This is a sketch of a typical vulpithecine public restroom.

  1. The doorway is blocked by a curtain. Yinrih enter by pushing the cloth aside with the muzzle. Most rooms that don’t need strict access control or environmental protection use such curtains.
  2. A washing pool is accessible near the entrance. It’s a shallow basin a few inches deep. The water is vigorously circulated and filtered. Yinrih wash all four paws as well as the tail after using the restroom. There is a coarse bristly floor mat used to scrape dirt from under the claws and from between the paw pads.
  3. The washing pool sits in the “clean” area of the restroom. The “dirty” area where the toilets are is usually set off by a lip in the floor or a change in tile texture. Hygiene dictates that you enter the washing pool directly from the dirty area before setting paw in the clean area again.
  4. The floor is often tiled. How something feels under paw is just as important to a room’s style as how it looks. Tiles often alternate between different textures or even different thermal conductivities to achieve a particular tactile aesthetic.
  5. There are almost always perches in the clean area of the restroom. Yinrih tend to be chatty while doing their business, and in some cultures it’s considered polite to accompany a friend or coworker to the restroom even if you don’t have to go yourself.
  6. The toilets proper are flush with the surrounding floor. The user backs into the stall. There is a ring of rough tile around the rim to help people from stepping in the toilet[1]. Both male and female yinrih eliminate via a cloaca and stand with the rear paws on either side of the bowl with the tail resting across the back. Toilet paper, usually soaked in a mild disinfectant like wet wipes, is available in dispensers above the toilet. The paper is manipulated by the tail.
  7. There are still partitions affording a modicum of privacy. Just because bathrooms are more social than on Earth doesn’t mean people appreciate watching others doing their business, just like many human cultures regard yawning or chewing with the mouth open to be rude or gross. So you can’t drop a deuce in the middle of the street and not expect to get a citation. The partitions are low enough to reveal a yinrih’s head.
  8. The entire stall is flushed after use. The stall floor slopes into the latrine. There is a grate across the entrance that releases a mild mix of water and bleach to both flush the toilet and sanitize the floor.

Needless to say, this is not conducive to human use. If human-specific facilities are not available, the polite thing to do is yield the entire bathroom to a human in need to use privately.

  1. The Commonthroat expression P rlpqN sMp, to step in the toilet means to make a stupid mistake, especially despite being warned beforehand. The more vulgar expression bc g rnqg rp qcf to piss on one’s own [rear] paws carries a similar meaning. ↩︎

  • Zonetrooper@lemmy.worldMEnglish
    1·
    18 days ago

    Really interesting stuff;it’s always neat to see familiar things redesigned for unfamiliar species and biology (plus all the cultural notes as well). Two questions that stick in my mind:

    • Given the use of the tail to wipe, is there need to wash the tail as well? If so, is this also done in the washing pool?

    • Given the “chattiness”, as you describe it, what’s the cultural approach to parallel conversations? Do you politely ignore the conversation going on next to you, or do individuals drop in or out of running conversations as they cycle through the bathroom?

    • early_riserOPEnglish
      1·
      18 days ago

      Yes, they also wash the tail. I’m not sure how they’d handle other conversations going on at the same time. Their chattiness stems from my own profound dislike for bathroom talkers, as well as the tendency of dogs to seek you out while you’re pooping, or more specifically the theory that they do this because they know you’re vulnerable and want to watch out for you.

      That said I think it depends on the circumstances. This social dynamic is most relevant in places such as offices or schools, where the people are familiar with each other. It serves the function of water cooler talk. In very public places like stores I’m not sure they’d be any chattier than they would while waiting in line.