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Bored Panda

Eglė Bliabaitė

50 Hilarious Pets Who Refuse To Give Their Humans A Break (New Pics)

Behavior

When you get a pet, you're (hopefully!) their buddy for life. Many people see their pets as family members. In fact, a 2024 study revealed that 73% of owners think of their pet as a best friend. And when you're that close, it's natural to spend as much time together as you can.

But no one is as clingy or ignorant of the concept of personal space as the pets on this list. Bored Panda has scoured the internet and found you the most adorable, hilarious, and cute pics of pets invading their owners' privacy. And they did it with the most adorable look on their faces.

#1 I Was Trying To Enjoy A Nice Bath But

#2 Personal Space? Nope. I'm A Cat Pillow

#3 Post Surgical Anesthesia Recovery - Pets Formed A Protective Boundary To Prevent Me From Accidentally Moving In Any Direction

A pet following you around everywhere sure can turn comical pretty fast. As you see from the critters in this list, a pet will contort their body in various impossible positions to be able to follow their owner. While at first this might seem incredibly wholesome and sweet, sometimes pets follow us around because of separation anxiety.

But don't fret – it's not something terminal. If a pet has an inclination to disregard your personal space often, that's a quirk or a behavior that's totally fixable in most cases. There are generally three most common reasons why pets follow their owners around:

They want attention.
They're being nosy or curious.
Or they're just bored and enjoy your company.

#4 Professor Jigglesworth Doesn’t Understand Privacy

#5 Taking A Bath, When I'm Home "Alone"

#6 Such Poise And Dignity

However, other times, pets may invade your personal space for other reasons. One of them might be that they're trying to tell you something. Dogs, for example, might come to you and pace around, bark, or whine when they want to show you something. The best idea then is to follow them and see what's bothering them.

Pets might also get stuck to you like glue because they're scared. Dogs, in particular, are afraid of thunder and fireworks, so they may run to you in search of a safe space. Cats, on the other hand, sometimes follow their owners around because they're keeping an eye on their territory, which, in their minds, includes the human. In that sense, an owner is one of the cat's most valued possessions.

#7 Personal Space?

#8 Privacy?

#9 “Do You Like My Hat?”

A more worrying reason for your pet constantly keeping up with you might be separation anxiety. Lots of pets experience it, especially those whose owners are absent for long periods during the day. A pet might become anxious just before or right after their owner leaves, prompting them to follow the human around more than regularly.

#10 When You Leave The Door Open

#11 Head-Bump Loving Cats Are The Worst When They Have The Cone Of Shame

#12 Sam And Dean Are Doing Lore Research (For Those Who Know)

In some instances, pets might be exhibiting allelomimetic behavior. Essentially, that's mimicking what other creatures are doing, be it other dogs, cats, and even humans. A good example of allelomimetic behavior is a dog going into a sprint at the park when they see running children. It also shows when a dog's territorial instincts kick in.

"Dogs are able body language readers and respond to certain behaviors of their owners with no need for further instruction," Portuguese author on animal behavior Roger Abrantes writes. "An alerted owner triggers his dog's alertness more often than the opposite."

#13 I Found This Little Boy In The Countryside, Alone. Initially He Was Scared, Now He Seems To Be Pretty Comfortable

#14 Hellooo! Please Stop Working And Pet Me

#15 I Really Need To Get A Lock On The Toilet Door. Just 5 Minutes Privacy Please

So, what does that have to do with pets following their owners to the bathroom? Essentially, pets mirror the behavior of the person their bonded with. If you're eating, they want to eat. If you're sleeping, they go to sleep, too. If you're taking a bath, who knows – maybe they're contemplating taking a dip as well. It's how they learn routines, too: they know when to expect snack time, sleepy time, and going for walks.

#16 Privacy? What Is That?

That’s Zizou and he is literally my shadow. I have a feeling he thinks his name is Noooooo.

#17 Kuzco Has No Boundaries

#18 Oh You Wanted Some Privacy? Cool, Can I Come Too? Between Her And The Dog, There Are No Closed Doors In This House

Personal space also works both ways: a pet may not want to cuddle at the exact moment their owner wishes to, signaling that you are invading their personal space. A good owner will know not to push when their pet shows signs of distress because, for an animal, it can come out as defensive aggression.

#19 He Actually Fell Asleep Like This, With His Mouth Fully Around My Daughter’s Arm And Claws Dug In. If She Moved, He Woke Briefly To Tighten His Grip

#20 Didn’t Lock The Door, Ended Up With Company In The Bathtub

He loves the water... if we can’t find him we turn on the faucet and he comes running.

#21 Trying To Use The Bathroom, But This Rascal Won't Give Me Any Privacy

Have you ever walked up to a strange dog and tried to pet them? And have you ever gotten a comment from the owner asking you not to do it? When we see dogs, our cuteness receptors activate and we want to pet them instantly. But for the dog, a hand that is suddenly thrust upon their face might not be welcome.

"A dog, or other animal, can bring its personal space bubble to you and invite familiarity -- but you can't safely inject yourself into an animal's personal space without an invitation," former director of the animal behavior clinic at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Nicholas Dodman writes.

#22 I'm At Home Recovering From Heart Surgery. My Nurse Insists On Holding My Ear At All Times

#23 Without Even Consulting Anyone, This Guy Unilaterally Decided To Stage An Intervention

#24 The Pups Don’t Understand Boundaries Very Well

Nowadays, some dogs wear ribbons, collars, bandanas, leashes, or coats that say something akin to "Please don't touch" or "Respect my personal space." Anxiety in pets is real, and these let strangers know that an animal might not be the best at dealing with attention from people they don't know.

#25 This One Gets Upset And Tries To Rip The Door Off Its Hinges If You Close It On Him So This Truly Is The Lesser Of Two Evils

#26 She's Beauty, She's Grace, She Doesn't Have Any Sense Of Personal Space

#27 I Woke Up To My Cat Standing On My Chest Staring At Me

Dog behavior consultant Kerry Ward writes in her blog Fairy Dog Mother how people should always wait for pets to approach them first. Don't assume every dog and cat wants your attention – they each have they personalities and, possibly, traumas.

"Let a dog approach you, which he happily will if he wants your attention," Ward writes. "If he stays still and doesn't approach when you offer a hand to sniff, or backs off then he doesn't want you to stroke him … so don't!"

#28 Privacy Was Never An Option. Featuring My Deaf Cat Magoo (Short For Oogala Magoogala)

#29 What Is This “Privacy” You Speak Of?

#30 My Rescue Who Doesn’t Know What Personal Space Is

What is your experience with pets and personal space, Pandas? Are your critters habitual space invaders or are they aloof, cool types? And have you ever had a bad run-in with an animal that didn't want to be approached? Share your experiences with us in the comments! And if you'd like to see more pets who don't understand the concept of privacy, check out our previous publications here, here, and here!

#31 I Guess Personal Space Wasn't Part Of The Deal

#32 My Flatmate's Cat Doesn't Give A Flip About Boundaries

#33 I Was Laying On My Bed Browsing Social Media When Suddenly

#34 Turned Around For 5 Seconds

#35 My Velcro Dog Taking A Nap

#36 Privacy? Nope

Every time my husband goes to the bathroom.

#37 Working At Home Is Proving To Be More Difficult Than I Thought

My new coworkers are dumb, have no concept of personal space, and one even threw up in the break room yesterday. I tried to address this by calling an office meeting, but I don't think I got through to them.

There's no HR because it's such a small work environment; otherwise, I'd have been fired because I refuse to wear pants.