Toohey

Toohey always wanted to know where his humans were. If you went to the bathroom, you were almost guaranteed one of four things.

Never shut the door properly

If the door is shut and he can’t get in, there will be scratching, so you learn quickly never to fully shut the door.

Assuming you remembered to keep the door open, there were three different approaches.

The sneak peek

Toohey would poke just his nose through first, and then after a few sniffs, his little head would poke through. After comforting himself that you were there, he would back up and leave you in peace.

The quiet entry

He would sometimes decide to have a closer look after the sneak peek. He would squeeze through the gap between the door and the door jam. If only one of us were at home, he would sometimes curl up on the floor next to you or on the bathmat upstairs. Other times, he would come right up to you, turn around, and leave.

The barge

Every now and again, there was no sneak peek and no quiet entry. He would just barge in, flinging the door wide open. On these occasions, he would stand in the room, look at you for a second, and leave. He never stayed after the barge, and he also never closed the door after him.

I will always look at the bathroom door and think about Toohey.