Should I give my cat a bath?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Is there any real reason why you’d need to bathe a house cat? Or is it more a of pain than it’s worth?

Would it cut down on the amount of dander, allergens, and other cat nastiness in the air that so troubles my sensitive eyes?

How would you go about it with a cat that can’t stand water?

Considering she ‘wwwwwRrrroRRRrrr…wwwwwRRRRRoorrrrrs’’ getting her claws clipped, even though it’s for her own damn good, would it really benefit her despite the (assumed) struggle involved in getting her clean?

Or is it all a waste of time?

2

Maybe it’s all in my head, but bathing my cats has always made my life easier. I have nasty allergic reactions otherwise.

But it is not a pleasant experience. My current feline is the minion of the Evil Kitty Warlord and bites and claws like a demon. I’m thinking of buying hawking gloves to wear for bath time.

3

If you’re a genuine masochist, it’s fun!

If you’re a normal person, it’s roughly equivalent to three root canals and an extraction without novocaine on the same day. Keep a lot of rubbing alcohol available.

4

I think I’ve posted this before, but Yep, it helps.

I bathed my kids a couple weekends ago, no problems, mostly because my kids were bathed frequently growing up. When in the tub getting wet the worst they do is give me dirty looks and mew pittiously.

The blow drying’s usually the more difficult proposition.

Pointers:

Always clip claws before bathing.

Immersing them in water is not the idea. You want a hand held shower. I start with something degreasing, like Dawn dishwashing liquid. Lather well, make sure to get the underside and butt. Rinse well. Then Baby shampoo’s usually good, simple boring, effective.

Do not wash their face! You don’t want to get soap or water near their mouths, eyes or ears.

Never wash them someplace open like the kitchen sink, you want to use a small bathroom.

Have towels ready before you ever start. My kids like being toweled off least of any bathing activities.

Be prepared to be completely soaked in the process, and keep all tender areas covered.

I hold people who bathe their cats nude in complete awe.

-Doug

5

My cats are more opposed to drowning than they are to being wet. If I put one of them in a tub full of water, the reaction, depending on which one is being bathed, will range from being concerned to being anxious. If I put one in an empty tub and very gently pour water over it, the reaction will range only from being puzzled to being concerned, and no attempts to hop out will be made.

Similarly, when paddling in rough weather, my cats truely hate being washed overboard (yes, they wear PFDs, and I try to keep them below deck in rough weather, but they tremendously enjoy perching on the sprits and occasionally get knocked off by waves), but don’t mind flopping down in a bit of bilge slop if they are already wet from rain (yes, I try to keep them dry, for they get cold when wet, although the PFDs help).

6

LOL! That’s how I often bathe mine. While soaking in the tub, I start whistling The Texas Waltz, and in troop the kitties. One at a time, I place them on my chest and start bathing them. Works fine. No fuss, no muss. I don’t use soap, for those waiting their turn like to drink out out of the tub. After, however, I have to use the shower hose on me to remove the hair.

If I have to use soap (e.g. when they have got into something sticky), I use an empty tub and a hand shower hose at very low output. The cats don’t fuss, so they don’t get me wet, thus clothing is not at issue one way or the other, but I prefer nude simply because while bathing one, I still have other wet ones wandering about getting me wet as they cross over my back as I lean over the tub, or flop down on my legs as I kneel beside the tub.

7

Not original to me…but …
“How to Give a Cat A Bath”

Some people have the misconception that cats never have to be bathed. That somehow they “lick” themselves clean. Well contrary to this popular belief, cats do NOT have some enzyme in their saliva that resembles Tide (with or without bleach).

Cats, like their nemesis, the dog … do get dirty and have a variety of odors… from smelling like the outhouse where you camped last year to the same odor as your dog’s breath. (Remember… your dog will try to eat anything.)

Now we all know that cats HATE water. And we know that giving the cat a sedative to ease this process of a bath is out of the question.

So, the best approach is both sneaky and direct. Remember now, this is not the dumb dog who can be led to tub with lies and a trail of Kibbles and Bits.

Although your cat has the advantage of smarts, quickness and total lack of concern for you … you have the advantage of size, strength, and the ability to wear protective garments.

  1. First … dress for the occasion. A 4-ply rubber wet suit is suggested, along with a helmet, face mask and welders gloves.

  2. A Bathtub with a glass enclosure is preferred to the one with a shower curtain. A frenzied cat can shred one of these in about 3.5 seconds.

  3. Have the Kitty Bubbles and towel in the enclosed bathtub area before hand. No … blow drying the cat after the bath is not suggested.

