Bathing Cats...

[Starznight]

I have always been in favor of giving my cats baths. Starting almost from the moment they enter my home so they can adapt as young as possible to the sensation of being wet. I also try various ways of ensuring their comfort, some of my cats have preferred being bathed in the sink with sprayer, some needing the second sink filled to do a quiet rinse, and some simply diving into the shower with me without any complaints at all unless it was me telling them no.

However one of my vets was absolutely horrified that I bathed my cats?! I don’t wash them everyday or even every week, once a month at the absolute most but she was quite insistent that it could be harmful to them? I will say my other vets were merely impressed that all my cats would at the very least tolerate bathing if not enjoying it.

So what’s your take? Avoid bathing cats because they groom themselves and don’t like water? Or bath the cats since they do groom themselves licking up every thing their fur comes into contact with?

Obviously being mindful to keep water out of their ears and minding the temperatures of both water and the house/outside until they’re fully dry, and that the soap is safe for use on cats.

 

[Kieka]

Most short hair cats need very little bathing, long hair cats might need more especially when shedding. I have all short hair cats and honestly don't bathe unless it is needed (like the time Link decided to play in a mud puddle).

That said, the only negative I've heard is with bathing is associated with frequent bathing especially for short hair cats. It strips the oils from their skin and can lead to dryness and itchiness. Plus, cats tendtobe more sensitive to chemicals and essential oils then humans. So you definitely don't want to use anything not expressly labeled for cats. No human shampoos or conditioners. No tea tree oil ever. Be careful of other oils in cross species shampoos because dogs can tolerate more then cats.

But, assuming you aren't over bathing and are using safe products, there isn't anything inherently wrong with regularly bathing a cat. Its actually common advice if there are allergies in the home to bathe a cat twice a month to reduce allergens.

 

[tuffsmom]

My indoor short haired cat is 3 years old and never been bathed. He always smells fresh and clean. I would not bathe a cat unless absolutely necessary, like if he got into something really stinky or sticky.

 

[Katie M]

I would only bathe them if they got something on their fur that I didn't want them ingesting. I had to bathe Charlie when he dug into a bucket of cooled ashes.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
Starznight - On 14 June, I shall have had cats for sixty years, and in those six decades - out of just over one hundred cats, including Trap-Neuter-And-Rehomes and fosters - I've never bathed a single cat, and this attested to by the fact that I still have the proper number of eyes and digits. Oh, Oz will sit under running water as long as you'll let him, Peanut will drink from the faucet now and again, and that stupid delightful Snowshoe will occassionally chase Scottiecat into the bathtub, but aside from showing cats, I've never found a reason to bathe one, and I've a suspicion that cats 'in the wild' are bathed equally seldom, elsewise you'd doubtless see a newspaper headline now and again which read, "man consumed while bathing tiger."

Kieka 's reminder regarding bathing being one clear cause of feline dermatitis has sound basis in fact. As to, "licking up everything their fur comes into contact with," while grooming, this is probably better addressed by environmental remediation than by any other means. Removing all carpeting and switching over to hardwood, bleaching and sanitising litter boxes once or twice weekly, and switching to anti-microbial surface cleaners for the kitchen and bathroom will go far further toward better health and cleanliness for both you and your kitties than will bathing cats.
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[Starznight]

Tigers are actually big on swimming , as are Jaguars and several other wild cats... only ones I know of that don’t really like the water are lions and cheetahs.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Tigers are actually big on swimming , as are Jaguars and several other wild cats... only ones I know of that don’t really like the water are lions and cheetahs.

Yes, yes... but they detest shampoo.


.

 

[Starznight]

Also, just wanted to add that bathing, for me, isn’t so much about having show quality cats or to make them smell like roses, just have found over the years that starting them young experiencing baths and keeping up with it a bit over their lives saves a great deal of scratches and freak outs if (as kitties are wont to do) one gets into something it shouldn’t. Let’s face it, cats are perpetual two-year olds and the moment you least expect them to is the moment they choose to leap into the toilet, or knock over the dish detergent, or decide to trip you up as you carry the brownie mix to the oven and enjoy a chocolately shower. Or perhaps I’m just blessed with “special” kitties, lol. But my boys and girls over the years even well past the kitten ages have found mischief that has required an immediate bath. One screeching, yowling ball of teeth and claws and set of bloodied appendages, was enough for me to decide it was better to get them used to it first , since then all of us have been much happier and calmer when and if an emergency bath time is required.

