Giving a cat a bath

dejolane

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Is it better for a person to give a cat a bath yourself or have it professional done ? Bella and Thunder would never go for it. After all cats do bathe themselves. And as I have stated they are both indoor cats so they never get dirty.

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farleyv

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I have never bathed my cats unless they have had messy stool and that is only spot cleaning.  It is personal preference whether to do it yourself or take to get cleaned.  Can't say one is better altho, cats, being cats, do not do well in stressful situations.  I think they would be more at ease in familiar surroundings.

Like you say, they take very good care of themselves without our interferrance.  Besides, I am not a fan of getting scratched and bit! lol
 

jlc20m

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All three of my cats (two senior adults and one six-month old kitten) only get spot cleaning when needed. I've never given them a bath. They too are indoor and very clean. However, if I were to give any of my kitties a bath, I'd clip their nails and do it myself. Going to a groomer would add stress on top of stress.

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missymotus

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Many cats are easily bathed.

I use a shower hose attachment, no water in the tub. Wet them, shampoo them, rinse them and dry them. They don't mind baths at all and happily just stand there.

If you're unable to handle your cats for bathing then a groomer is a far better choice, they know how to properly handle cats and make it less stressful. 
 

stealthkitty

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If you're going to bathe your cats, make sure you use shampoo that's safe for them. There was a poster on here not too long ago who used Pantene on their cat. The cat ended up spending a miserable night throwing up after ingesting some that hadn't been rinsed off completely, and the owner had to take it to the vet first thing in the morning. Expensive, and frightful not knowing if your pet is going to die, all because of using human shampoo on a cat.
 

eharned

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I bathed my oldest cat when he was about 8 weeks old (he is now 1.5 years) because he had fleas when I got him. I filled the bathtub with a few inches of lukewarm water, and i also filled a bucket. I used a cup and wetted him with water from the tub, shampooed him, let it set (the hardest part), and rinsed him with water from the bucket. Having to do this once a week for about a month, I found it MUCH easier when I sat in the tub with him. I had more control than if I was leaning over, and I think it eased his nerves a little bit that he could sit in my lap. Other then the flea instance, I spot clean!

good luck!
 

orientalslave

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Why do you want to bath your cats or is this just a nosy question of yours?

Most cats never, ever need bathing - even longhairs.  A few longhair cats have coats that need the occasional bath (after any mats etc. have been combed out) and cats that are shown sometimes need a bath.
 

violet

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Well, from experience and, to the best of my knowledge, strictly indoor cats never really need a bath. However, I know several people who bathe their (indoor) cats every so often to keep their own allergies under control. They claim this approach works for them.

Under normal circumstances, however, there seems to be no need for giving an indoor cat a bath.

Spot cleaning might be necessary in certain situations, for a dirty, irritated bottom, for instance, or......., when your cat decides to step into a tray of paint you have on the floor when you're painting a room. Yup, one of ours did that once.....what a mess.......
 

andied

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I spot clean my cat when necessary and occasionally clean her with a waterless shampoo for cats with owners who have allergies, which is an absolute godsend. I am allergic to cats, so this is the only reason I do so. The main problem she has with it is being held in one spot for so long, but she loves being brushed afterwards. As previously mentioned, cats do an awesome job of cleaning up on their own and mine cleans herself for probably a half hour or so after I clean her and then she's back to doing what she does. It definitely takes getting used to and I think it is a personal choice you have to consider for your cat yourself and anyone you live with.
 
 

catlover73

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My kitten is currently on ear drops that are very oily.  Is there anything I can buy to spot clean his head when he finishes his meds tomorrow?   I am trying to figure out if I need to give him a bath.  He is beginning to look like someone spilled baby oil on his head.  I was told by the vet that he would need to be bathed with either Dawn Dish Soap or Johnson's Baby Shampoo to fix this issue.

I was also told that eventually it would come off on it's own from him grooming, He uses his paws to groom his head.

Anyone have any better suggestions?  I am not sure how he would react to being bathed since he seems curious about water right now.
 

orientalslave

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He will sort himself out fairly quickly.  You could wipe with a damp cloth - a microfibre cloth for preference- to help.
 
