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Give a bath to a cat - Laura - 07-25-2012
Hello,
So my question is simple do you bath your cat? My friend says she does, I have eprsonally never washed a cat, I don't think they would like it too much and they never smelled really bad (unless I am less than a meter away when the yawn
)So is it good or bad to bathe a cat?
Do you do it yourself?
Thanks
RE: Give a bath to a cat - Fishbone - 07-25-2012
Is certainly not necessary on a regular basis, in the same way as a dog. But I do occasionally. Older cats more often. Also if it's a longer haired breed. Most cats are actually somewhat tolerant of it, if they know you are going to be quick & efficient. And most cats seem to be happier afterwards in my opinion. None of my cats go outside, so I would say the most often we bathe anyone is one a year. And that's mostly my 14 year old maine coon. She can't quite clean all of the longer fur in some places as well as she used to.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - ACSAPA - 07-25-2012
I have never given a bath to my cat Dolores. As I've mentioned before, she's a grouch, so it probably wouldn't go well. She's a short haired tabby and she just smells like warm fur to me, not anything bad. I think if she had longer hair it would probably be necessary.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - Victor Leigh - 07-25-2012
Yes, I have bathed my cats, especially the Persians. Actually Persians are very easy to bath because they have been conditioned to take baths. Even with stray cats which I bring home, it isn't really that difficult to give them a bath. Just have a thick towel around the hand holding the cat to prevent scratches. Also, remember not to put water on the head.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - s120450 - 07-26-2012
I've never really had a need to give my cat a bath. Cats clean themselves (which is why they have such smelly breath). It isn't a bad thing to do, but it isn't completely neccesary. In the end you need to do whatever you feel is right.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - laurasav - 07-26-2012
We've owned six cats so far and only three were ever bathed by us, just once in their lives, each. The first was our first new kitten that my husband brought home as an anniversary surprise for me. There were fleas literally jumping off of him! So he got a flea bath pronto! The second was another kitten that slipped out of our condo unnoticed by us. When we got home, she was sitting on the doorstep, completely filthy. I was flabbergasted to see her there as we've never allowed our cats outside. Sneaky little bugger! We were lucky she didn't get smashed on the road as our home was on a busy main road! The third cat we had to bathe was a stray we took in. He got a flea bath - just in case!
Those were our first three cats. The current three cats we now have have never had to be bathed. They're also all short hair breeds.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - dashboardc33 - 07-26-2012
Most cats do not like bathing in water. However, there are some cats that do. I suppose if a cat likes water, then I would bathe them. If I just picked up an outside cat and planned to take it in, then I would definitely bathe it, no matter how much the cat would hate me
What is the best shampoo for cats? - diane21 - 07-26-2012
I am thinking about grooming my cat from my self I enjoy the time that I expend with our pets. It's really fun and saves a lot of money also. I'd like to groom her weekly bases….
But what is the best shampoo should I used?
RE: What is the best shampoo for cats? - Victor Leigh - 07-26-2012
(07-26-2012, 05:59 PM)diane21 Wrote: I am thinking about grooming my cat from my self I enjoy the time that I expend with our pets. It's really fun and saves a lot of money also. I'd like to groom her weekly bases….
But what is the best shampoo should I used?
Just go down to the pet store. There are all kinds of shampoo available. There are even such things as dry shampoo if you don't want to get wet.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - ronnie41647 - 08-11-2012
I bath my cat when she is shedding really bad. Her pretty white hair looks much better on her than EVERYWHERE else. I think the bathing, drying combing process helps tame the shed by getting ride of loose hair. She doesnt really like it but she tolerates it. She is a very easy going cat.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - ohiotom76 - 08-15-2012
I wouldn't even attempt it with our cats, I'd need stitches from head to toe if I did. We're relatively new to owning cats, but I always heard they don't need baths because they clean themselves. I thought they just needed combed if they had long hair. Does anyone know if they make some kind of cleaning spray for cats that you could just comb through to freshen them up?
RE: Give a bath to a cat - Nakhash - 08-21-2012
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.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - footballtim - 08-27-2012
Many cats would hate a bath. But some may not mind it. Some cats actually like water. I have a young Bengal names Phoebe. Every time I take a shower, when I leave, she gets into the bathtub and walks around to get her paws wet. Then I run some more water so she can watch the drain as it goes down.
I have never had a problem with the smell of my cats. The older one sheds a lot, and we just simply brush her. The Bengal spends so much time cleaning herself that the last thing she needs is for me to bathe her. Besides, she gets into the bath tub and has her own fun every time I am finished taking a shower.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - Victor Leigh - 08-27-2012
(08-15-2012, 06:19 AM)ohiotom76 Wrote: I wouldn't even attempt it with our cats, I'd need stitches from head to toe if I did. We're relatively new to owning cats, but I always heard they don't need baths because they clean themselves. I thought they just needed combed if they had long hair. Does anyone know if they make some kind of cleaning spray for cats that you could just comb through to freshen them up?
You can use a dry shampoo. It's like a powder. You dust the cat with the dry shampoo, then comb it off. The hair will be clean and smell good after that. If your cat has long hair, try to comb it daily. That will reduce the chances of matting. If the hair becomes matted badly, then you have no choice but to give your cat a haircut. Some cats hate a haircut more than a bath.
