I bath two of my indoor cats who DO need it, they are long haired cats and they can get poopy back ends. It also helps when they are shedding more at times, as it gets their molting done faster. You just don't want to get their heads wet, and watch for water in the ears. It is not dangerous or bad to bath a cat, but with some it is hardly worth the bother or scratches you get. Breeders show their cats and bath them all the time, so it can't be bad for them or they would not do it. People with allergies also find a monthly bath helpful for them.
My younger two cats are both very good in the tub. One took a while to be good, as I got her at five years old, but I went slow, first just getting her used to being in a dry tub, then only wetting her feet, ect until she was ok with it.
My oldest cat used to get bathed about twice a year, but as she is quite old now she gives me too much trouble to bother anymore. She just one day said NO MORE, so I respected her decision! She is a short haired cat, so not much point since she hates it now. If yours is not liking it and she is short haired and always indoors, I would just give up on full baths IMHO. I now just use a warm damp wash cloth to wipe her down periodically, and that seems sufficient. My oldest does not mind it at all, and I do it like I am petting her. Her fur seems more soft and shiny after I do it.
Answered By: meg l - 11/1/2007 |
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Cats generally hate water. However, bathing is advisable to keep kitty clean and smelling good. Do not prolong bath time unnecessarily, be quick and use warm water (not hot - you wouldn't want to scald it), quick thorough shampoo, then rinse, towel dry and blow dry. Keeping kitty dry and warm will prevent it from catching cold. Cats are generally clean and do not require frequent bathing. Good Luck !
Answered By: josienthepussycats - 11/1/2007 |
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I only bathed a cat once....never again!!!
Answered By: Anoni M - 10/31/2007 |
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I donnot
I brush her hair only
Answered By: 권보아- BoA Kwon - 10/31/2007 |
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My cat takes showers. But I don't think they really need to be washed, they clean themselves.
Answered By: ppw1024 - 10/31/2007 |
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You don't need to bathe your cat. Only if she has fleas do you actually bathe her
Answered By: Krysia K - 10/31/2007 |
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Yeah. It's a heck of a workout because I have to keep chasing him all over the bathroom LOL.
Answered By: Dominican Republican - 10/31/2007 |
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Hold em from underneath with one hand so they can't scratch you
make sure the water is warm, not hot
Answered By: kurt.biewald - 10/31/2007 |
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If you loved your cat, you wouldn't call it 'pebbles' you monster!!!!!! Give him a dignified name, like 'charles'.
Answered By: Giz - 10/31/2007 |
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We had a cat while I was growing up, and we used to always bathe her. For a while there, I think we used something from the vet's office, but then my mother heard that you can use Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo on just about any pet you own that has fur. So...that's what we used.
As for how we bathed her... as far as I can remember, she loved the water! I have a neighbor that has a cat that loves the water as well.
If I were you, I would put on rubber gloves when you are doing this. It will help with those smaller scraped and cuts that cats tend to deliver. You could also try holding her by the scruff of her neck. Not too hard...don't want to her hurt. And there's nothing wrong with what you named her. Don't listen to what other people say about the choice of name. It's cute.
Answered By: Beth - 10/31/2007 |
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Though cats in general do not like water, when I've bathed mine, I put a towel on the bottom of the tub so that they feel stable and can find purchase rather than slipping and sliding on porcelain. This seems to calm them a bit and they tolerate a bath much better.
If you feel you must bath her, make it an occassional one. Kitty's skin will begin to suffer otherwise.
Answered By: sleepingliv - 10/31/2007 |
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One of my relatives gave her cat a bath once and never again. The cat scratched her very badly!
Answered By: JC - 10/31/2007 |
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Always clip her nails/claws befor you give her a bath and start giving her baths more often or once in a while just get her wet in the tub it the only way she will get use to taking a bath or get use to being in water.
Answered By: littlefaulty - 10/31/2007 |
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I give mine a bath every month. She hates it. Nothing but the best for Mrs. Fluff!
