# Has my cat lost her zest? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2002, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-my-cat-lost-her-zest/121835 "2002-08-01T06:15:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Catgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@Catgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-my-cat-lost-her-zest/121835/1 "2002-08-01T06:15:43Z")
☹ 😕 :eek: 🆒 🙂 :o 😃 😉 😛 :rolleyes: ;j i havent seen my cat bath herself in months and she is kinda smelly . is it possible that my cat has lost her zets for cleaning? i know shes not sick because she runs and plays and acts normal but i have yet to see her cleaning . is she just doing at night ? should i bath her myself? ---
**Author:** ![Catgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@Catgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-my-cat-lost-her-zest/121835/2 "2002-08-01T09:53:55Z")
not one freakin person ? ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-my-cat-lost-her-zest/121835/3 "2002-08-01T11:02:26Z")
You can bathe cats. It won’t hurt them. I used to bathe my cat when he got really nasty dandruff one winter. (Black cat, so it showed.) It helped the problem, though he really didn’t appreciate the baths. Most cats will freak out to some degree, so if you have a nervous kitty, I wouldn’t recommend it. Even with my remarkably nice cat, it was still quite the ordeal. On the bright side, if she’s not cleaning herself now, she almost certainly will after she gets all wet and disheveled from the bath. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-my-cat-lost-her-zest/121835/4 "2002-08-01T11:04:44Z")
Also, keep in mind the hours that you post are off-peak for the States, from which I imagine most of our members post. I’m only up because I’m working. Please be patient. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-my-cat-lost-her-zest/121835/5 "2002-08-01T11:59:12Z")
How often do you brush your cat? I find that when I brush my cat he bathes himself more often. Also I notice that you live in Florida. When I lived in a humid climate, he bathed himself less often in the summer than in the cooler months for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Catgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@Catgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-my-cat-lost-her-zest/121835/6 "2002-08-01T12:00:53Z")
Maybe, but unlike most cats mine hates to be brushed every time i come near little sukey she jumps and hisses and hides ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-my-cat-lost-her-zest/121835/7 "2002-08-01T14:47:07Z")
Most cats won’t stop grooming unless there is a problem. Maybe she has something on the fur that tastes nasty. Maybe she is sick, despite the running & playing. Maybe she has arthritis and can’t reach some areas without pain. No telling, but she ought to go to the vet for a checkup. ---
**Author:** ![Catgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@Catgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-my-cat-lost-her-zest/121835/8 "2002-08-01T21:24:42Z")
I dont think she has arthritis , because she is quite young and i have seen her bend into posistions that would definetley incite pain if she had arthritis