Calie got into the fireplace.
So, I tried to bathe her.
It only got worse. It made her fur muddy, me wet and her very pissed off.
The fireplace is gas. My husband left the glass doors open… twice. I guess it could be worse.
If I don’t laugh, I might just cry.
She’s still cute when she’s dirty! There’s some kind of dry shampoo you can use for cats that both gets them clean and keeps your skin intact. Either that, or just let her clean herself off (if the dust isn’t harmful and she’s not getting ash all over the house, that is).
The dirt isn’t toxic, it’s just carbon/charcoal. It’s actually used in medicine to absorb poisons.
The dry shampoo is a great idea. Her brother has been trying to clean her to little avail.
I had to chain the doors closed and close the sliders so she wouldn’t get in a fourth time!
This is also how you deal with a kitty who gets plugged up with hair.
Well, first, you and your partner in kitty bathing have to corral the little darling in the bathroom with the door shut. And then you put them in a tub that has a few inches of water. It’s easier if they can stick their claws into a bath mat. Scruff their neck well and hold. Other person has to do a quick kitty wash. Dilute any shampoo you use, it’ll be easier to get it off them. Also, a washcloth works nicely. Rinse and remove kitty.
Trust me on this. I’ve used that method to remove sticky poop from the back end of a clumsy long-haired cat.
Alternately, she doesn’t look too dirty, so you might try dampening a BIG towel, wrapping her in it, and rubbing. Again best done in the bathroom with the door closed.
Could be worse, my white with black dabs kitty Jezabel got out and got skunked, so I shut her in the tub and carpet bombed her with tomato juice. For a fair amount of time after that she was a delicate shade of salmon … but at least she didn’t smell.:smack:
Really? I’m a critical care nurse. Charcoal is used as a medication for poisoning. It does have a laxative added to it to help expel it and the poison it absorbs.
There is a difference between her having less than a milligram of charcoal on her fur and the 1 gm per kilo that would cause constipation.
The use of petroleum jelly is discouraged by most vets, since, being tasteless, it can be easily aspirated, causing pneumonia.
Also, since it’s petroleum based, it prevents the absorbtion of all oil based vitamins, like E, D & K. If you do use it for hair balls in your kitty, don’t give it within 3 hours of any food.
Yes, I have used that method on other kitties, but, now I’m old and getting down on my knees is nearly impossible.
I did use a very wet wash cloth, but all it did was spread it around. I’ll try some dry shampoo.
aruvqan, that must have been a sight to see.
Congratulations on having a fireplace with only USP carbon in its ash.
If petroleum jelly is no longer the home remedy for a plugged up kitty, what is?
And, my Maine Coon (who will not allow trimming of her feathers - esp. those around the anus) gets a smear of vaseline once every six months or so - not exactly going to destroy her nutritional balance.
She is open fed kibble with canned 2x/day. Being an 100% indoor cat, I am hoping the shorting of protein in the canned is marginal.
To the OP, what a pretty kitty! Even wet and covered with ash 
In all my years of doing cat rescue, I’ve only had one get skunked. I have to hand it to your cat for being an idiot. :smack:
For anyone who needs to know, this recipe works much better than tomato juice:
1 Qt 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tsp. liquid soap
Soap, not detergent. Liquid Ivory soap works very well, Dawn is useless because its a detergent.
Also, mix it in a big bowl. It foams. A LOT.
Do NOT use my method of mixing liquids and powders, which is to put the liquid into a bottle and then add the powder and shake. The results were hysterical to those who were watching me, the cat didn’t get de-skunked and while I no longer smelled of skunky cat, I also got it in my eyes which really burned.
That’s the other warning about this stuff, keep it out of your pets’ eyes, because it hurts.
If you can start with a wet pet, that helps it work. Work it into their fur, leave it on for as long as you can hold your pet still and then rinse said pet down with water.
Trust me on this, it works much better than tomato juice and stops an emergency run to the stores trying to find enough tomato juice to clean up a stupid St Bernard who just can’t learn that when it comes to dog vs. skunk…the skunk always wins.
Cute young and somewhat ditsy indoor only cat, vs the mama skunk that lived in the forsythia monster outside the bedroom [both mama skunk and bush are no longer extant, though not as a result of this … I detest and am allergic to forsythias, so it got cut down entirely a couple years back and the skunk apparently died last year.] She got out, and wandered around the outside of the house mewing pitifullly trying to get back in. Spotted skunk kits and wanted to play and mama objected. She is totally incapable of hunting, I have seen her peacefully sharing her kibble with mice. sigh :dubious::smack: 5on the other hand after being tossed into the bath tub with a live mouse in his jaws figured out instantly all prey are played with in the tub - resulting in the occasional thud squeek marathons after everybody goes to bed. :eek:
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LOL…what is it with the Tuxedo types and dirt? My Tuxedo girl, Prowler, is a dirt aficionado, expert excavator and all around grunge fanatic. Any trip outdoors results in a fine coating of brown dirt all over her body, as well as dirt and moss clogging her claws. “Mommy, I went digging!!” Yes…yes, I see that. I have a special stash of Prowler-only hand towels. I give her a brisk rubdown for basic dry dirt, or when she’s REALLY gross, I dampen it with warm water and do a full-on wet wipe/scrub down. Gets the job done with far less trauma for everyone, in fact she kind of likes it…it seems to replicate mama cat bathing for her.
