Do you bathe your cat(s)?

kuntrykitty

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[font= "Comic Sans MS"]Have been wanting to ask this and it keeps slipping my mind...

Do you bathe your cat(s)?
If so, how often?
What do you bathe them in?
Do you use shampoo?
If so, what kind?
How does your cat respond to the bath?


I want to bathe Zoey so that she will be comfortable with it in case she ever needs to be bathed due to medical reasons. I bathe her about once every four weeks, as I understand that her coat will become dry if I bathe her too often, and as she is small (3 months) I bathe her in the bathroom sink. The first time, it was just water. Today was the second time, and I used a high-quality shampoo we have, just on her back, tummy, and chest. I made sure and rinsed really well. Next time we're in town, I have a $1.00 coupon for Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo, and will pick that up. She seems to respond really well to her baths; well, the first was excellent. She was really still and didn't cry once or try to get out or anything! The one we had this morning... was a little rough. But what can I say, she's a cat! She cried once or twice, hissed a few times at the faucet, and scratched and struggled quite a bit for the first few minutes. Then she was pretty good except for a couple of attempted escapes. But now her coat is very, very soft and she smells really nice!


I was just curious about bathing cats...
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cococat

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Originally Posted by KuntryKitty

[font= "Comic Sans MS"]
Do you bathe your cat(s)?
If so, how often?
What do you bathe them in?
Do you use shampoo?
If so, what kind?
How does your cat respond to the bath?


[/font]
Do you bathe your cat(s)? Yes
If so, how often? Every week
What do you bathe them in? Bathtub
Do you use shampoo? Yes
If so, what kind? A Cat/Dog Shampoo called Nova Pearls
How does your cat respond? Doesn't mind it at all, we also clean ears and clip nails at that time
 

buzbyjlc10

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Oliver gets bathed once a month.... when I had my apartment I did it in the tub with the removable shower head (he doesnt like when the tub starts to fill up), at my parents' we have a washtub thing (utility sink) in the basement where the animals get bathed... I use one of those hose attachment things on the faucet and oatmeal pet shampoo (I harness and attach his leash to the tub just to prevent soapy escapes)... he gets soaped and rinsed real good then wrapped up in towels and I hold him like a baby in the chair til he's ready to get out.... I clean his ears and teeth while I'm holding him.... he just got his monthly bath 2 days ago so he's all soft and fluffy! He usually cries a few times (especially when I hafta clean the boy parts!) but it's all just a pathetic act, haha.... once he's wet, he gives up, lol
 
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kuntrykitty

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[font= "Comic Sans MS"]I forgot to add that we put a towel in the dryer while Zoey is getting her bath and when she gets out it's nice and very warm for her! I dry her off gently with it while she grooms herself and then she tears off like a mad cat and acts so mistreated. Once she is over ther "traumautization" she curls up with me and takes a nap.
During that nap, when she is calm, I clean out her ears.

A quick question... how do you clean a cat's teeth? Please elaborate![/font]
 

cococat

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Originally Posted by KuntryKitty

[font= "Comic Sans MS"]I forgot to add that we put a towel in the dryer while Zoey is getting her bath and when she gets out it's nice and very warm for her!

A quick question... how do you clean a cat's teeth? Please elaborate![/font]
Mine gets a warmed towel too!! Helps with claw clipping.

I give mine real meat every once in awhile to help clean teeth and exercise her mouth and gums at the suggestion of a vet.
 

emmylou

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I've never bathed a cat. It's unnecessary and it's traumatic for them... cats spend a large portion of their day cleaning themselves and their saliva has deodorant properties (because they are solitary hunters, they're biologically adapted to have no scent so they can sneak up on prey).

The cat is scratching and biting you for a reason.

I'm afraid I don't understand repeatedly subjecting a cat to bathing, because of some hypothetical idea that he might have to be bathed for a medical procedure. My cat has had some serious procedures, and he never had to be bathed either by me or by the vets. In fact, if your cat has any kind of procedure that involves stitches, wounds or even an IV insertion, you *can't* get those wounds wet.

