This is my view while having a shower each day.
I have had occasion to write about the ordeals related to my personal hygiene activities before. I've mentioned showering with a duck (on purpose but reluctantly), almost getting a bath with Billy (definitely not on purpose and very reluctantly!). I have also showered with ferrets unintentionally - they just muscled in on my shower one day and passed rude comments about my weight while paddling around in the water on the shower floor. I've also written about the trials and tribulations of using our toilet here especially during the early hours of the morning. This is mostly due to Billy's presence in the laundry and his determination to become one with the toilet pedestal. Now showering has once again become fraught with potential bodily harm.
When they were kittens Ambrosia and Nefertiti were much like toddlers. They wouldn't let me out of their sight and followed me everywhere I went to see what new and exciting activity I was about to embark on. In their efforts to keep tabs on me at that time in their lives, Ambrosia and Nefertiti both wandered into the shower at various times. That's the disadvantage of a shower curtain compared to a glass screen. Nefertiti visited just once, found the falling water decidedly not to her taste and has remained on the outside of the shower curtain ever since. Ambrosia, on the other hand, visited a few times passing the time of day with me while batting at the falling water before deciding that nothing exciting was going on in there. She's not adverse to a bit of water to play with but in her opinion I took up far too much of the shower recess to allow for free access to the water, so she stopped visiting - much to my delight.
Now, Ambrosia has rediscovered where I disappear to each morning and has decided to join the party. First she peeks behind the shower curtain to make sure it's me in there and not Graeme. I don't know if Graeme has had words with her on the subject of disturbing his shower, or she just prefers to visit with me alone, but when she finds it's me in there, she springs up onto the shower wall and sits looking at me for a little while. While she is considering the sight of me naked and dripping wet I begin to worry - not because I have body image issues, but because I value my skin in one piece. All enjoyment of the shower has now disappeared and I have to keep a wary eye on the Bengal above my head. If Ambrosia jumps up there before I have washed my hair I am in real danger of getting soap in my eyes as I try to lather up and keep an eye on her at the same time. Then she gets the brilliant idea that now would be a good time to ask for a pat or a tummy rub. She indicates her readiness by flipping over on the timber wall top and attempting to display the tummy area needing attention. I am quick to comply so that her contortions are kept to a minimum, trying to get the pat in before she actually flips on her back because you may remember that Ambrosia has a terrible sense of balance (actually she has no sense of balance to speak of at all) so my showers are now a very exciting activity. When Ambrosia flips on her back on a narrow surface she invariably ends up on the floor with a confused look on her face. The fact that my body stands between Ambrosia's fall and the floor is painfully obvious to me. An excitement I could do without. Ambrosia doesn't seem to mind my wet hands. As I've said before she doesn't mind water at all. Ambrosia, as you can see in the photo, doesn't consider her balance challenged nature and performs all sorts of contortions in an effort to receive a pat or two while I'm otherwise occupied. Heaven help me if I ignore her and she feels obligated to try harder!!! I'm just lucky that the man who built this house felt the need for a very wide top to the shower wall. I doubt he had shower visiting cats in mind when he chose that bit of timber for the top, but I bless him every morning.
I'm not comfortable excluding her from the bathroom while I'm in there. The litter tray lives in the bathroom and Ambrosia wouldn't be above finding somewhere else to use instead if she was denied access, even if it was just to get even for closing the door on her. So it's access all areas, or at least access the bathroom for Ambrosia at all times.
Well, I'm off to have my shower now. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Ambrosia continues to remain on top of the shower and not come flying through the air towards my very vulnerable body.