  4. Draw the water, making it a little warmer than needed as you still need to find the cat. Position everything strategically in the shower, so you can reach it even if you are face down or prone in the tub.

  5. Find your cat. Use the element of surprise. Pick the cat up, nonchalantly as if you were simply carrying him/her to the supper dish. No need to worry about the cat noticing your strange attire . the cat barely notices you anyway.

  6. Once you and the cat are inside the bathroom … speed is essential. In one single liquid motion .shut the door to the bathroom, step into the shower, close the sliding doors, and drop the cat into the water. While the cat is still in a state of shock . locate the Kitty Bubbles and squirt whatever part of him is above the water line. You have just begun the wildest 45 seconds of your life. Remember that cats have no handles and add the fact that he now has soapy fur. His state of shock has worn off and he’s madder than hell.

  7. As best, you can, wearing welder’s gloves, try to field his body as he catapults through the air toward the ceiling. If possible, give another squirt of Kitty Bubbles with his body now fully exposed.

  8. During the 5 seconds you are able to hold onto him, rub vigorously. No need to worry about rinsing. As he slides down the glass enclosure into the tub, he will fall back into the water, rinsing himself in the process.

  9. Only attempt the lather and rinse process about 3 times. The cat will realize the lack of traction on the glass by then and will use the next attempt on the first available part of you.

  10. Next, the cat must be dried. No…this is NOT the easiest part. By this stage, you are worn out and the cat has just become semi-permanently affixed to your right leg. We suggest here that you drain the tub and in full view of your cat . reach for the bottle of Kitty Bubbles.

  11. If you have done step 10 correctly, the cat will be off your leg and hanging precariously from your helmet. Although this view of the cat is most disgusting, he will be in a much better position for wrapping the towel around him.

  12. Be sure cat is firmly wrapped in towel before opening tub enclosure. Open bathroom door … put towel wrapped cat on floor and step back quickly. Into tub, if possible, and do not open enclosure until all you can see is the shredded towel.

  13. In about 2 hours … it will be safe to exit the bathroom. Your cat will be sitting out there somewhere looking like a small hedgehog while plotting revenge. But he does smell better???

8

Wow Doug, but how do they effectively wash the cat while your arms are wrapped around them? Har har. I couldn’t resist. :wink:

I do bathe our cat once in a while. In part, because I notice a slight improvement in my allergies, and mostly because I want to keep him in the habit of having periodic baths. I found him when he was about 6 weeks old, and he was infested with a multitude of parasites. The vet recommended weekly baths with a medicated cat shampoo in addition to the usual flea and tick control treatments. Since Gryffin (the cat) has been putting up with this indignity since kittenhood, I think I have a slight advantage in that he’s more or less used to it. He will actually sit in the tub, in about three inches of water, without me holding him in a deathgrip.

Even though he no longer needs weekly baths, the bathing habit is a good one, I think, because it made things much easier when The Genius of the Feline World make a break for the front door, and right into the neighbor’s newly tarred driveway. Apparently, when he felt the stickiness on his paws and realized he shouldn’t keep walking, his response was to sit down and wait for me to come fetch him. The mind boggles.

One thing to watch out for is that they shed a lot while they are having a bath. You might want to put a hair trap or something similar over your drain, because the cat hair can get very gunky.

9

I LIKE bathing Kitty. Always have. Maybe I’m a sadist.

However, if you don’t like the idea, take Kitty to a professional. Less trauma.

10

They should be bathed when tiny kittens, as they are used to being pushed around by the mother cat. Once they are used to the idea, and if you are careful to make the water just right and use only no-tears shampoos, they won’t complain after that.

Mine are always into something sticky, so they need baths a lot. Bathing cuts down on loose hair, so they won’t get so many hairballs when they clean themselves.

11

I used to own a cat that ran the gamut from fluffy sweetheart (most of the time) to psychotic hellbeast (when crossed). My brother and his then-fiancee now-wife were going to visit, and she was allergic to cats. Mom reckoned things would be better for her if we bathed the cat.

Oh, how I tried to talk her out of it. “Mom,” said I, “she will kill us all!” I agreed to this insane notion only after she agreed that, for the next bath, she’d be the one to hold the cat while I rinsed and laughed.

Without going into too much detail, all involved survived. I believe that the only thing that kept us alive was the soothing effect kitty gained by locking her fangs into the meat between my thumb and forefinger. I had scars up past my elbows, and I am not exaggerating.

There never was a second bath for kitty.