What medical procedure were you imagining he'd have to be cleaned for? In the unlikely event that he needed to be cleaned up before a medical procedure, the vet technicians would do that.
 

rugthugs

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Do you bathe your cat(s)? yep
If so, how often? Every kitten gets one once a week, the big cats ... not so much...
What do you bathe them in? the sink. warm water, sometimes the tub. quite often right after the babies get their bath.
Do you use shampoo? yes
If so, what kind? Rx CholorhexiDerm
How does your cat respond to the bath? They absolutely adore their baths!
Ha-I'm lying. They would like to get away from me and my washcloth, naturally. Not bad though-it's all in how you handle the first approaches to the bathing environment I think.
 

goldenkitty45

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Do you bathe your cat(s)? Yes

If so, how often? Charlie gets bathed before showing or once a month. Ling gets a few baths a year, just because.

What do you bathe them in? Bathtub

Do you use shampoo?Special pet shampoo (recommended by Charlie's breeder) or Pantane/Nexxus for Ling

How does your cat respond to the bath? Charlie's first bath you could hear him in Canada! Now he's fine with it. He talks more after the bath when I'm taking him out of the tub - maybe he wants to stay in and play?



Personnally I would not used Baby Shampoo on a regular basis for washing. I'd get the better quality shampoos and use conditioner. The coat will not dry out if you use some conditioner after washing - then let it on there for a min or 2 before rinsing out.

And since Zoey is a pointed cat (white body coat) I HIGHLY recommend you get Nexxus Simply Silver (its purple shampoo) - I used it on my white rexes all the time - makes and keeps the coat whiter
 

rugthugs

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For those of you never planning to exhibit your cat and never exhibiting ny signs of allergies to its dander, heck yeah, no reason to bother bathing.

But for the many of us who take a claritin every day, and for those of those who want to present our beasts to strange men and women for prodding and poking and pulling, a regualr bath is super! And emmy-if you ever have the right bengal-baths may no longer be optional!
 
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kuntrykitty

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[font= "Comic Sans MS"]emmylou: I cannot really answer that, but I have heard of situations where the cat had to be bathed due to a skin irritation of some sort. She is biting and scratching because it is something she is not used to; all animals resist uncomfortable situations. It's like training a cat to a crate; they probably scratch you as you try to put them in there and then complain for hours once in there. But what if you had to travel with the cat? It's just an uncomfortable situation she will get used to.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinions.[/font]
 
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kuntrykitty

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[font= "Comic Sans MS"]GoldenKitty: where can I find this Nexxus Simply Silver?[/font]
 

goldenkitty45

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Most salons sell Nexxus products (that's where I picked it up) but you should be able to order it from their website. Think its about $8-10 for a bottle.
 

emmylou

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Originally Posted by KuntryKitty

[font= "Comic Sans MS"]emmylou: I cannot really answer that, but I have heard of situations where the cat had to be bathed due to a skin irritation of some sort. She is biting and scratching because it is something she is not used to; all animals resist uncomfortable situations. It's like training a cat to a crate; they probably scratch you as you try to put them in there and then complain for hours once in there. But what if you had to travel with the cat? It's just an uncomfortable situation she will get used to.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinions.[/font]
Oh, certainly. But when you're training a cat to get used to being caged, it's because you plan to put the cat in a cage.

There's no reason to think that this cat will have a skin irritation and need to be washed. In fact, it's actually more likely that the cat will develop a skin irritation because of bathing, since you're interfering with the natural state of the cat's skin and coat and introducing foreign substances and products (no matter how benign they're supposed to be).

It sounds like it's not really for a medical reason, but rather you're bathing the cat just because you want to bathe the cat. I understand why people do it for show cats or because they have allergies. But it seems like aside from these reasons, people bathe cats because they're more used to dogs and are thinking of cats like dogs.
 

goldenkitty45

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There is no reason NOT to wash a cat. I've always given my cats baths whether they were shown or not. Only one that had to be treated differently was Mitten cause he was terrified of water.

If you wash them from time they are kittens, you won't have problems later. Spooky was a show cat - got washed once/twice a month (depending on how many shows). After he retired, I STILL continued to give him baths a few times a year.

