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

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:

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

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.