putting it up, Apollo and all 10lbs of himself climbed right up the curtain and tore some of the thread. Butt head!!!!!

He hangs out in the tub a lot, mostly after I just step out of the shower. He drinks from the leaky faucet and rolls around on the wet tub-pad. His favorite thing to do is hide behind the curtain when I'm doing my business and swat at me when he can reach, lol.

I usually try to pull both the liner and curtain up over the shower bar so it's off the floor where he cant reach, but it will get mildewy and I can't stand that.

I've been trying to figure out what to do! Does anyone have any suggestions? Closing the bathroom door off is not an option; it does not latch unless I stuff a towel at the top corner and then I have to fight to get it open. PLUS, there is no air circulation in there at all and will get humid and yucky in there if its not aired out daily.

I try to let go of the fact that I want to have nice things, because I know I live with 2 cats. I'm mostly worried one of them will get tangled in the shredded curtain liner or maybe swallow bits of plastic.

Any suggestions??????
 
#2 ·
Could you install shower doors instead? It might cost a bit, but certainly replacing shower curtains every day will get expensive, even if you get them at the dollar store.

I have one who plays the Shower Curtain Game when I am in the bathroom too. She does like to make holes in the curtains, but she is a lightweight compared to what you describe.

If you are handy you might be able to install the doors yourself.

I searched "bathtub shower doors" and you could get something for pretty reasonable, especially if you can install it yourself.
 
#3 ·
Ragnar my cat does the same exact thing either hides between the two shower curtains climbs them or hides when I'm showering to play peekaboo with me but he's been destroying them and also the toilet paper . I kind of gave up and leave the door closed . After couple of weeks he got the point and when I'm in the bathroom he lays down by the door and won't fully come in . Good luck


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#4 ·
Ours only does that in the middle of the night, when she wants attention (and in her case, she'll sit on the lip of the tub and "dig" softly at it for hours, SKUFF SKUFF SKUFF SKUFF forever).

We just started locking the door up overnight. During the day she pretty much leaves it alone.

Wish I had better advice. With Io the first question we always need to ask ourselves is "Is she doing this because she thinks it's fun, or is she doing it because she wants our attention?" If it's the latter, distraction and misdirection are the approach. If it's the former, well... Our toilet paper's up out of cat-reach.
 
#5 ·
How about fabric shower curtains? I have an inner fabric liner and and outer 'fancy' curtain (that hangs outside the tub). Mine has embroidery like stitching that got 'pulled' from Book playing with it, but he can't SHRED it.

I couldn't hope to keep Book out of the tub, he LOVES to carry his toys in there and throw them around. A ping pong ball thrown into the bathtub will keep him occupies for an entire day. Every morning I have ot empty all the toys out of the bottom of the tub and toss them all back into their basket.
 
#6 ·
Yes, my kitties love the shower curtains. Katerina frequently tries to eat the plastic shower curtain. I guess there's just something about movable free hanging things that make them desirable toys. So far, she hasn't actually damaged them. Luckily, we don't use those bathrooms for bathing/showering. The curtains are just for looks. Bathtubs are a delight for our kitties, toys end up in them and they chase each other inside the tub. Sounds like a roller derby when they play there.

Mylita
 
#8 ·
I use to have this problem with my oldest cat. When we first moved here a year ago she totally chewed up the brand new liner in 2 days. She then chewed the curtain itself. We replaced the liner and I kept catching her do it. Now we keep the bathroom door at all times except when we are in it, she use to do it while we were in it but I would snap my fingers say no! Loud and she would runaway. She hasn't done it since.


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#11 ·
two of my cats like to bite bite bite plastic, kind of like the cat equivalent to popping bubble wrap. they don't eat it, they just poke teeny holes over and over again. the third just likes to destroy things occasionally, and they were all attracted to the shower curtain and liner.

this is a pain but it's how I keep mine from getting mildewed: I have to wipe it down with a towel every time I shower, you can even use the blow dryer a little. then I twist it around a towel rack, followed by the fabric liner. does it look stupid? yes LOL. but it keeps the cats from wrecking it. so if you dry the plastic one, you can wind them both around the upper rack or whatever keeps it away from the cats. (what's the point of having an intact liner and curtain if it's always wadded up? well, it works to keep water off the floor and it probably looks nice from the outside when i'm showering. :)) that's the only solution I have. good luck.
 
#12 ·
Desmond is not allowed in the bathroom b/c he gets into too much trouble. The only time I let him in is when I'm doing my makeup and can keep an eye on him. He hasn't ripped the shower curtain (yet) but he does like to play w/ the automatic soap dispenser on the sink. Somehow he has figured out how to get it to go off w/out getting soap on himself and finds this very entertaining. But I don't particularly want him playing with soap - not to mention the expense. So the bathroom door stays closed.
 
#15 ·
I only WISH I could install shower doors! I rent an apartment so that's way out of the question, lol.

My shower curtain is fabric, but the liner is plastic. I don't know if I could find a liner that is fabric that wouldn't mildew instantly? I'll have to look.

Luckily, they've never bothered much with the toilet paper, unless I leave out the whole bag after shopping. Lol. Apollo just goes after anything plastic instantly. He even chews on my metal dish drainer........ WHY?! lol
 
#16 ·
like Lennie, I've got a separate shower but I still keep the door closed. If I don't the toilet paper becomes a fun thing to play with, the plant is tortured in a slow agonizing death, and the bathtub (free standing) becomes some kind of trampoline (in their furry minds) it's just cat tails bouncing in, and bouncing out, not really destructive but absolutely noisy.

Maybeee... (and this just came to me as I was griping about my cats) some kind of gate setup? maybe two gates ontop of the other? I don't know but it would let air flow and keep him out and your shower curtain could hang like it's suppose to.