Bathing a cat?

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

He's washed in the tub and I have the hand held shower head to rinse him off which he loves. So do I have a bucket of warm water with the vinegar in it and dip a cup in it and pour it over his coat? Should that be followed with additional water rinse?

Click to expand...

I use a cup, a splash of vinegar topped up with warm water. Pour it on then continue rinsing with the shower hose.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Hmmm I might try the vinegar with Charlie but not sure how to rinse him with it.

He's washed in the tub and I have the hand held shower head to rinse him off which he loves. So do I have a bucket of warm water with the vinegar in it and dip a cup in it and pour it over his coat? Should that be followed with additional water rinse?

Click to expand...

Yes, get one of those rubbermaid tubs or just use a bucket and prepare your vinegar rinse just before bathing him and use a cup or small pitcher to pour the rinse water over him. Of course, you have to pour over the body only and not over the head! No need to follow the vinegar rinse with a regular water rinse.

I'll try it - thanks. Was thinking tho that during him drying himself, wouldn't he get the taste of the vinegar when licking?????

And does the vinegar just make him squeeky clean or does it help make the fur softer too?

It's so dilute that there is no taste. It's just 2-3 tablespoons to 2-3 gallons of water so there's no taste left behind. It makes them squeeky clean and shinier and softer!

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

And does the vinegar just make him squeeky clean or does it help make the fur softer too?

Click to expand...

You know how silky Oci's are to begin with, add even more and they'll slip right outta your hands

Honestly I don't think it adds too much to the softness, I know you use a good shampoo for softness and I've always heard the vinegar was just to help cut the shampoo and rinse it out.

Googled vinegar to make sure and they all say to do a final rinse after, that vinegar helps rinse out the shampoo.

It makes a noticeable difference in my cats coats. After washing I rinse with plain water and then do the final rinse with vinegar and water. That's it!

I'll do a test bath with Charlie this weekend and see how his coat is - then determine what I want to do for his next show Will keep you posted.

Bijou rolls in the flower garden and can get pretty dirty so we do bathe him from time to time. Both kitties are used to it by now so it's not a problem.

I would also recommend a good cat shampoo versus taking a chance on a human product that may contain something damaging to your kitty. But I'm one of those people who prefer to err on the side of caution.

My understanding of using a bit of vinegar in the rinse water is simply that it helps get rid of the soap which would naturally dull the hair anyway, so it probably isn't doing anything special other than getting rid of soap film on the hair shaft thus making the hair shinier. The softness would be a result of the soap film not adhering to the hair.

If your cat doesn't take to water but you still want to bathe him or her, there are bath wipes that will make the kitty smell nice and give a shiny coat. My favorite are the perfect coat bath wipes. You can find them on petdiscounters.com.

I do not bathe Puff often. But it's always nice to know I can without getting mauled too much doing it in case it does become a necessity. Here's a video of his first bath with me.
http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i43/salemwitchchild/Puff/?action=view&current=DSCN1502.flv

Sho never exactly enjoyed his baths, but didn't seem to mind so much when I would scrub the shampoo into his fur with my fingers. He loves to be scratched and rubbed. I'm lucky with him though, he's actually a passive enough cat that I can turn the tub faucet on without him getting scared, when he was younger I'd even rinse him under it (shoulders down of course)
I'll have to try the vinegar rinse the next time he's bathed, if I can even bath him anymore. Leaning down over the tub causes me a lot of pain that my back just can't handle.

I'll have to find an alternative that he can fit into that won't require me to bend or lift anything, any suggestions? He's a full sized, 16lb cat.


I haven't bathed Tomas yet. He's a snuggly mama's boy but something tells me he may very well try to bite me...

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Bijou rolls in the flower garden and can get pretty dirty so we do bathe him from time to time. Both kitties are used to it by now so it's not a problem.

I would also recommend a good cat shampoo versus taking a chance on a human product that may contain something damaging to your kitty. But I'm one of those people who prefer to err on the side of caution.

My understanding of using a bit of vinegar in the rinse water is simply that it helps get rid of the soap which would naturally dull the hair anyway, so it probably isn't doing anything special other than getting rid of soap film on the hair shaft thus making the hair shinier. The softness would be a result of the soap film not adhering to the hair.

Click to expand...

That's partially correct. I did some research, vinegar restores the pH of the fur which is really what gives it its softness...

Cats do hate water but if you use the right equiptment , dont bath her to often, and dont stand er in too deep water she should not sturggle to much.

Cats need a bath especially outdoor cats.

Originally Posted by TigerLord

That's partially correct. I did some research, vinegar restores the pH of the fur which is really what gives it its softness...

Click to expand...

Yes, this is also what I know and tell people. It's also good for the skin.

Originally Posted by alcool9999

Cats do hate water but if you use the right equiptment , dont bath her to often, and dont stand er in too deep water she should not sturggle to much.

Click to expand...

Not all cats hate water. I happen to have one who doesn't. Some of the other cats I've had in the past didn't hate the water itself but the sound of it running. Others really didn't like water.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I'll have to try the vinegar rinse the next time he's bathed, if I can even bath him anymore. Leaning down over the tub causes me a lot of pain that my back just can't handle.

I'll have to find an alternative that he can fit into that won't require me to bend or lift anything, any suggestions? He's a full sized, 16lb cat.

Click to expand...

I bathe my cats in the kitchen sink because I have a bad low back. Maybe you could try that!