Answered By: Mr. Mustard - 10/31/2007 |
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Trust me it is all I can do to keep myself from being angry when I hear something like this.
If your mother made you walk outside naked and you knew you were not supposed to do that would you feel angry about it?
I mean... cats know they are not supposed to be doused in water.
The only time they are supposed to is when they are in need of a flea bath.
Please stop torturing your cat.
Answered By: FawneMine - 10/31/2007 |
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Well, the shampoo spray -- is it meant for cats? If it is, it is most likely non-toxic for the cat's sake. If it says toxic on the container, then, yeah, don't use it. But I'm pretty sure that it would be safe. I don't really bathe cats. My one cat smells SO good after she licks herself. She smells good all of the time actually. I don't know how.. Anyway, good luck, I hope that you find the answer that you were searching for!
Answered By: bblueeskkinnyes - 10/31/2007 |
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Ok i have cats too and i shower them once every month.. for me its every 10th.. lol.. but yea they dont like water so they will cry, whine, or soo but later they just forget about it.. make sure u rise the shampoo off completely and do it once a month ...
and make sure u have a towl to drythem as much as you can and then they will do the rest...
oh and shower them when its hot like mid day so weekends are better if you dont work on the weekends..
ps ..dont get water in the ears..
and about her nails ...well cutting them is very controversial so i wont get in to that ...
but make sure u have her hands in a soft bur firm grip so she doesnt scratch you..
Answered By: blood4eva69 - 10/31/2007 |
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Don't bathe your cat. It's not good for her.
Cats rely on a balance of natural oils on their skin and coat to protect them from the elements. When you wash those oils off, they can become more prone to illnesses like upper respiratory infections, which can lead to pneumonia. That's why cats go crazy and lick themselves all over when their baths are finished. They're desperately trying to restore the natural oils in their skin and coats.
It's also psychologically damaging for a cat to be bathed. Their instincts are very strongly against allowing themselves to be immersed in water, so forcing them into that situation is really traumatic for them.
And cats are naturally very clean animals to begin with. They bathe themselves quite effectively. All your cat will ever need is a good brushing every now and then (more for a long-haired kitty) and maybe a weekly claw clipping if she's fond of scratching. The only time a bath is needed is if your kitty gets into something dangerous, disgusting or really smelly.
Answered By: Rachael - 10/31/2007 |
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I never gave a cat a bath until recently because my young kitten went under the car and got oil all over her.
Now I bathe her about once a month.
Eventually she'll be used to it because I started so young.
She's scared when I give her a bath but she's very good about it.
One time she got really dirty and she knew she needed a bath so she actually went to the bath tub and sat there.
But NEVER give an adult cat a bath for the first time.
That couldn't possibly go well.
Answered By: Kaela Marie - 10/31/2007 |
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There is a bathing powder you can get for cats but they normally do a great job of bathing themselves!
Answered By: Jenna - 10/31/2007 |
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I lay a towel down next to the kitchen sink and put my cat on it laying down. I pet him for awhile and get him relaxed and purring. (during this time I have the water running) If your cat doesn't even like being around running water I suggest just doing this a couple times a week to get her used to being around the water without being given a bath.
Then I put whatever body part I need washed near the sink and use the spray nozzle (warm and very very soft) to soak the area. My cat often gets infections so I need to only clean small areas of his skin. Sometimes it helps to have an extra person petting the cat and talking to it while you use both hands.
If your cat freaks out then STOP! This will only make the next bathing session just as hard. Work with your cat on getting used to running water first and sitting next to the sink while its being pet. Dont force anything. It also helps to put them on the ground when you're done, and then leave them alone. By putting them down yourself, they know that that's when you're done.
BTW, you shouldn't have to bathe your cat. Only if motor oil or such things get on their fur, even then, spot clean if you can. Any soaps will be bad for them.