 

[sabrinah]

I've had my cat most of my life, thus my parents made the rules when I was young regardless of whether or not it was good for the cat. When we moved to Las Vegas she grew fond of rolling in the dirt so I was required to either bathe her every week (not use cat wipes- full bath) or she would be forced to become an outside cat. In the desert. With 120 degree summers and freezing in the winter. She got weekly baths for years. I got torn up horribly in the beginning but she learned to keep the sharp objects put away and I learned to work quickly. Her coat was rougher and her skin drier because of it but that's about it. She also ate Meow Mix and Friskies dry food so that didn't help her condition. Now the only time she gets a bath is when she pees herself on the way to the vet and is literally dripping with it, so once or twice a year. I've tried cat wipes but she hates her stomach touched (but tolerates it in the bath) and it really doesn't get the smell out. She also struggles to groom as she's gotten older and cleans nothing but her paws and tail. Every once in a while she'll groom a small patch on her side, but that's the extent of it.

Clearly, I'm not opposed to the occasional cat baths, especially if the cat soiled itself. I would never willingly give cats weekly baths and am still a bit peeved that my parents made me to that to her for years, but it's better than her having a heat stroke. I also have a vet that wasn't thrilled when I mentioned bathing my cat (to get the pee off her stomach!). We had already discussed my cat's grooming difficulties, and yet she still expected me to let her sit around covered in pee that she can't get off.

 

[jen]

I always have a laugh when people say they bathe their cats? Why? Mine are 15 and never had a bath. They keep themselves clean. That is the beauty of cats. Some cats like water sure, but most of them get so stressed out with a bath it makes no sense to me. My cats smell like themselves, they are clean, I brush them to keep the shedding down. I will never understand bathing a cat otherwise.

 

[kristenann]

I also bathe my cats on a frequent basis. They climb on my pillows and countertops they need more than a tongue bathe. They really don't hate it that much and their coats really do look so much nicer after.

 

[posiepurrs]

As some of you know, I show my cats so they get bathed regularly (at least while I am showing them) and I have NEVER had an issue with dry skin or coat, even when I had time to do 2 baths a week during shedding season. Long haired cats can benefit from a bath since the tongue usually only gets the top layer of fur when they wash themselves. Allergic humans can also benefit from a freshly bathed cat - there are less allergens. If a kitten is taught there is no danger, they are not bothered by a bath. My vet has never expressed an opinion on the subject - probably because they deal with several breeders/exhibitors and actively show other animals themselves.

 

[Starznight]

Wow! I really wasn’t expecting quite so much of a debate going on lol. I honestly thought my one vet was being rather archaic in her thinking. She’s an amazing vet don’t get me wrong, I trust her with my animals and my cats actually love going to see her, actually purr and watch for her office as we head down the road. But we’ve always been at odds over the bath debate.

Even when we worked together when I was younger she would get upset when people brought their cats into the attached bathhouse for a bath and grooming. But her concern was always over the stripping of oils from the coat (avoidable by using the proper shampoo) and water getting into their ears. Again much easier to avoid when bathing a calm cat over a freaked out clawing, biting, crying Mexican jumping bean

 

[Purr-fect]

I would love to bath my boys.

They are longhaired and their tongues can only do so much.

But they go outside and when I see the things they walk thru, roll in, crawl under.....I realize there wouldnt be any lasting benefit.

They werent bathed as kittens and it would upset them and damage our realtionship to start now. We never washed our cats unless they encountered a skunk, ran across a freshly painted dresser, or otherwise, got into trouble.

I type this, anold climbed into my lap and fell asleep!

I cant violate that trust.

 

[vince]

I always give my two a chance to clean themselves. They get one stinky day, but if they stink two days in a row, they get a bath. One has had to be bathed twice; the other only once.

 

[basscat]

I bath Gibs with O+
Doesn't seem to burn his eyes and makes his fur shiny and soft.

 

[Katie M]

I bath Gibs with O+
Doesn't seem to burn his eyes and makes his fur shiny and soft.

I hope you have friends at the nearest blood bank.

 

[basscat]

He really, Really, REALLY loves water!
AND, he's a "cat".
What this means is... You put him in a tub of water and he'll go thru you getting out.
Soon as he's out, you grab the towel, turn around, and he's back in the tub.

 

[lollie]

My cat gets a bath once a month. I've never had a vet think it was weird. As a matter of fact, one had other staff come in to see her coat. She's a domestic shorthair, but he said he had never seen such a nice shiny coat on a cat.

I do give her an Omega 3 oil by mouth twice a week, which I think imparts the shine. Otherwise, she gets a shampoo and conditioner rinse.

 

[Azazel]

I don't understand why it would be needed to bathe a cat unless they get something toxic in their fur that they can't clean themselves? Or if they get so dirty that it would be hard to clean themselves?

Sure, some cats enjoy water, and if that's the case I would just let those cats get in the tub on their own, play around, and then dry them off.

I think I have a particular aversion to bathing cats because when I was young my mother would bathe our cat every week, and that poor little kitty absolutely hated it. The reason my mom did it was because she was an irrational clean freak. She was convinced that the cat couldn't clean herself without having a bath. The poor thing would cry and cry every time it was carried over to the sink. I really think hearing those cries every week traumatized me. I will never give regular baths to my cats unless it's needed.