How Hot Should The Water Be?

[YukarisCats]

Good evening/day/Whatever time it is for you!

I went to the vet just a little time ago to hear that my cat got mites and suggested me to bathe him regularly. But i don't know how hot the water should be! Is lukewarm okay or does it have to be cooler/hotter?

I'm thankful for every reply!

 

[GoldyCat]

I use a temperature that is comfortable for me, usually on the high side. Cats' normal body temperature is higher than ours so I don't like to cool them off too much.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! This article doesn't state a specific temperature...
How To Safely Bathe A Cat: The Complete Guide

 

[GoldyCat]

Hi! This article doesn't state a specific temperature...
How To Safely Bathe A Cat: The Complete Guide

Thanks for pointing that out. We'll take a look at it.

 

[YukarisCats]

I use a temperature that is comfortable for me, usually on the high side. Cats' normal body temperature is higher than ours so I don't like to cool them off too much.

Around how much degrees is that?

 

[maggiedemi]

Hi. Why did the vet want you to bathe your cat instead of giving medicine for the mites? That seems like it would be easier and quicker.

 

[Anne]

Hi! This article doesn't state a specific temperature...
How To Safely Bathe A Cat: The Complete Guide

Thanks for the feedback! The article mentioned using the cat's body temperature. I now added a sentence which says that that actually is: Around 101.5

 

[di and bob]

I don't see how bathing would get rid of mites at all. There are a couple of topical medications that you put high up on the back of a cat's neck (almost between the ears, you DON"T want them able to lick it!) like Revolution and Advantage Multi are very good and only have to be applied once. They are a little pricey but well worth it.

 

[maggiedemi]

Frontline Plus works for mites too, at least it did on my cats.

 

[Caspers Human]

The thing about bathing a cat or a dog is that, once they are wet, they can lose body heat pretty quickly.

The water temperature should be about the same that you would wash your hands with; maybe a little warmer but not too hot.

But the AIR temperature is more important. Because the animal's wet fur doesn't hold in the heat like it does when dry, you need to have the room temperature fairly warm until the cat or dog is almost completely dry.

Give the animal plenty of room to shake off the water. (Dogs shake more but cats can do it too.) Put some towels down on the floor and let them roll around on them if they want. They'll sometimes rub their head on the floor to get the water out of their face and ears.

Use plenty of towels and do your best to dry the cat or dog off as much as you can.

If they will tolerate it, you can use a blow dryer on the warm (NOT HOT!) setting.

So many people concentrate on the "bath" part of bathing an animal that they forget about the "drying off" part but drying is at least as important as the bathing part.

 

[YukarisCats]

Hi. Why did the vet want you to bathe your cat instead of giving medicine for the mites? That seems like it would be easier and quicker.

We already tried it with different medications, yet with no success. He gave us some fancy shampoo for mites in hope this would work..

 

[sabrinah]

By "mites" do you mean ear mites (within the ear) or do you mean mange (covering the body)? If you were given a "shampoo for mites" that makes me think it's mange.

 

[YukarisCats]

By "mites" do you mean ear mites (within the ear) or do you mean mange (covering the body)? If you were given a "shampoo for mites" that makes me think it's mange.

The doc checked for ear mites, gladly negative. What bugged him were the weird black and mostly open wet spots on some parts of his skin that makes him think it's mange (was my first wild guess too).

 

[Furballsmom]

How are things going now?