Some years back, I had to bathe two teenage cats regularly for a couple of weeks with a special shampoo from the vet. They had developed some sort of skin condition, but I forget what it was. Luckily, it cleared up quickly, but the bathing was murder. Just the memory of it makes me shudder
I've never found any of my cats to need bathing. They don't smell, since they never go outdoors, and they're also flea-free. A friend of mine bathes his cat regularly to deal with fleas, since he's worried about giving him a topical treatment like Advantage. I don't know how he can do it, but I understand that his cat is mostly tolerant of the bath.
My thirteen-year-old long-haired cat does get a bit scruffy looking sometimes. I wet a comb and pass it over her hair instead of bathing her. It straightens it out and cleans out the oils with minimal discomfort.
(08-21-2012, 01:13 PM)Nakhash Wrote: I've never bathed my cat but she's getting older (16 years) and is having trouble keeping herself as clean as she used to. Cuts down on hairballs but she's a bit smelly now. Not great since she sleeps with me above my head. I comb her daily and find that sprinkling a little baking soda, kind of massaging it into her fur and combing it out helps some with the smell. I don't think anything will help the cat food breath, though.