Answered By: enriquelomasa - 10/31/2007 |
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My cat HATES water, so i don't i only brush her hair, but RARELY
Answered By: rhodychick - 10/31/2007 |
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Most cats do not need any help with baths. They do a very good job. If she gets dirty say she gets into mud or food, and is just plain old dirty, comb her with a wet comb and towl dry her...
Source(s):
Lifelong pet owner to over 30 cats total
Answered By: Amy K - 10/31/2007 |
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No i didn't think people bathed cats. Take it to a groomers.
Answered By: amber d - 10/31/2007 |
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Cats are generally very clean animals and do not need bathing, and they will make sure you know that! However, there may be special circumstances where it is necessary.
To answer your question.....I do not bathe my cats just brush them.
Answered By: sierra_91_2000 - 10/31/2007 |
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Forget it, just leave the cat to her own resources. Cats hate water at the best of times.
Answered By: veg_rose - 10/31/2007 |
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You don't give your cat baths unless it's infested with fleas or something. You're going to give it dry skin. But if you feel the need to bathe it, hold it by the scruff on its neck and rinse it off with water.
Answered By: Electric Dazeys - 10/31/2007 |
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I have to frequently wash my 18 year-old 3-legged cat as he gets messy sometimes in the litterbox. He hates it, but it is a necessary evil! I blow dry him (on low) so he doesn't get cold and set him next to the heat vent. I have had to gove my ohter cat a bath due to him crawling through the cold air ducting in the basement or getting into something dirty/messy. It is quite a chore and can be very painful!! There are some cats that actually like going in the water.
Answered By: sassyfrass - 10/31/2007 |
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I don't have a cat i'm allergic.
Answered By: SEXYCHOCOLATE - 10/31/2007 |
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If your kitty is small enough, hold her in one hand and soap/rinse with the other. Don't let paws touch anything she might be able to push off of, kitty will use the grip to get away.
The only cat I ever had who was ok with a bath had brain damage too, so it's normal for kitty to act like you're trying to kill her. You don't need to bathe them very often, my oldest kitty knows better than to play in the toilet water, so he doesn't get baths anymore, but the baby plays wherever she wants, so she gets bathes pretty frequently.
good luck!
Answered By: players2069 - 10/31/2007 |
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You don't need to bathe cats. The keep themselves clean. pretty much all cats hate water and so just leave them to do it themselves unless they get really dirty.
Answered By: lilutothemax - 10/31/2007 |
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Typically bathing a cat too much will dry out their skin, cause them to have dandruff, sometimes heavy shedding, they can be sensitive to the shampoo and tons of other things. I agree with some of the others. You cat shouldn't need a bath unles sit has fleas.
Answered By: Kel - 10/31/2007 |
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I show cats and they need to be bathed before every show. I've never had a cat that liked it. Since we bathe them from the time they're kittens, some will tolerate it, but most hate it. We make certain we clip their claws first and groom them well to remove loose hair. The kitchen sink is the bathtub of choice for kitty because we can use the spray to rinse and it's easier on the back. We found that we need to make sure everything is off the counter and the window shade is up.
I've also had pet cats that have never had a bath. They never stink and always look clean and well-groomed. Then again, there is always the slob cat that doesn't care how messy he gets and fat cats can't clean everywhere because they can't reach it.
You're right to not use anything that stays on the fur. Use a shampoo designed especially for cats and dilute it half with water so it will be easier to use and rinse out. When you think you have all the shampoo rinsed out, rinse again. Then afterwards you can towel the cat as dry as possible and give a couple of treats so it isn't a total loss for the cat.
While the entire bath process is taking place, be sure to talk soothingly to the cat. If you swear at the cat, it will swear back at you in it's own way, which usually includes teeth, claws and lots of yowling.
Answered By: Linda C - 10/31/2007 |
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You don't need to bathe your cat...they're naturally "clean" full of cat spit
if you bathe her, make sure you get her dried immediately so she won't get cold /sick..
Answered By: sunako - 10/31/2007 |
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