Bathing 3 week old kittens??

[roxsam]

My orphaned babies are about 3 weeks old today! They are about halfway between needing stimulation and eliminating on their own...and it seems they have peed all over each other!!! I tried washing them with a warm washcloth which is what I usually use to teach them how to clean, but is is not working so well with getting the urine off. And they have a lot of white fur that now looks pretty gross with a slight yellow tinge

Can I give them a bath at this age? I've heard using dish soap is ok...does that mean soapy water? I can't imagine putting the soap directly on them, it would never come off

Also, I flea comb them but they still have a flea now and then. I heard bath would help with that too, but the fleas mostly hide on their heads where the bath wouldn't really get to.

What's the best way to bathe them?

Thanks

 

[zoethor2]

I wouldn't use soap, at all. You'll never be able to rinse it all off, probably, and at that age/size, you definitely don't want them licking off even small quantities of it, I would think.

I've been bathing my kittens since around 3 weeks, just in the sink, good scrub with warm water. Two of them look suspiciously long-haired and I want them used to baths if that's the case. But anyway, I would think that a little soak in the sink would probably go a long way to cleaning them off, without any real risk (you know, as long as you're there to keep them from drowning... mine, at least, had very lamentable self preservation instincts in that sense.)

It's also, though, QUITE warm here, and they have mom to help them dry off.

 

[marianjela]

Gentle dish soap or baby wash (no flea shampoo!) is fine. To prevent fleas from running into their face, ears and eyes when they get wet, I recommend putting a ring of soap around their neck and work it in before you get them wet. Just be sure to rinse them thoroughly, dry them well, and keep them out of drafty areas, especially when damp.

Good luck bathing them! They probably will cry out and fight you a little, but since you wont have a mom cat attacking you - it should be painless

 

[goldenkitty45]

A very little soap in the sink with some warm water. You have to be careful of the temp. Don't want it too hot or too cold. Kittens get chilled very quickly so if you bath them, do it in a warm draft free place. Immediately wrap them in towels and keep them away from any kind of drafts till they are dry.

The youngest I've given baths to are 5 or 6 week old kittens.

 

[amandak]

Is baby shampoo ok? My 3 week old kitten needs a bath ASAP as she was from a farm. She is supposed to be pure white but all the dirt has taken that away at the moment. 

 

[StefanZ]

 
Is baby shampoo ok? My 3 week old kitten needs a bath ASAP as she was from a farm. She is supposed to be pure white but all the dirt has taken that away at the moment. 

Should be Ok, not too much.

And be very cautious, as the others said.  Chilling out is still dangerous at this age.

Good luck!