I feel like an idiot for not knowing about these.
Every 2-3 months I have to snake out our shower drain with a 25’ snake. Giant PITA.
After some web searches, I stumbled across these hair trap devices. They come in both external and internal configurations. Many different types to choose from.
I purchased an internal one, installed it, and am going to give it a try. In theory I can just pop it out and clean it instead of snaking the pipes. Folks tell me they work well. If this one doesn’t work I’ll try another type. They are fairly inexpensive.
Not gonna lie, he scared the bejeezus outta me. Like, I just happened to look before I would have sat down. Animal-enamas-and-even-vaguely-adjacent-experiences rank damn near the top of my NO THANK YOU list.
There’s a creek across the alley, but its also on the other side of a neighbor’s property. I was never concerned at where he came from or how, just surprised he made the trip unscathed.