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MysticPisces

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I’m getting a kitten from the shelter in the morning and while he seems clean enough I’d really like to wash him when we get home. It’s been over 16 yrs since I had a kitten this small I assume washing him in the sink with a hand towel and a kitten friendly soap will be ok?
 

Caspers Human

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You don't really need to bathe cats unless they get unusually dirty or if they have fleas or something.

I don't think it's a good idea to bathe your new kitten right when you move him into his new home. He's already going to be stressed from the move. Bathing him will add more stress to an already stressful situation.

If you do decide to bathe him, I think you should give him a while to get acclimated beforehand.

Of course, if the kitten has fleas or, for some reason, got dirty, a bath would be in order.

Yes, washing a small kitten in a sink would probably be a good idea.
You don't need the water to be very deep. No more than an inch or so.
 

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I’m getting a kitten from the shelter in the morning and while he seems clean enough I’d really like to wash him when we get home. It’s been over 16 yrs since I had a kitten this small I assume washing him in the sink with a hand towel and a kitten friendly soap will be ok?
If you think that the kitten is clean enough and don't suspect any mess with him, it's ok not to bathe him. You can take a soft towel and rinse it in warm water and wring dry and wipe him all over gently.

Basically, cats are very clean animals and they groom themselves well except maybe if the kitten is too young to do that or that there's no momma or siblings to help groom him.

My boy is a rescue off the streets when he was around 4 weeks old and he was alone and I took him home and never bathe him once and he's coming to 4 years old already. What I did was just clean him gently with a warm towel.
 

Azazel

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You don’t need to bathe him... ever really. Cats clean themselves. The only reason to bathe them is if they get into something toxic they can’t clean themselves, have fleas, or if they’re long haired sometimes the occasional bath can be useful.
 

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I’m getting a kitten from the shelter in the morning and while he seems clean enough I’d really like to wash him when we get home. It’s been over 16 yrs since I had a kitten this small I assume washing him in the sink with a hand towel and a kitten friendly soap will be ok?
Great that you are adopting a kitten after all those years! Good luck and post some pics!
 

SpecterOhPossum

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It'll stress him, wait a couple of weeks. When bathing, I don't suggest soap. I use boiled; cooled to room temp oatmeal as a soap rather than actual soap, as the oatmeal won't strip a cat's important bodily oils/fur oils, and will moisturize the skin and fur as conditioner would do for humans; as well as clean them. And is much safer in the event of accidental licking it or ingesting it somehow. You can also blend the oatmeal for an enhanced wash.
IMG_20191012_090920439_HDR.jpg
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My girl is 2 years old, will be three in 7 months(?) and has been getting these oatmeal baths since she was a teen. She's got the best fur and skin quality I've personally ever seen.

I boil it in the microwave for 1 minute, let stand add water, boil for another 30secs, let cool; mash/blend it, take specter into the bathroom; sit her atop a chair inside the tub (so not standing in water.) apply the oatmeal to her fur; rubbing it in; let it sit for a minute or a few seconds (condition), then rise out with a cup. Works beautifully; her skin and fur is very healthy.; and she's clean & ends up not ingesting as much dirt and hair this way. I see no reason to allow consumption of dirt and debri if they'll tolerate an oatmeal bath.
 
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MysticPisces

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I'd bathe him before I did anything else. That insures no flea nightmares. Not bathing a new kitten caused/was one of my worst mistakes ever.
That’s what I was worried about while the cats and kittens seemed somewhat clean a lot were wearing flea collars and I didn’t want to risk bringing fleas into my home. But the kitten I chose and brought home is 14wks and he was just neutered 3 days ago so no baths for at least a week but I checked him pretty throughly and I don’t see any fleas on him thankfully I’ll just wipe him down with a pet wipe and hopefully that’ll get rid of the shelter smell.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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That’s what I was worried about while the cats and kittens seemed somewhat clean a lot were wearing flea collars and I didn’t want to risk bringing fleas into my home. But the kitten I chose and brought home is 14wks and he was just neutered 3 days ago so no baths for at least a week but I checked him pretty throughly and I don’t see any fleas on him thankfully I’ll just wipe him down with a pet wipe and hopefully that’ll get rid of the shelter smell.
I mean, depending on the temp of your home, a bath might not be terribly stressful, so as long as you dry him quickly. Again, I wouldn't use soap though.
 

