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 The idea of dunking your cat into the water like you would a person or a dog is outdated!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.