12

Hey Chris? I’m just sticking my head in to wish you good luck bathing Z. After reading these posts, I have a feeling you’ll be needing it. :wink:

13

I’ve always heard the main problem with giving a cat a bath is that your tongue gets covered with fur.

Folkie

14

Get special cat shampoo. I wouldn’t try anything like Dawn or regular soap. Just in case.

I wish my mother would consent to let us give Misty a bath, because she doesn’t bathe herself very well. But she insists we shouldn’t. Oh well. Considering Misty likes going in the tub after someone’s been in the shower and licking the bottom of the tub, I don’t think she’d mind it.

15

If your cat is small enough, pour some shampoo into the toilet bowl. Throw the cat in, close the lid, and flush a couple of times. The cat will get speed cleaned.

Or you can use this:

http://www.pet-expo.com/bath/bathsacklg.ipg

16

Ugh. Don’t know what happened there. You were supposed to be whisked to a picture of the Cat Bath Sack, a bag you put your cat in for a bath. If you search that site, you’ll find it. It’s funny looking. I can imagine cats hate it.

17

Okay, my mom is a genius, and this is how she bathes her evil, evil kitty:

  1. have a kitchen sink with a spray nozzle.

  2. Have an old window screen.

  3. Put cat in sink.

  4. Put screen over sink, trapping cat.

  5. Spray cat through screen, getting it wet.

  6. Once wet, cat will lose will to live. Remove screen, grab cat, wash according to instructions above.

18

There must be something wrong with my cat then. He sits quietly on the stool I provide in the bathroom. Either that or he props himself on the top of the toilet bowl. I draw lukewarm water out of a bucket or directly from the shower. I talk to him as I pour slowly over his back to wash off the suds. I am amazed that he even sits still enough to let me pick out stray fleas. After a quick towelling off, he heads to his favourite sunny spot in the balcony to fluff himself. Of course he hasn’t been quiet like this all the time. It took him 3 bath times to get used to my bathroom and the whole routine.

19

I have only had the experience once, and I am in no hurry to do it again.

Our cat ‘Theodore’ had been poking around in the garage, and managed to fall into a 5 gallon bucket of used motor oil, resulting in a very confused and slippery, but easy to track pet.
Somehow, he kept his face out, but he was dipped right up to the back of his head.
Obviously, I was not left with a choice. It was time to act.
I would have loved to have his nails trimmed beforehand, but who wants to hug a cat that has a half-gallon slimecoat?
This leads me to what might be the best piece of advice yet offered:

If your cat has claws, do NOT leave a shower curtain on the rod.

My cat, like most cats, will flail wildly until he hooks something that provides traction, and shower curtains, even the vinyl ones will suffice. ‘Theo’ was a big boy, around 16 lbs at the time. I don’t know if there have ever been any tests to determine the load limit of shower curtain rods…but in my particular case, the cat exceded them. The ultimate outcome of his frantic attempts to get out of the tub, were me being soaked from head to toe, knocked nearly unconscious by the falling rod, with a series of bloody, oil filled cat-claw trenches up my arms and down my back, and him being subjected to ‘kitty-hell’ (I’m just talking water here, I was very gentle with him.) for over two hours.(that’s in human time)

The cat had to be washed and rinsed a total of 12 times: twice with GO-JO™ hand cleaner, 4 times with a combination of GO-JO™ and Dawn™ dish-washing liquid, 4 more with Dawn™ alone, and a couple of times with Johnson’s™ baby shampoo. I hoped the baby shampoo would leave his skin less irritated than dish soap might.
There still were minute traces of oil deep down near his skin, but I didn’t think either one of us would survive any more extensive cleaning.

All told, it was an awful experience for both of us, and I think in the future, I’ll just toss oil soaked cats in the washing machine when I’m doing my oil soaked jeans. :smiley:
For the record, I no longer store used motor oil where ANYTHING can get into it.

20

three things that weren’t mentioned:

  1. Don’t bathe a cat when it is cold. If you are wearing a sweater and are “comfortable” it is too cold to bathe a cat.

  2. Don’t get water and/or soap in the ears. When I wash my cat, we take a damp washcloth (no soap) and gently go over her face and the outside of her ears.

  3. The easiest way to dry a cat–gently towel dry them off after the bath, try to sop up the excess moisture, and shut them in a warm room so they can pout and lick themselves back into a non-violent, non-bitter state. Put food and water in that room, because if your cat is as tempermental as mine, it’ll take a good 6-8 hours for the spite to fade to general bad attitude.