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dejolane

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 OrientalSlave,

I just thought a cat needed a bath every now & then How can this be a nosey question ?

dejolane
 

orientalslave

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 OrientalSlave,

I just thought a cat needed a bath every now & then How can this be a nosey question ?

dejolane
OK nosy was a bad word - curious would have been better.  When people ask about bathing cats the reason behind the question is worth knowing.

I stand by my answer above - short-hair cats normally never, ever need a bath unless (maybe) they are being shown, they have something on their coat that they can't be allowed to groom off, or there is a medical need.

Some longhair cats need baths to help maintain their coat, though many don't though they all need regular combing, often every day.  The one time not to bath a LH cat is if it has tangles in it's coat - it will make them worse.
 

minka

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However, I know several people who bathe their (indoor) cats every so often to keep their own allergies under control. They claim this approach works for them.
Bathing a cat will not cut down on allergy issues. Allergies are actually caused by the cat's saliva, not the fur, so technically bathing could make it worse! :lol3:
 

catlover73

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It does not look like I will need to do anything to get rid of Apollo's medicine head.  Sonny my 3 year old has been grooming his little brother's head.  His medicine head is almost gone already. 

Apollo went on a short road trip today to go visit some of my family.  He enjoyed exploring my parent's house and took a nap on my grandma's bed while we visited her at the assisted living facility.  He got some loving from the nurses when they came to see if my grandma was ready to go have dinner.  He did good being in his carrier and spent most of the time in the car napping.
 

andied

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Bathing a cat will not cut down on allergy issues. Allergies are actually caused by the cat's saliva, not the fur, so technically bathing could make it worse!
The proteins that cause cat allergies are also found in the dander (dry skin flaking into fur) so although a cat will clean herself and get the saliva on their fur again to cause allergies, if done often enough it can at least cut down a bit on owners' allergies, and the extra brushing that I do when I clean my cat reduces the hair on my furniture and clothing, since I brush her a bit more than on other days
. I can definitely tell the difference in my allergies when I have cleaned her, but, of course, I use a specific cat shampoo for that and I don't put her in water. The stress from that would probably make her shed more.
 

minka

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The proteins that cause cat allergies are also found in the dander (dry skin flaking into fur) so although a cat will clean herself and get the saliva on their fur again to cause allergies, if done often enough it can at least cut down a bit on owners' allergies, and the extra brushing that I do when I clean my cat reduces the hair on my furniture and clothing, since I brush her a bit more than on other days :) . I can definitely tell the difference in my allergies when I have cleaned her, but, of course, I use a specific cat shampoo for that and I don't put her in water. The stress from that would probably make her shed more.:para3:
If your cat is healthy and grooming herself, there should be almost no dander whatsoever. Bathing a cat often is only going to dry out their skin and make the problem worse. You may temporarily feel better afterwards because whatever few flakes were there are gone, but it's not a good solution in the long run..
 

p3 and the king

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There's really only one real reason to bathe a cat.... They have thick and long fur that prevents them from being able to bathe themselves entirely and bathing is a neccessity to keep them from getting ringworms, etc.  Persians and other thick and long coated cats such as this need bathed.  I bathe my Persians and my Maine Coon boy, King Arthur about every six weeks or so.  No more than once month is the recommended.  It can dry out their skin.  As far as allergens, it is in their saliva, what people are allergic to, not in their skin or coat so bathing will not help. 

Before anyone who doesn't have Persians argues that this is bull... Here is the standard Persian profile... Look just above "Other Quick Facts" in the article...

http://www.vetstreet.com/cats/persian
 
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dejolane

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I didn't know starting ''The Bath your cat or not thread'' was going to get so  much attention. Some of you say not to bathe the cat. I  just want to know if you wanted your cat to look good should u do it. ?

dejolane
 

p3 and the king

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Well, it's personal preference I think with many cat owners. However, some breeds need it to stay healthy and looking good (Persians).  But, it should be said that just bathing a cat for the first time is not a good idea without expecting to get some battle scars.  It is best to start them young and get them used to this practice.  An older cat having it's first bath is going to be hostile and you will get tore up.
 
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