kittenmittens84

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It'll stress him, wait a couple of weeks. When bathing, I don't suggest soap. I use boiled; cooled to room temp oatmeal as a soap rather than actual soap, as the oatmeal won't strip a cat's important bodily oils/fur oils, and will moisturize the skin and fur as conditioner would do for humans; as well as clean them. And is much safer in the event of accidental licking it or ingesting it somehow. You can also blend the oatmeal for an enhanced wash.
View attachment 305056'
My girl is 2 years old, will be three in 7 months(?) and has been getting these oatmeal baths since she was a teen. She's got the best fur and skin quality I've personally ever seen.

I boil it in the microwave for 1 minute, let stand add water, boil for another 30secs, let cool; mash/blend it, take specter into the bathroom; sit her atop a chair inside the tub (so not standing in water.) apply the oatmeal to her fur; rubbing it in; let it sit for a minute or a few seconds (condition), then rise out with a cup. Works beautifully; her skin and fur is very healthy.; and she's clean & ends up not ingesting as much dirt and hair this way. I see no reason to allow consumption of dirt and debri if they'll tolerate an oatmeal bath.
If you’re already aware of this just ignore me, but from my own adventures with (human) eczema I know that you can buy colloidal oatmeal packets in the drugstore that are meant specifically for oatmeal baths, and they actually work really nicely. The oats are super super finely milled so that they actually dissolve in the water and distribute throughout the bath much more easily. I’ve never tried them on my cat but they could definitely work for bathing without stripping oils or having to blend anything!
 

SpecterOhPossum

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If you’re already aware of this just ignore me, but from my own adventures with (human) eczema I know that you can buy colloidal oatmeal packets in the drugstore that are meant specifically for oatmeal baths, and they actually work really nicely. The oats are super super finely milled so that they actually dissolve in the water and distribute throughout the bath much more easily. I’ve never tried them on my cat but they could definitely work for bathing without stripping oils or having to blend anything!
Didn't know this! I have eczema as well so I'm super intrigued, thank you for telling me! Will def look into that!!
 

1 bruce 1

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:wave3:
MysticPisces MysticPisces is the new addition home yet?
Most shelters will worm and treat for fleas before sending a kitten or new pet home. Unless you see obvious signs of fleas, I'd wait, but only for now.
Cats don't need baths much, but I regret not at least teaching our cats that a bath is nothing to be scared of because I've seen cats get into things that could hurt or kill them if they self groomed (antifreeze, tar, oil, etc) , and the bathing was a nightmare. I worked in a shelter when I was a kid, and we had a cat show up that was in bad need of a bath for their own safety and I have never experienced anything like that in my life. That cat was so terrified once the water turned on he needed to be sedated in order to get the soap off (another lesson: never put soap or anything you have to rinse off on your cat until you're absolutely sure they're ok with getting wet.)
So now, kittens we take in get a soapless "bath" (pretty much just wetted down and dried off) just for the experience.
Have fun with the new kid, they're just so much fun :hellocomputer:
 
