Why would you bathe a cat?

@mags314772,

We have had one of our cats bathed and groomed (by a professional groomer) a couple of times. One of our cats is fat and lazy. He has a hard time reaching a spot on his back.

Our other cat usually tries to clean him - probably because she cannot stand being around a fat smelly slob. But sometimes he gets upset when she is cleaning him and bites her. So once in a while he will get this clump on his back - when this happens he goes to the groomer. I would not want to bath him - although the groomer says he loves it.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

I think my cats do a great job of grooming themselves and each other. At least, as far as I can see they do.

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Here's the best way to bathe a cat that has gotten fleas, and want to get the whole shampoo thing going to....

lay out a large bath towel and squirt shampo up and down the middle, not close to one end, since a cats head will soon there, and you don't want to get soap in its widdle eyes.

Put cat on towel over, where you squirt shampoo. Flip up side by its feet so they are covered, then wrap the ends, making a cat burrito. If you do this firmly, quickly and tightly (not too tight), the cat can't squirm and you won't get scrathed.

leaving enough clothes on to perfect certain areas, get into a bath full of warm water with the burrito, and just sit there 5 minutes or so until the fleas drown.

Then start rubbing the towel around, releasing the cat in a hopefully controlled manner, and a the same time rubbing the shampoo in.

Of course now you have to rinse.

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@chai2,

<envisioning myself bathing tasmanian devil burritos while dressed in catchers gear>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SGJHkukHrM&feature=related

(pass)

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@NickFun,

I dont know.

I did not train them. They just do as I want them to , when I need them to.
This includes taking baths.
Sometimes, I will hold one of them in the shower with me. Especially on super cold mornings.
Flash Gordon loves this.
I stand in the shower with the water just coming over my shoulder and he puts his head under my chin and starts to purr. He gets warm water and so do I.

Kitten, my 10 year old, likes to take baths with me. She really does not like the shower. If I am sitting in a warm tub, she sneaks in the bathroom and gets in the water... lays on me.. and will nap if I hold still long enough.

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Well maybe if you start them out young Shewolf.

Gleaned from my morning e-mail:

Quote:

HELPFUL HOUSEHOLD HINT FOR THE DAY:

HOW TO WASH A CAT AND THE TOILET:

1. Put both lids of the toilet up
And add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.

2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close the lid. You may need to stand on the lid.

4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. (Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this. )

5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a 'power-wash' and rinse'.

6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.

7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift the lid.

8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom; And run outside where he will dry himself off.

9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

Hope you found this useful.

Sincerely,

The Dog

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Let me see.....Why would I bathe a cat under normal circumstances? Death wish!

I jsut saw the previous post..pretty funny.

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squinney and I were just talking about that...she thinks we should bathe big puss... I say hell no... he won't sit still for a brushing.... he doesn't stink....he isn't dirty...they're indoor cats so no fleas.... they are grooming weach other constantly.... let sleeping cats lie.... if I ever do bathe them they get a quarter of a valium first...

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Welllllllll.

Here's a bit about bathing cats re allergens. The site is probably good, as Wash U has creds in immunology, or at least used to.

http://www.allerpet.com/bathing/bath1.htm

I'm allergic, and I think that the office cat bathing routine I mentioned helped me keep working in that studio.
As to Dante, D & D's cat, mister handsome, I doubt any washing would do the job. But maybe. (I like the cat, actually.)

I've done little research on this lately and presume there is tons of data since I paid any attention.

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We had an outdoor cat when I was growing up, and it was incumbent on me to give her a bath every couple of months.

Wasn't any big deal for me or the cat, but nobody else wanted anything to do with it. I think it got me out of a lot of other chores.

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@patiodog,

That's it... chore release!

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@ossobuco,

Well, I was the only one who could really handle the cat anyway, and I didn't exactly come out of the bathroom and say, "Oh, this is nothing. She just let me wash and dry her and here we are."

It is entirely possible that I misrepresented the truth to my own purposes.

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Yeah.. I kinda forgot to mention that I am allergic to cats.

I bathe them to keep them clean for me. But they DO love it...

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@shewolfnm,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUo1byslzzI&feature=related

Crying or Very sad

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@mags314772,

I take it all back. Yesterday, my four month old kitten had diarrhea all over his back end. I finally resorted to trying to bathe him. It didn't last long...he exploded as soon as his feet hit the water and he scratched me from hell to breakfast. This is why you don't give a cat a bath.

1 Reply

@mags314772,

I probably would not bathe an adult cat that has never been bathed. Not me..not going to happen...even if they got skunked. However, my understanding is that you can introduce (even adult) cats to being in SOME amount of water without paying for it with your own blood. Your partially fill (say 2 inches) a tub, or basin, and allow the cat to see all is well...and keep it short.

I am oversimplifying the technique here. It's best to raise a cat ahead of time to allow bathing should there ever be a need to bathe it ..for flea infestation, etc. I personally used a commercial topical prep, Advantix, a flea product which worked. Some cats can be allergic or have bad reactions to these preps, though.

1 Reply

@Ragman,

Please don't use Advantix on cats. Use Advantage (or, better, Frontline or, even better than that, Revolution). Advantix contains permethrin, which is toxic and sometimes fatal to cats.

(I unnerstand it's prolly just a typo, but somebody out who doesn't read packages just might do it...)

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@mags314772,

That is why I paid a groomer to bath my cat. Believe me it is worth the money.

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@patiodog,

Sorry, my typing. I apologize if that error could lead to someone's confusion. It WAS Advantage!

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@Ragman,

No worries at all, rags, just a knee-jerk disclaimer. I do wish Bayer would rename Advantix, though -- I have seen it lead to unfortunate confusion. (Some peoples just isn't very bright.)

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Why would you bathe a cat?

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