How often do you wash your pussy?

In My Humble Opinion
1

No, you filthy-minded people… I mean your cat. :smiley: My husband and I are in a (somewhat) heated debate on giving our cats a bath. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, he thinks they don’t need baths and I’d just “screwing” with their heads.

Norman, our youngest, was neutered too young in life and has turned into a gigantic ball of blubber. As a result, he can’t clean his nether regions very well. Yes, we’ve tried lower calorie food, increasing his active play, etc. Anyway, I’m concerned about his backside and other parts being clean and safe from infection. Eh, how do you properly clean a male cat’s wenis? I feel weird even asking, but I’m genuinely needing some help here. I don’t want to hurt or traumatize the little guy.

So! Any vets/ cat parents out there with ideas?

2

Elvis just turned 16. I have never bathed him.

Of course, this is the cat that has never had his temperature taken…

3

I never bathe my cats. They are indoor cats so they don’t get into anything nasty. I have heard that some owners of long-haired cats do give them butt baths. you could also try clipping (or having an expert clip) his heinie.

PS - neutering young has nothing to do with a cat’s weight. My 14 year old neutered male, Bo, is fairly slim and trim. He has been rotund in the past, but when I got a young kitten to play with him, he shed some weight. I switched to a brand of cat food called Precise, and that food is great. It is hard to find, but he eats less of it and stays slim.

4

The only time I’ve ever bathed a cat in my life (and I’ve had LOTS of cats) was a persian that I rescued who had feces in her fur. Other than that, they’ve always kept themselves clean, just fine.

5

We have three cats, the oldest being six years, and none of them have ever been bathed. One is an outside cat (story elsewhere on the boards) and he’s been wet from the rain, but the other two don’t even know what wet fur feels like!

6

Are you also contemplating hiring a surgeon to repair your scratch marks? :stuck_out_tongue:

7

Hey, thanks for the responses. And I’ll see if I can find that brand of food… maybe it’ll help my Norman.

Our vet mentioned after we brought him home that since he was neutered too young, he’d most likely be overweight and have poor muscle tone in his hind legs. But since **Boschibo’**s kitty is trim, that may not be Norman’s problem. Right now, there’s no way in hell I’d get another cat. Two is enough for us. Besides Norman and Mojo play and wrestle quite a bit & they’re best buds.

On the bathing issue, I’ll stand down. But I do need to clean his rear end, as he can’t get it himself. Oh, and Norman HATES it when Mojo attempts to groom his arse.

8

We’ve only ever washed a cat once and I was really young when it happened. The cat got completely covered in motor oil one night after spending the night in the garage, and I remember mom and dad putting him into a mesh bag in an attempt to have at least some control over him. I guess it wound up working, but that was one very unhappy cat.

9

If a cat really needs a bath, it will be obvious; otherwise, don’t bother.

Normally, cats don’t need baths, as nature has provided them with enough healthy oils in their coats to repel dirt, and the habit of washing themselves frequently. But on occaision, when this isn’t enough to keep them tidy, it won’t hurt then to get bathed. Although you might, if the cat in question objects.

As was mentioned, some cats just get so fat they can’t lick their bungholes clean anymore. Just like some people get so obese they can’t reach their own fundaments anymore. People, however, are intuitive enough to come up with adaptive devices to reach those areas. http://shortdwarf.com/main/bottom_wiper.htm

In normal circumstances, cats don’t need baths.

A chance encounter with a skunk, an overdose of fleas, an unclean butt, or a nasty spill of foreign material on the cat can neccessitate a catbath. I especiallly recall one very unpleasant experience scrubbing burnt motor oil off an otherwise pure white cat. Visiting acquaintances couldn’t be bothered to control their bratty six year old son, who poured almost a half gallon of dirty motor oil from a recycling tub onto my cat. Thought it was cute. I invited them to never stop by again, and feel free to inflict corporal punishment upon little unhousebroken Matthew. Although a swat on his behind through Size XXXXL diapers might not have had much effect.

If you start them on baths very young, and it’s a pleasant, comfortable experience, they can learn to tolerate it, even enjoy it. But introducing a full grown cat to a bath might just be…difficult. :smack:

I had a Siamese at one time, who loved it. I got him as a tiny, abandoned kitten, and had to scrub the fleas off him to save his life. He’d hop right up and I’d put him in the sink. As long as the water was very warm, almost hot, he was happy, but started to object once it began to cool off. And there was no taking a shower without him. He’d cry and beat on the shower doors with his paws, hollering until I opened up, scooped him up and took him in with me. I’d hold him close to me, and scrub him too. As long as the water didn’t get in his ears or eyes, he’d relax and flop back, happy.

