Do you shower your cats?

[Attica1962]

I have a 7 mo kitten which I adopted at 10 days old. His bottom is all white, and just from the beginning I used to bath him under the tap whenever he was "dirty" with poop, and he didn't seem to mind. I've kept doing so from time to time, because his white fur is sometimes yellowish. He doesn't enjoy it but neither does he fight it, so I thought it would be alright. I also clip his nails and clean his pinkish nostrils, he obviously doesn't like it but he never puts up a fight.

But a cat lady told me the other day, that I shouldn't shower or bath him, that it's not good for cats. Is she right? Should I stop showering him?

 

[Gunther4ever]

I will have to pass that onto to two of our cats that go in the shower when the water is running and let them know it's not good for them., doubtful that they will listen as they are cats.

 

[neely]

I thought this thread about how often to bathe a cat might have some helpful information and advice:
How Often Should I Bath My Cat

 

[xlynnbbyx]

I personally don’t bathe my cats cause they do not like it and would scratch the bell out of me. I let them take care of their bathing. Only time I intervene is if they got into something and their fur needs cleaning. For that I use cat wipes or waterless pet shampoo. For their nails I have scratching posts so they can take care of it too.

However if this works for your cat and you think that is the best then do it. Everyone will have different opinions on what they do for their cats. There is no wrong or right answer really. You are the kittens mom if this is something you feel is the best keep doing it. Especially if the kitten enjoys it. Do what you think is best for your kitten.

 

[di and bob]

I ahve never bathed my cats and they are ten years old. I have cleaned their bottoms occasionally of excess runny poop at times, usually clipping the hair. cats are self-cleaning and yellowing is a staining and is normal. There is really no way to prevent that in a white cat. unless it is visibly dirty I would not intervene. Clipping the nails once in a while is OK, i would not clean his nostrils unless there is visible drainage or mess either. Hope this helps!

 

[Attica1962]

Many thanks for all your input. When he was a baby, he would get dirty around his bottom, which, as I already mentioned, is very white. I cleaned him with warmluke water under the tap, and cleaning solution for babies. I tried the kitten wipes, but the fur was yellow stained, and since he didn't object then, I did ti whenever he was too dirty. Now, I haven't showered him since summer. He likes to be around when I'm taking a shower. He doesn't enjoy the shampooing bit but he doesn't fight it, it's the same face he puts when I'm cutting his nails o cleaning his nostrils. He doesn't like it, but he doesn't run away or put up a fight either. I'll try to get a picture of his face when I'm doing.

As I said, I only intend to do it now if he gets really dirty, like that day he hid below a car and had black paws and bottom afterwards...

 

[Alldara]

I had to clean Ghost's bottom frequently and then just trimmed up the hair there so that I didn't have to so much.

Certainly you should bathe him if he's been under cats and similar. You don't know what could leak on to him that is dangerous.

I've only ever bathed my cats once every few years, as needed. For example once when Magnus did some interesting gymnastics into some acrylic paint.

 

[iPappy]

I think, if you use a gentle shampoo made for cats, that you can bathe them as often as you wish. People who show cats IIRC bathe them very often (especially long haired cats). Just make sure any shampoo you use specifically states on the label it's safe for cats (or, it might say "cats, dogs, puppies, and kittens"), and be sure to rinse them very well.
I am a pet groomer and have assisted in bathing many cats over the years. I do not bathe my own cats, as I never got them used to it as kittens and they would probably shred me if I tried. I do think having a cat that accepts a bath or shower is important if by some chance they should get something on their fur that is unsafe for them to ingest if they should self groom, so the next kitten that comes into my life will be bathed regularly just as a training exercise.
FWIW, my Mom had a very beautiful long haired cat that she bathed weekly and it never caused him any harm and only made his coat absolutely gorgeous.

 

[doomsdave]

I don't bathe any of my kitties because they don't need it, and they'll shred me if I try.

That said, I've bathed flea-bitten kittens while they were too small to tolerate flea killers. I used a bit of dandruff shampoo in the water and massaged it through their fur to their screeching protests, then then rinsed them, then dried them off.

 

[Norachan]

I have two cats that will tolerate being bathed. Forest Cat, in my banner below, has very long fur that matts if it's too greasy. He's not very good at taking care of himself so he gets a shampoo once a month. He doesn't love it, but he prefers that to being brushed or combed.

Little Boy has been on a diet for the past few years and is now down to his target weight of 7 kilos. At his heaviest 9 kilos he couldn't clean his own butt so he got a shower whenever he needed it. He actually enjoys the warm water. Even when he was a kitten he would try to get in the shower with you.

The rest of my cats would definitely kill me if I tried anything like that with them. Make sure you use a gentle shampoo that is specially formulated to use with cats. Human shampoos, especially the conditioning kind, can contain silica and leave a residue on the cats fur. It's not good for the to ingest anything like that.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Only time I've bathed cats is when they've come home (as rescues, or if something has happened) and they're filthy. Never bathed the current pair, and as they're indoor cats I doubt I'll need to. Most I've done is give Daisy's anus a wipe if it's a bit grotty (white fur and a cat on laxatives, it happens occasionally).

Wrt the shower, it's more a matter of keeping her out of it when I'm using it - I don't want her getting purple shampoo in her fur!

 

[Attica1962]

Since he was about two months old I've used specific shampoo for cats. Since he likes to be near when I'm taking a shower, in summer I'd shower him too from time to time, with lukewarm water and very little shampoo. I own horses, and I know the more shampoo you use, the more you have to rinse off their coat afterwards. I haven't showered him since October began, but I would like to do it one more time before temperature drops for winter.

 

[xlynnbbyx]

Reading through this thread again reminds me of when Scooter was a kitten. I would always have to wipe his face with a wet cloth. Once he could have solid kitten food he would literally face plant into the food to eat. So he always had a dirty face and would somehow get food on the back of his head. Casper the only time he had a bath is when I brought him inside when he was ready to leave his mommy. His mommy was one of the strays I fed she would stay in the outdoor cat house with him. When I could bring him in I had to bathe him in dawn soap to get rid of the fleas cause he was too little to have flea medicine. But now both of my boys handle their bathing & nails.

 

[lollie]

I bathe my cat once a month. I got her used to it as a kitten though. It is not something she enjoys, she whines about it, but I can tell she feels better the next day. The one thing I would recommend is using a fragrance free shampoo and conditioner. I had to look a bit to find them.