I'm Afraid To Give My Cat A Bath

Unlike my dog, my cat does not take a bath as often. My cat always tries to scratch and bite me. I know cats groom themselves everyday but I would like to bathe my cat because I would like to get rid of her fleas. She is friends with my dog and I don't want the fleas to transfer to my dog. I have been wearing gloves but my cat's reach is pretty far. Is there any way that I can at least get my cat not to panic and hurt me? I can perfectly understand why she will never like water but I would really want to get read of the fleas once and for all. Any suggestions?

The key to giving your cat a bath is to do it in a fashion that they have no idea you're giving them a bath. Seriously, it sounds impossible but this is totally doable. For instance, you could load a cat brush with a little bit of suds (NOT pure soap liquid. That will be too hard to rinse.) and brush it through your cat's fur, which they usually love! Once you're done brushing the suds through thoroughly, just take a warm, wet, damp rag and pet them with it, removing the suds. You can also try a "dry" shampoo which you can buy at a pet store. It's usually just a foam that you wipe off. It smells nice and can be antibacterial. They come in lots of scents and brands! The idea of dunking your cat into the water like you would a person or a dog is outdated! Luckily, there are now alternatives that cats enjoy. Good luck and let us know how the cat bathing goes!

Yeah, glitteringfuzz has the right idea.

The problem you're encountering (in addition to the fleas is that the cat is seeing the bath as a huge ball of stress and so are you, and you're both going into it as a conflict. If you can start your cat off slowly, and make the experience as pleasant as possible, you may be able to get the cat to learn accept bathing.

So for example, take the cat into the bathroom (or wherever the bath will happen) a few times without bathing them, so they don't immediately panic when they are in the bathing room. Give them their food in there with the water running, so they associate the sound with something good, or toss a treat in the tub so they can jump in and back out again a few times on their own and feel secure. That sort of thing.

Unfortunately with an adult cat that has already learned to hate baths this might take longer than you want to invest and honestly I am not sure if bathing is really the solution here anyway, given your specific problem.

Over the years I've come to rely on Advantage to get rid of fleas. Some people recommend other brands, but that's the only one that has worked reliably for me. It's a topical medication which you dose your pet with once a month.

It seems to me that the bath shouldn't be the issue. The issue would be the fleas. Why not skip the bath and put your cat on flea prevention?

Advantage and Frontline are great products for flea and tick prevention. Keeping your cat on one of these products will eliminate your flea problems.

There is also a product that you can purchase from your vet clinic called Capstar. It comes in pill form and when administered it will kill the fleas within 30 minutes. It will NOT prevent fleas from coming back so this is not a cure all. Capstar must be used in conjunction with a flea and tick preventative.

Also remember that when your pet has fleas it will absolutely have tapeworms. Tapeworms come from when a pet ingests a flea. That issue will have to be addressed and treated. Be sure to treat your dog for tapeworms also. All it takes is for your dog to swallow one single flea to have tapes. Deworm him to be on the safe side.

Bathing a cat is definitely not a thing of the past. If your cat is up to date on vaccinations then I would recommend a bath from a groomer. Let them handle your baby if you feel that your cat needs bathing. It is relatively inexpensive compared to the trouble that you go through attempting an in home bath.

I would definitely try other methods first, before bathing. The most effective way, in my experience, is by using Capstar to get rid of any current fleas and a flea preventative to stop them coming back. As posted above, Capstar will get rid of any fleas currently on your cat and then a flea preventative will prevent any future infestations. My favourite preventative is Frontline Plus but Advantage is good as well.

Typically I will do a three day course of Capstar (one tablet per day). My cats have flea prevention already but sometimes fleas do slip through. In your case I would recommend applying the prevention on Day 1, and giving your cat one tablet, and then giving her another tablet on Day 2 and then on Day 3. This will cover all your bases. Another thing to keep in mind is to treat all their bedding and do a good vacuum as well. Fleas can live in cat beds, etc. Washing in very hot water with a little detergent will help this.

Finally, if you absolutely do have to give your cat a bath, introduce him/her to the water slowly. Consider giving more of a "sponge bath" if possible, and wear a long, thick jumper/sweater. Your cat may never get used to water though, but the more gradual the introduction is the better.

I bathe both of my kittens on a regular basis, as many of my family members are allergic. We've found that keeping them clean helps quite a bit with their allergies. I run their bath water before I even bring them in the bathroom. Sometimes the running water can scare them. Then, I try to get through the washing as quickly as possible. I also try to dry them off pretty well, if they will let me. I've learned that if you schedule their bathtime just before their meal time it wont stress them out as much because they will learn that they're getting a treat afterwards.

Definitely getting a cat used to baths when they are kittens is the way to go. I have Persians, so not having baths are NOT an option.

There are a lot of good ideas in the post, I'd just like to add that if you are going to bathe your cat, CLIP THE NAILS FIRST! Don't put a cat in standing water, use a spray, and if you really feel your cats does need a bath (most cats don't ever really need one, they groom themselves) and you are worried, have a professional do it.

I know at least one lady actually died giving her cat a bath. The cat was not used to it, it was scared, she knocked something off the counter, the noise startled the cat, the cat jumped up onto the woman and the unclipped claws punctured her artery. So no matter what, CLIP THE NAILS FIRST.

It also might help to find someone that is used to bathing cats to help you do it. If you are nervous, the cat will sense it and be nervous too.

It really depends on the cat. I know Old man doesn't freak out too badly, I've tried putting water on him too see how he reacts and he just yowls sorrowfully at me. Little girl, oh my God, I can't even think about, because she would freak out so bad that she'd probably claw out my eyes! I once tried to set her down in the completely dry bathtub and she FREAKED. I almost had to throw her, she was wriggling and freaking out so badly! I've never even attempted to give her a bath. My step-mothers cats reaction to bath time was hilarious. He struggled a little bit, but he was mostly in a "what the heck is this, what the heck is my mother putting on me, what is this?!!" kind of state. Too bewildered to freak out, basically. I also had to teach my step-mother how to properly bathe a cat, haha.

Training the cat when their a kitten to get used to water and bath times is a really awesome thing to do. My friends mother used to bath the cat regularly as a kitten, so now that it's an adult, on the rare occasion it needs a bath, you can just plunk them into the bath tub and give them a good scrub down and all they do is stand there. She also add a cat the loved to swim in a filled bath tub, but those odd balls are rare.

In the case of fleas; you either need to use Brewers Yeast and put it on her scruff regularly (like about once a week) and put a small amount in her food or you need to go to the vet at get some of the "Revolution" flea medicine. It's also to prevent ear mites and heartworms, along with fleas.

I think that the suggestions for taking the cat to a groomer for the bath is the best idea, and the groomer can also use a flea shampoo to be sure that all of the fleas are killed.
You can also get one of the flea preventions mentioned, and start using it on the cat. Also get something for the dog; since if one of them has fleas, it is totally likely that both of them have fleas. The fleas will be in your carpets, and also in the pet's beds; so you will need to treat those areas as well. You can sprinkle some of the vacuum-up flea killer, or you can also use either borax (laundry additive) or diatomaceous earth, both of which will also kill fleas.
You can also add the Diatomaceous earth to your pet's food, and it will kill any parasites that they have, such as tapeworms. DE is harmless to people and pets, and is in fact a good source of trace minerals for them. It looks like flour, and can just be mixed in a little bit of canned pet food.