Needless to say, the water bottle discipline thing was useless on him.

Scopata Fuori

10

Damn it!

11

In nature, cats generally bathe themselves adequately, but don’t generally remain dry all the time. In an artificial environment, with food-on-demand that doesn’t really help clean out their systems, and without the automatic grooming that takes place by rubbing against the underbrush, bathing can be helpful to cats.

First and foremost: by removing hair that has been or is about to be shed, which when ingested can create hairballs, intestinal blockages, digestive problems and even death. All the hair that is otherwise removed by nature goes into a cat’s stomach (or on your furniture); bathing is a good way to remove that hair before it goes inside. Alternatives are: brushing, extensive petting with special “grooming gloves,” petting with wet hands or a wet washcloth. Bathing or showering a cat using shampoo does an even more thorough job, but plain water is easier to manage, less traumatic and almost as good.

Housecats absolutely do need a way to remove excess fur to prevent ingestion. It doesn’t have to be bathing, but it should be tended to.

Only other reason is if a cat gets extremely dirty (as in a previously-posted example of motor oil). If the hindparts are dirty, a wet washcloth is adequate to remove the shit.
S¬
…V

12

We had to bathe our cats when we first got them. (Issues with fleas)
The best advice we had was, put an old towel down in the sink or tub. This gives the cat something to sink its’ claws into, rather than just sliding around.
Make sure the water is comfortable, and it shouldn’t be too bad.

13

Another alternative is, you can get a cat like this! <-- click here for a great pussy shot…

14

I bathed a kitten one time…it was awful. If I ever have to bathe a cat again, I will take him to the groomers at PetSmart and let them deal with it. They do a great job on my dogs.

15

Never.

If I tried, I can’t imagine the horror, screaming and blood. And the cat would be pretty miserable too. :smiley:

16

I’ve bathed Eponine once, maybe twice. She has an affinity for dog piss, apparently. To be specific, one dog male dog that we had hospitalized for a couple of weeks who had the smelliest pee I’ve ever seen in a dog. We were out walking in the parking lot right after he’d been out and hadn’t made it to the grass, and she flopped and rolled all over the spot. I had to bathe her and wash her harness. I aced her hairy little butt and washed her while she was drunk. (Sweet cat, but a horrible patient. Horrible.)

As far as your kitty, I’d just go with the washcloth. He’s liable to be grumpy about it, at least until he figures out it makes him feel better. It might be helpful to scratch his back right above the base of the tail while you do it–most cats have a spot there that makes them hoist their butts in the air and raise their tails.

Don’t worry about cleaning his penis. You don’t want to try to extrude a cat penis, trust me, and they generally don’t have issues with smegma and stuff. Just swipe his ass and be done with it.

17

I’m highly allergic but the former cat-in-my-life (RIP, Dew) somwhat tolerated cornstarch “baths”. He was a Maine Coon, relatively long haired, a total love but still thoroughly Cat, i.e. very strong–negative–opinions about bathing in water. (An unneccessary and perverted human thing.) He loved being brushed, though. It was mostly overdue but appreciated homage to his Catness.
The first attempts didn’t go all that well, but after a bit he tolerated sprinkling cornstarch on his fur, as long as it was accompanied by immediate, soothing, apologetic brushing. And lots of inane murmers about what a brave, gorgeous, exemplary cat he was–which he knew already, but always appreciated hearing. If seduced by pleasure, and he was a pushover, we’d mutually wallow in baby talk, such pweddy iddle kitty face…ahem.

After enough adoration he’d stretch, jump down, lick fastidiously–then hork up a hairball. YACK, YACK, YACK…mmmURP. It was a refreshing process for all.

Nowadays I believe vets etc. sell cleansing wipes.

Veb

18

Cornstarch??? What does that do? I’m intrigued…

19

I’m glad to hear that. Even though I’d do anything to keep my kitties healthy and happy, I really didn’t want to get that “intimate” with Norman if I absolutely didn’t need to. Thanks!

20

The only time I have given my cats a bath is when they have some how managed to get fleas. They don’t go outside, but our Golden Retriever does. So when the dog gets fleas, the whole kitty tribe will end up with them.