![[Image: D8Mtk.jpg?1]](http://i.imgur.com/D8Mtk.jpg?1)
RE: Give a bath to a cat - JustJenne - 08-31-2012
I have had many cats over the years and personally have only given a few of them baths- and only a few times! The only reason I did was because they were flea baths and thought they would be beneficial. One of my cats at the time I did not even attempt because he is so strong. It was very difficult and unpleasant. I felt bad after so I made sure when drying them with a towel to give them a good little massage. I don't think baths are necessary. Like you said, they usually don't smell and the clean themselves. Sometimes if they come in muddy or wet I'll towel them down.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - CinnamonBear - 09-02-2012
Both our Manx and our Bengal are entirely indoor cats, and only go outside when they get a stroller ride at night.
They also groom themselves constantly; almost excessively, it seems. However, I've read that this is common for both of these breeds.
I think it depends on whether your cat is outside a lot. An outdoor cat would probably require a bath from time to time, even if it's a good self-groomer!
RE: Give a bath to a cat - ReneLeBeau - 05-29-2013
Both of my cats are indoor cats, and I've never given them a bath. Cats bathe themselves, and giving them regular baths is not only unnecessary, but can be harmful if you're using shampoo. Only reasons I can imagine for giving a cat a bath is in case of a flea bath, or if she got her fur dirty with something she can't clean herself. Regular brushing should be enough even for long-haired cats, but there is no way to completely stop the cat from shedding, bathing shouldn't be a solution. I think that both the quality and the smell of the hair are determined mostly by the food, so if your cat "stinks" you should probably change what she eats. If the cat likes water, of course, I would let her play in it.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - maelstrom - 06-03-2013
The only time I gave my cat a bath was when I was about 6 or 7 and a moron, and decided shooting them with Lysol and Windex was super fun! Luckily, they were okay. Both of my cats were short-hair, and the living one is still perfectly capable of reaching all her bits and cleaning them. I personally don't see any reason to give them baths unless they got chemicals on them or a bunch of gunk left in their fur, they have those tongues for a reason! But if there's any actual reason, please let me know. I try to make sure my cats cared for and healthy, and hygienic.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - belgianwriter - 07-09-2013
I never have given my cats a bath. They seem to be naturally clean animals to me. They always seem to be washing themselves. Of course a long haired animal needs more care than a shorthair. If you do want to keep your cat clean, I would recommend grooming!
RE: Give a bath to a cat - Jezebella - 07-10-2013
I had to give Prim a bath last week. She smelled like she'd peed on her legs a bit. She didn't seem to mind that much. She wasn't happy, but I just started it as a bubble bath so I didn't have to soap her. I just put her in and rinsed her off. She smells much better now, and since it wasn't that bad I might bathe her occasionally. Oddly, when I take a bath she likes to jump in with me. She just appears to only like to get her legs and belly wet, but not her back.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - bstahr - 08-15-2013
My old cat was a Persian, and we'd bathe him fairly often. His fur would get matted or dirty from his food and water pretty easily, especially because he had a snow-white coat. He didn't mind the bath, but afterward he would run and hide and try to dry himself off. He was not too keen about being towel-dried. After the bath, he did enjoy lying in the sun, so we'd take him outside — in a clean, dry area, of course — and let him air dry that way.
My current kitty is a tabby, and she cleans herself several times a day. Her fur is very soft and clean, so I never felt the need to give her a bath. If she goes outside and gets dirty or her paws get muddy, then I probably will. I suppose it depends on the cat's breed and what kinds of things he or she gets into.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - Coricopat - 08-15-2013
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.
I'll definitely have to try the baking soda tip!
RE: Give a bath to a cat - ohiotom76 - 08-27-2013
Our black cat, who is really overweight, seems to be having some trouble grooming herself because of it. The back of her fur is pretty greasy when we pet her. I've been thinking about trying to give her a bath, but she will probably not be too keen to that.
There is a video on Youtube of some cat washing machine. It's basically like a dishwasher for cats. You put the cat in and press a button and it starts spraying from all angles. The cat in the demo video did not look happy at all though when it was running.
RE: Give a bath to a cat - Delle LeClair - 09-03-2013
I've always wondered about this too. I've had a lot of cats in my lifetime and some presently. I have given some of them a bath when they were kittens, but only at that time, because at one point or another they had gotten into something and needed one. As they got older however, I was never able to get some of my cats even near water. They hated it! Others were curious and would walk on the side of the tub, but never go in it. The sound alone would scare most of them. Do they like it? Can we get them to like it somehow? Do they need it since they often bathe themselves? (Unless of course they had something spilled on them). I've also heard it's not good to ever get water in a cat's ears. It would be good to make them smell pretty and be all fluffy after a bath, but does anyone know any ways to get them to actually like the water? Any tips?
RE: Give a bath to a cat - ohiotom76 - 09-09-2013
I tried to wipe some grease/tar off of my one cat the other day and she let me have it good and swatted my hand, claws out and all, and left some pretty deep cuts. I don't know what she got into but she must have rubbed up against something in our garage and had a big brown streak of grease on her. Of our two cats, she's definitely the bitchier one, lol, and does not like to be handled much. I should have known she was going to do that because she was watching me with this crabby look on her face while I was trying to clean it off with a damp towel. I just didn't want her trying to lick it off herself and possibly get sick.