He was 15 1/2 yrs old when he died last October. And I had to give him baths every other week for the last few months - why? Because he could no longer really keep himself clean and his coat was messy looking and greasy.

I don't see why you object to washing cats. It doesn't hurt them and actually can do them more good. Keeps fur cleaner then them doing it themselves.
 

cococat

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Originally Posted by emmylou

It's unnecessary and it's traumatic for them... .
My cat is never and has never been traumatized by the bath. She doesn't care. I have never been clawed and she does NOT bite. Same goes with friends that wash their cats that are the same breed as mine. And it is necessary since the breed of cat is a Sphynx. Read up about the breed if you are not familiar with them.

On another note many show people wash their cats, their cats have to have nice coats to be shown and be in good condition, it doesn't harm them.
 

jenny1124

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Do you bathe your cat(s)? Yes
If so, how often? About once a month
What do you bathe them in? The tub with detached shower head
Do you use shampoo? yes
If so, what kind? I use Johnson & Johnson Extra Moisturizing Baby Shampoo, but I want to get a silver shampoo for her too because her fur gets icky easily

How does your cat respond to the bath? At first she clawed a lot, now she never does, but squirms. She stays quiet during as well. I bathe her even if she is really clean so that she knows the routine.

I bathe her because it gets a lot of the loose fur off of her and it makes her so very soft. It's just part of the grooming routine I do, along with ear cleaning, claw clipping and brushing. She is never itchy, I use a very mild shampoo.
 

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When I have a kitten (or foster kitten), I bathe them weekly to get them used to it... so they'll grow up being fine with it. The ones that I get as an adult sometimes do get extremely stressed out by it, because they have no clue what's going on... so for those I bathe when only absolutely necessary.
 

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Originally Posted by emmylou

Oh, certainly. But when you're training a cat to get used to being caged, it's because you plan to put the cat in a cage.

There's no reason to think that this cat will have a skin irritation and need to be washed. In fact, it's actually more likely that the cat will develop a skin irritation because of bathing, since you're interfering with the natural state of the cat's skin and coat and introducing foreign substances and products (no matter how benign they're supposed to be).

It sounds like it's not really for a medical reason, but rather you're bathing the cat just because you want to bathe the cat. I understand why people do it for show cats or because they have allergies. But it seems like aside from these reasons, people bathe cats because they're more used to dogs and are thinking of cats like dogs.
Emmylou.
Your cats must stink.


Obviously you have never had a longhair with diarrhea who decides to wipe it on the carpet instead... and at the advice we got from a vet (it was quite similar to yours), we "let her clean it off herself." Oh yes, that worked. Then it just got encrusted. No amount of wiping gently with paper towels/washcloths, worked, all she did was SCREAM, so into the bath she went, and boy was she happy to see her clean little pink tushie again.

Or perhaps you have never had a cat that didn't wash himself for over two years. He's not an indoor-outdoor, but he got grimy and smelly very quickly, and he was actually so disgusting after a month or so that it made my skin crawl just to pet the poor guy. Even the OTHER cats gave him funny looks after licking him.

And dare I even begin on cats that have LOTS of fur... or have gotten into skunk spray, oil, antifreeze, the stew pot, etc. No, I won't. You can imagine.

Do you bathe your cat(s)? Yes.

If so, how often? Whenever it's needed. If they stink or are dirty, they get a bath.

What do you bathe them in? The sink. Hold kitty gently and use the jet to clean them all over.

Do you use shampoo? Um.. of course. What would be the point, otherwise? I could douse them with a squirt bottle or let them play in the water dish.

How does your cat respond to the bath? Tom gives me pathetic looks and holds still. Chili still screams as though I am tormenting her. Emma holds still as well when I bathe her in the sink.
 

missymotus

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Do you bathe your cat(s)? Yes
If so, how often? Before a show, which is around every 2 weeks
What do you bathe them in? Laundry trough with shower hose attachment. I find that easier than bending over the bath.
Do you use shampoo? Yes
If so, what kind? Bio-Groom Purrfect White or Silky Cat
How does your cat respond to the bath? He likes it, especially when I put the hose on his tummy
 
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