How does everyone bath their cat

[Bacon]

Yup, so they are not going to love the bath, but sometimes it is necessary when your cat is in need of grooming assistance due to age, illness, or just having an extraordinary amount of hair. Be prepared for the worst reaction. Have a swift gental hand to get it over with quickly, and then towel dry. For cats that dont need grooming assistance, a bath on occasion is fine, but not often as it will dry out the skin.

 

[strider rose]

Yup, so they are not going to love the bath, but sometimes it is necessary when your cat is in need of grooming assistance due to age, illness, or just having an extraordinary amount of hair. Be prepared for the worst reaction. Have a swift gental hand to get it over with quickly, and then towel dry. For cats that dont need grooming assistance, a bath on occasion is fine, but not often as it will dry out the skin.

what is wrong with your cat ? just curious

 

[posiepurrs]

As someone who has bred, shown and adored Persians for years, I have to sort of disagree with the statement that bathing will dry out the coat and skin. When we were showing, my cats were bathed once a week, sometimes twice to keep them in show condition and we NEVER had an issue with dry skin or coat. Some cats don't need help in grooming while others do. If you decide to bathe, I find it easiest to put the cat in the sink and use the sprayer, holding it against the body so there is no noise. Keep the cat facing away from you while holding at the base of the neck, with fingers on either side of the neck, hand on shoulders. I find this is the easiest way to control them.

 

[lollie]

I find it easiest to put the cat in the sink and use the sprayer, holding it against the body so there is no noise. Keep the cat facing away from you while holding at the base of the neck, with fingers on either side of the neck, hand on shoulders. I find this is the easiest way to control them.

This is exactly how I do it. I try to bath my girl once a month. It seems to really help her coat and skin, especially as she’s a high shedder. I use a fragrance free shampoo and conditioner. Fragrance free helps enormously as they don’t over groom later to remove the smell. I will use a brush after, in the wrong direction, to slightly raise the coat and let air in. You can use a heating pad with a towel over it, to dry faster as well.

 

[LokiWolf]

Well hello there. Former pet groomer and cat mom here. I have bathed cats. Lots of cats. Some great. Others not so great. Most hated the dryer more than anything.

Anyway I bathe my two cats once a month (or in Lizzy's case when needed cause she walks outside). Bellatrix has arthritis and it just helps her out. She prance around after its all done and snuggles. She has always been a good girl. Very stoic.
Now Lizzy is like Bucky. Doesn't like it and tries to get out a lot but eventually stays. But I'm slowly getting her used to it.

 

[ObeseChess]

I have never bathed Sassy and have never felt the need to. Sometimes if she's got stuff in her fur around her fancy bits I will gently pat/wipe with a warm washcloth, but otherwise she is plenty clean. Animals and humans have very different hygiene standards.

 

[misty8723]

I let them take care of it themselves.

 

[crystal dawn]

i dont give my cats a bath .... they clean themselves pretty good

Same, I use a warm cloth on them when it's nessary to clean up say a messy behind or mouth if they've been unwell but otherwise I find it unnecessary to bathe them. I do find it required to give them a good brushing daily that helps to clean off any excess dirt and remove loose hair.

If you want to bathe because the house smells, I would turn your attention to the litter box instead and make sure it's getting dumped scrubbed and fresh litter put in at least monthly. That helps with the stink that comes with having cats.

 

[Caspers Human]

How to give a bath to a cat.

Step 1: Don't.
Step 2: See Step 1.


The only times we gave Casper a bath were after he came home from the vet. He had to get an enema and his hind end was all poopy. The vet cleaned him up the best they could but, with Casper acting all aggro, they couldn't get him completely clean. We had to give him a bath or else he'd get the whole house poopy.

I took Casper into the bathroom, put him in the tub and shut the door.
I ran some tepid water into the tub, only a couple of inches deep, filled a plastic bucket with water then shut the water off.
I washed his backside with cat-safe soap, bought from the pet store. Scrubbed him well then rinsed, pouring gently from the bucket.

Put a clean towel down on the floor before letting the cat out of the tub. Don't worry. The cat will find it.
Dry the cat off with the towel. You don't have to get him completely dry unless the room is cold. If it's warm, just let him go.
So what if the cat gets the floors wet? It's only water. Right? It'll dry up.

After the cat has had his bath, just let him be alone if he wants to. It'll take him a while to calm down and dry off.

Casper hated taking a bath. He cried the whole time. I felt so sad for him but it had to be done.

It's funny, though... Even though he hated it, I think he felt better, afterward, because his a$$ wasn't all covered in crap, anymore.

I'm pretty sure he was glad to be clean again.

Bottom Line: You don't need to give a cat a bath unless they get really dirty or, like Casper, needs his hind end cleaned.

Do you know that they make special cleaning wipes for cats? They're just like the moist towelette "wet wipes" that you use for babies only specially made for cats. If you just need to give your cat a little freshening up, those might be just the thing.

You can probably find them at your local pet store.

 

[klunick]

Boone and Gracie have been bathed once and that was literally the first day I brought them home. One of them pooped in the carrier and both managed to get it all over themselves. They went straight into the tub. Used Dawn dish soap and warm water. Neither were amused and probably not the best first impression to introduce myself to them.

 

[Krienze]

I usually don't bathe mine unless they have to be bathed. Sammy's had a bath exactly twice in his lifetime. Jasper only had one bath, too and it was after he peed himself after a vet trip. The last bath I gave was actually for our kitten, Charlie, yesterday, because he was filthy from being in a mechanic shop for weeks. When I HAVE to bathe them, I run the water in a tub first because I found lowering the cat into still water usually helps calm them down as it's the sound of running water my cats hate the most x.x

And for your amusement, here is a photo of my mom holding Jasper after his first bath:

 

[ailish]

I pray every night that I never have to give Ailish a bath. She's six and so far so good. She hates water with the white hot intensity of a 1000 suns. In fact, she treats water like it has the white hot intensity of a 1000 suns. I would probably get another person to assist, wear military grade defensive gear, and nail all doors and windows shut. At the very least. And if I ever get a kitten, I will be bathing her every day so she gets used to water and baths. If you can drag a medium sized snake around in your mouth you can get a bath in two inches of water.

 

[Purr-fect]

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

You make it sound so pleasant and peaceful I almost want to give it a try. It would be amazing to wash these long haired monsters.

Maybe for now I could just drop greg or arnold in the tub while my partner is enjoying a soak in the tub with her neck cushion, epsom salts and classical music. LOL..

 

[Purr-fect]

Well hello there. Former pet groomer and cat mom here. I have bathed cats. Lots of cats. Some great. Others not so great. Most hated the dryer more than anything.

Anyway I bathe my two cats once a month (or in Lizzy's case when needed cause she walks outside). Bellatrix has arthritis and it just helps her out. She prance around after its all done and snuggles. She has always been a good girl. Very stoic.
Now Lizzy is like Bucky. Doesn't like it and tries to get out a lot but eventually stays. But I'm slowly getting her used to it.

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Wow nice work!!! I wish I could do that with my cats.