How does everyone bath their cat

NightOwl1980

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Hello if this was already posted I do apologize I'm just kinda desperate lol anyway I have a sweet girl named Bunny except when it's time for a bath she will not stay still and scratches her way down , but how does everyone bathe their cat ? My dad poor thing says cats don't need bathes but that can't be right spit isn't that clean . Any tips on how to bathe my sweet girl without getting scratches all over me!?!? Thanks in advance!
 

Katie M

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I have bathed a cat exactly once. Charlie had gotten ash all over himself, and I didn't want him ingesting it. I had no pet shampoo, so I just used water.

Really, as long as they don't have something potentially dangerous on their fur, spit is good enough.
 

vince

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I generally don't bathe mine. I apply the rule that they can stink for one day only. If they stink for two days, they get the bath. Haven't had to bathe the three cats I have now but twice, and one of them was because she was an abandoned feral kitten and had fleas (I can't remember which of the others had to have a bath). They all smell fine.

I wouldn't want to bathe them anyway. I still have the shirt that I wore the last time I gave a cat a bath. It's all torn to rags. All it's good for now is a "paint shirt."
 

Maria Bayote

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The only times I bathe any of my cats is whenever poop accidentally sticks to their fur. But generally, I do not bathe them too. Otherwise, if I need to see a flying kungfu cat all over the bathroom, I will have to wash them more often (except Barley who is a well behaved cat even during bath time).
 

maggie101

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I bathed my cat when she was a kitten because she pooped in the carrier while I brought her back from her first vet vist. Only time. She is now 6. My 3 cats take care of themselves. If your cat Is a kitten start getting her used to your hands by massaging her paws. It will make it easier to trim them. Same with brushing. Cats are the cleanest animals
 

JamieLuvLeapy’sStaff

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Hello if this was already posted I do apologize I'm just kinda desperate lol anyway I have a sweet girl named Bunny except when it's time for a bath she will not stay still and scratches her way down , but how does everyone bathe their cat ? My dad poor thing says cats don't need bathes but that can't be right spit isn't that clean . Any tips on how to bathe my sweet girl without getting scratches all over me!?!? Thanks in advance!
I started bathing my feisty fat 15 year old (now 18.5) named Leapy when her arthritis made licking her butt too hard. She had never been bathed. I feel my approach worked great. Now she gets a weekly bath. Start by putting on thick sweatpants and sweatshirt. Your cat will want to hold on. Fill the bath just a few inches with very warm water. Cats body temp is higher than ours, so if it feels good to you, it’s too cold for them. Cats tend to freak out from the faucet until they get used to it. Fill up as many water bottles and pitchers of HOT water as you can. They will cool quickly and by the time you use them, and you want it to be warm. Having an extra person to fill more water is ideal if possible.
Shampoo/conditioner in one is a good plan to minimize the experience, but I would not skimp out on the conditioner if you can’t find it. The cat comes out WAY softer.
Hold your cat. I put on soft music, lower the lights. Make it like a spa. Makes you both more relaxed.
Hold your cat, and start explaining that you will be taking a bath together. Sit down.
Don’t force the cat in the water. Just let them deal with being wet.
Start by pouring the water on your wrist. If it’s warm but not too hot, slowly start pouring it on your cat. Start with paws, where she can see what is happening.
NEVER face, ears. (Chin ok to prevent acne.)
Lather, rinse, rinse, rinse. Keep the cat always in your lap. Not surprising, the butt is not their favorite place to be cleaned. I often make sure my girls butt is soaking in the water, to loosen crusties.
Fun times.
Have several towels ready for drying. Make sure the door is shut, because if they bolt your house is SO wet.
If possible get the other person to dry while you peel your wet clothes off and leave them in the tub long enough to get the cat dry, then you will want a shower. Have a bucket or bag for wet clothes.
After a few rounds of this, they will get used to it, and you can just bathe them while you are out of the tub. I cannot suggest enough getting a small foldable stool to sit on, otherwise it’s really uncomfortable. Eventually you can work up to the faucet. I have an adjustable shower head with a hose.
More than once a week is too much. Monthly is good. Feed fish oil to help replenish coat oils lost to water.
Blessed Be
 

tuffsmom

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Tuff is 5 yrs old and I have never bathed him. He tends to his own bathing several times a day and his black coat literally shines.
 

Jem

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I don't bath my cats. Well, I've had to a couple of times when they got into something that I didn't want all over the house, or when my elder kitty soiled himself near the end of his life, but they usually do a bang up job on their own. Unless they are overweight and can't reach certain places.
 

Bacon

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I bathe my cats at least once a year in the spring, it really helps with dander and shedding fur. Showers work the best. It’s going to sound scary, but just get in there with them. i would definitely wear some gloves at first, to gauge how they react, but all four of mine calmed fairly quickly. I don’t know why they all try to run from baths, maybe it’s the rising water, or the thick stream of water, and maybe showers are more like being stuck outside in the rain, I don’t know, but that works for me.
 

livismom1

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I've never bathed a cat on purpose. But I have had cats in the past that liked water. Dinky would sit on me while I was taking a bath. Casey would sit on the edge of the tub and put his front legs in and play until he would fall in, run, and hide until dry. And his sister Chloe who would swim in the bath tub.
 

Juniper_Junebug

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I had to bathe my kitty this past week, when she made a mess of a trip to the bathroom (the same morning I found out she had giardia). I used the walk-in shower and a pitcher, because there's no way she'd stay in a tub. I suggest wearing thick gloves and layers of clothing. My kitty was so apoplectic about getting wet that she climbed my entire body in a panic and tried to hide out on my shoulder. I had a jacket on, so my upper body was fine, but I was only wearing running tights below and got a long scratch up my thigh.

I cannot imagine trying to bathe her on a regular basis. Hard pass.
 

BellaGooch

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I've never bathed any of my cats before. Once I used a soap designed for cats thst you rub through the fur, it comes, and you wipe it off, but it didn't seem to do anything. My cats keep themselves pretty clean, with the exception of the times they roll in dirt :lol2:
 

Talien

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The only time a Cat would need to be bathed is if they get something on their fur that they shouldn't ingest, otherwise they keep themselves clean. It's actually a bad idea to bathe them too much because it dries out their skin, and getting water in their ears is generally bad.

Some people with Cats that have very long hair will bathe them when the hair gets tangled or knotted rather than getting the hair trimmed, but that's a different matter.
 

CatladyJan

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I only bathed one of my cats a couple of times as she was ill and her hair was greasy. She was very docile and I put a towel in the sink, laid her on it and bathed her with very gentle shampoo.
 

waddle

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I can’t imagine why would anyone try to give their cat a bath for no reason. They clean themselves quite well. Here is my poor Jack after the one and only bath a cat of mine has ever had. He peed in the carrier on the way to the vet, as he was ill and I’m sure terrified on the long ride to see a specialist. Look how sad he looks.
 

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