Do you bathe your cats?

Was doing a bit of reading this weekend, and I read that it is adviseable to bath your cat occassionally. I never heard of this, and thought that cats were afraid of water in that fashion. So it begs the question, what does everyone do here? Do you bathe your cats occassionally, frequently, or never at all???

I have only given Reilly 1 bath in the 4 years I've had him and that was because he pooped in the cat carrier on the way home from the vet and covered himself from head to foot

Shadow had a bath when I got her. She had been living outside.
Beau got a bath before every catshow. He stopped getting one when he retired.
Inky, Cleo and Felicia never had a bath when I had them.

Nope, unless absolutely necessary (eg. my white cats' fur is suddenly and totally muddy).

Only when they absolutely need it (like when someone with long hair has a tummy problem, he knows who he is...).

I breed and show cats. My kittens get bathed from as early as 2 months (after their first vaccinations). There is nothing wrong with bathing a cat. Indeed, it's better for the cat to get used to the idea so that when they do need a bath, sooner or later, you wont be "attacked" by a mad cat!!!

Sophie and Molly don't get bathed, but Molly loves to sit on the edge of the tub while I am taking a shower...and then jumps in the tub to watch the water drops come down the tub wall. When she finishes she walks around the house with a wet bottom!

I only gave one of my cats baths when he was a very small kitten. He was orphaned, too young for topical flea treatments, and was covered with fleas. That was a real battle because I also had to do the constant vacumming of everything to finally get rid of them. I've thought that I should've kept up the occasional baths of both of them since they were kittens just so if they ever needed one it wouldn't be WWIII but I didn't.

when I first had cats I used to bathe them all once a month(3 cats) after i added the 4th my allergies seemed to lessen(built up some immunity i guess) and then I only bathe if they truly need it(brings me back to the first two weeks i had jd and sunny...they were a few months old and caged together in the bathroom-everday they were covered in crap and food/water i was like these are the dirtiest cats-they outgrew it-THANK GOD!!! If the cat has never been bathed a "trick is to start with the water running VERY slowly...and preferably with enough water to lather them. I also used to put a harness on the harder ones and tie them to the handrail in shower

Not any more. They are brushed regularly and I occasionally wipe them down with a damp cloth then brush. They like that. It's like getting a big lick from Mama.

No, we don't bathe them - there hasn't been a need. And I value my life.

The only one that gets a regular bath is Takoda only because he loves the water. I have on occasion had to bathe the others for one reason or another but normally it's a three person ordeal.

Sho has had quite a few baths, between sneaking out when he was younger and getting into stuff to getting ringworm or icky diarrhea that he just had to step in, I've had little choice.
I don't schedule and plan baths though, leaning over the tub kills my back so I'm not eager wash him again anytime soon. The only good thing about all his baths, he's not deathly afraid of water and doesn't get upset over hearing the faucet running on full.

I haven't had a reason to attempt a bath for Tomas yet, something tells me he'll be troublesome.

I used to bathe my girls because of DH's allergies. Now I use a 'waterless' product designed to help allergy sufferers. But I actually havn't bathed them with it lately. They don't care for it either, but it's better than water baths.

Originally Posted by joanne511

No, we don't bathe them - there hasn't been a need. And I value my life.

Click to expand...

Trout would filet me

Actually, when Willie first became mentally ill, I had to bathe him sometimes, because he would cover himself in his poop(only once)/he didnt really remember how to clean himself. He hated it so much though, so I never really used any kittyshampoo. Last night I noticed that his bed was pretty dirty, and I change the blanket often, so I thought, what the heck. It was horrible and it took soooo long. I actually used the shampoo, too. I thought he might hate me for a little while, because he gave me this nasty face a little while after, but hes been fine, actually quite lovey. But yes, I do bathe him, even though now that hes somuch better, he does clean himself often, so I'm hoping I won't really have to do it again.

I have never bathed Miagi, but I bathed Tiger when we first got him because he had pee all over his butt. it took me so long to dry him.

Nope!! I have never been one to bathe my cats. But they all like to sit up on the tub and watch me, or my daughter when we are in there..lol.

I would be too afraid to bathe mine....

I have donemoine when they needed it - all of them when I first got them off hte streets and when they are ill and can't clean themselves. And recently I had to use a fungicidal shampoo on them for ringworm, which they hated because it tasted so bad and I couldn't rinse it off.

Only once have I bathed one of ours, and that was Milo after his trip up the chimney.
Before.


And after.