Underwater Kitty

We discovered by accident that Apollo actually likes frolicking in water.  As you saw by the picture in the last post, he has taken to sleeping for hours in the bathroom sink.  He's got a specific route he takes each time to get into the sink, and will come and yell at us if it is blocked for some reason.  Apollo has to jump up to the top of the toilet, then carefully step across the gap to the sink, then shove soap dishes or contact solution out of his way so he can make his way over and settle into the basin.  It's quite the ordeal for him.  And apparently an exhausting system, because after all this, he passes out and refuses to get up for hours.  Which in most cases is tolerable.  We can just wash hands in the kitchen sink, and deal with the kitty blob that thinks he owns the bathroom.

But it's also quite inconvenient.  I despise mornings, and choose to sleep in as late as possible, even if it means being in a huge rush in the mornings to get out the door.  So one morning this week, I had about 20 minutes to get dressed, get ready, and grab food before having to run out the door to work.  I was getting ready to brush my teeth, but of course Apollo had settled into his sink spot, and wasn't ready to move.  I didn't feel like fighting and wrestling with him, especially with toothbrush already in hand, so I just turned on the faucet.  I figured he'd get the message and storm off to dry himself off and skulk in the living room.  I was wrong.  Apollo absolutely LOVED it.  He turned around and watched the stream of water roll down his beer belly, then arched his back so that he could drink from the faucet while still laying down.  To even out the kitty moisture level, he then shifted and rolled over, so that his entire back got a helping of water.  After about a few minutes of this, Apollo finally realized that the water was not going to stop, and finally leaped out of my way.

Apollo's water fascination was not just a one time fluke, either.  Now, any time I turn the faucet on, he runs to the bathroom for playtime.  He stands on the edge and smacks and fights with the water, takes a couple sips, then goes back to hitting it.  If it's a really warm day, he rolls over in it a few times to cool off.  And he gets very confused if the stream of water changes from a trickle to full force.  When I'm brushing my teeth or standing at the sink for any length of time, I even have to stand in such a way as to block his pathway to the sink, because otherwise he moves right in, oblivious to the fact that the sink is a crucial part to getting ready every morning and every night.

For the most part, the boyfriend and I have gotten used to Apollo's presence in the bathroom.  Yes, it is incredibly awkward to shower and have a cat dozing in the sink a few feet away.  And if the door is closed with him locked away from his sink, he will throw himself against the door or stick his paws under the door and try to find a way in.  But we have friends that come over and are not expecting a kitty to be lounging there.  Multiple times I have had to be summoned to remove a cat from the sink that is defending his "territory" by smacking and poking at people that just want a minute or two of privacy.  This cat honestly thinks that he owns this apartment, and that the sink is there for the sole purpose of giving him a cool place to nap.

Apollo trying to hit a person that is invading in his personal sink space.