Is My Toilet Possessed?

Athena

Is it possible for a toilet to back up for no apparent reason? Like, not as a result of a flush in that toilet? When no one is home? Twice now, not related to a flush, I've gone into my main level bathroom and found that the toilet had backed up.

The first time I wasn't even sure it had backed up. I first noticed the throw rug was wet and then checked the toilet - it looked fine and flushsed just fine, too (I didn't even think about how dumb it was at the time). All of the liquid that had "overflowed" soaked into the throw rug.

This second time it has run totally out of the room and soaked into the carpet in the hall, dripping a decent amount of water into the basement (unfinished, thank heavens). I wish to heck I'd put that throw rug back down rather than leaving it sit in the dryer for a day.

Is it possible this is a sewage blockage rather than a toilet blockage? Even if it is, how could it just happen without being the direct result of a flush?

Either this phenomenon is NOT a direct result of a flush, or my husband is a complete moron and can't notice a toilet overflowing while he's washing this hands. My husband is not a moron, so I have to think something else is the cause.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Unregistered

Is your house all on one level?
Is there a basement bathroom on a pump?
Is the washing machine near this toilet?
Do you see signs of it backing up in the tub or shower?