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MysticPisces

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:wave3:
MysticPisces MysticPisces is the new addition home yet?
Most shelters will worm and treat for fleas before sending a kitten or new pet home. Unless you see obvious signs of fleas, I'd wait, but only for now.
Cats don't need baths much, but I regret not at least teaching our cats that a bath is nothing to be scared of because I've seen cats get into things that could hurt or kill them if they self groomed (antifreeze, tar, oil, etc) , and the bathing was a nightmare. I worked in a shelter when I was a kid, and we had a cat show up that was in bad need of a bath for their own safety and I have never experienced anything like that in my life. That cat was so terrified once the water turned on he needed to be sedated in order to get the soap off (another lesson: never put soap or anything you have to rinse off on your cat until you're absolutely sure they're ok with getting wet.)
So now, kittens we take in get a soapless "bath" (pretty much just wetted down and dried off) just for the experience.
Have fun with the new kid, they're just so much fun :hellocomputer:
Yes he’s home. Unfortunately I can’t wash him for at least another week since he was only neutered 3 days ago. He does seem to be in good condition thankfully he didn’t come from a horrible situation or was a stray his previous owners seemed to have taken good care of him and the shelter gave him flea prevention the 2nd day he was there so I’m sure that also helped. But from previous experiences I do want to get him use to baths. I made the mistake of not doing that with my first cat when he was a tiny kitten because everyone thought I was crazy for bathing him so I stopped and when he became an adult anytime he needed a bath it was a nightmare and I always ended up getting scratched and shredded.
 

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Azazel

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I haven’t bathed a cat in about 6 years and that last time was just because he got into some detergent that was toxic for him to lick off. Otherwise I can’t think of another time I’ve given a cat a bath. :dunno:

I do recall my mother creating great fear in my childhood kitten by bathing her every now and then unnecessarily. Not knowing better, I would sneak the kitten a small spoon of milk afterwards cause I felt bad for her (most cats are lactose intolerant). She’d cry and cry to no end and was terrified of my mom for it.
 

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I haven’t bathed a cat in about 6 years and that last time was just because he got into some detergent that was toxic for him to lick off. Otherwise I can’t think of another time I’ve given a cat a bath. :dunno:

I do recall my mother creating great fear in my childhood kitten by bathing her every now and then unnecessarily. Not knowing better, I would sneak the kitten a small spoon of milk afterwards cause I felt bad for her (most cats are lactose intolerant). She’d cry and cry to no end and was terrified of my mom for it.
I had to bathe my little guy when he had an unfortunate run-in with two pieces of peanut butter toast :D

Poor cat...
 

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I haven’t bathed a cat in about 6 years and that last time was just because he got into some detergent that was toxic for him to lick off. Otherwise I can’t think of another time I’ve given a cat a bath.
Same here! I haven't fully bathed a cat in at least 20-25 years! That said, I did have to wash Ireland's paws after she went into a utility room that might have had remnants of ant poison on the floor. I only washed her paws, though. It wasn't easy but it wasn't that hard and was totally survivable for both of us. The cat I had during the nineties sometimes needed her butt washed and I don't remember if I gave her full baths or just half baths. She didn't mind water, though, in fact she even used to try to jump in the bathtub with me. 🛀😸

Personally, I see bathing as an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" situation so would never give a cat a bath unless the cat really truly needed it, something I see as an "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it" situation. And I did once a cat that truly needed a bath: she was a Philadelphia stray and she was absolutely filthy. I think her bath the first day I brought her home was the only bath I ever gave her.

In any case, the shelter smell does go away pretty quickly! Beyond that, most cats need a fair bit of time to settle in at a new home and bond with their new people. I wouldn't want to interrupt that with a bath!

Your kitten looks very sweet, MysticPisces MysticPisces , have fun with him!
 
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MysticPisces

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In any case, the shelter smell does go away pretty quickly! Beyond that, most cats need a fair bit of time to settle in at a new home and bond with their new people. I wouldn't want to interrupt that with a bath!

Your kitten looks very sweet, MysticPisces MysticPisces , have fun with him!
he’s pretty settled in he sleeps with me in bed and has too be touching me at all times when we sleep. As I’m typing this he’s curled in my arm grooming himself. We do 10 min play sessions. Then he follows me around my apartment while I do chores. So far he’s attached to my ankle today when I went to the bathroom he sat across from me in his litter box and used it. He has a check up at the vet on Monday so I guess I’ll out then how much he really trusts me 😂
 
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