Anyone with a cat knows that a closed door will soon have a furry little arm poking under it, perhaps with a bit of rage behind it. Why do cats hate closed doors so much? Our semi-domesticated furry friends are experiencing something all too familiar to us humans: fear of missing out.
"It is a little bit of FOMO," [board-certified veterinary behaviorist Karen] Sueda told Live Science. "The FOMO of like, 'I don't know what's on the other side, and I want to go see and figure it out.'"
A closed door hits on all of what cat behaviorist Jane Ehrlich calls the "three terrible C's" that cats dislike: They hate not having choice, they hate not being in control, and they hate change. While cats don't necessarily want to be involved in whatever is happening behind the door, they do want to know what's going on, she said.
Cats also enjoy attention from their owners — which a closed door eliminates. A 2017 study published in the journal Behavioural Processes suggests most cats prefer human interaction to other stimuli, including food and toys. And cats don't understand that a closed door is temporary, either, Johnson said.
Johnson suggests that you keep doors consistently open or closed to avoid stressing out your kitty. She doesn't specifically address the closed bathroom door situation familiar to anyone who shares their home with cats, but be prepared for them to be upset if you don't invite them in with you.
Previously: Star Wars but with cats
