Is it Ok to give a sick cat a bath?

Hi!! thanks to those who have been sending Nina my 6 month old kitten, good vibes she really needs it though... she has been progessively getting worse, hasn't eaten on her own in over a week, but does drink some water. I think she has a kitten cold/flu/URI?? Vet never said, but She's been on Allacore, Clamavox, and I'm giving her vitamins, Little Noses drops, and trying to force feed her baby food and Nutri-Cal.. Anyway, threw up two days ago and had diaherra yesterday...she's going to the vet today so hopefully things go good because she has been suffering and the medicine is not helping!! I'm so scared I'm going to lose her!! She's only about 3 pounds ... so she needs to eat!

My question for you guys is that right now, she is a gross mess.. diharrea over her backside/tail, vomit on paws (she stepped in it I think), and food, medicine, Nutri-Cal (which is very sticky goo) all over her mouth, chest/belly (from trying to force feed her and not always succeeding). She's usually a very clean cat, so I think all this on her is only going to make her feel worse.. I'll ask the vet today also, but would it be okay to give her a bath? She's a tiny thing, and very weak, so I don't want make her condition worse. What do you guys think??

Maybe you could wash her down bit by bit and let her get dry inbetween. I wouldnt give her a full bath personally, but I would get a wet cloth and scrub the dirty bits of her one by one. I think you're right, she probably will feel better clean
Wishing you all the best at the vets, I hope it all turns out well in the end

Originally Posted by jennywhite686

Maybe you could wash her down bit by bit and let her get dry inbetween. I wouldnt give her a full bath personally, but I would get a wet cloth and scrub the dirty bits of her one by one. I think you're right, she probably will feel better clean

Wishing you all the best at the vets, I hope it all turns out well in the end

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Sounds like good advice. If you attempt to give your kitty a "regular" bath, you could get badly scratched.

I would first try bathing her with a warm wet washcloth, but make sure you have a warm room to put her in so that she can dry comfortably. I would avoid giving a full bath if at all possible since being wet often makes the cat cold, and this chill can be dangerous, especially for a sick cat (http://www.spca.com/petcare/item/40).

Have you ever tried to bathe her before? It is very important to keep her warm after her bath. If she were content to sit with you wrapped in a towel after her bath I would go for the full bath, but if not, I would do as the above poster advised and just do one area at a time making sure she is dried in-between. Don't want her catching a chill.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Have you ever tried to bathe her before? It is very important to keep her warm after her bath. If she were content to sit with you wrapped in a towel after her bath I would go for the full bath, but if not, I would do as the above poster advised and just do one area at a time making sure she is dried in-between. Don't want her catching a chill.

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I think most cats don't like conventional baths.

Thank you for the advice. No, I've never had to give her a bath before b/c she is usually VERY clean... I forgot to mention that I've only had her for a little under a month and that she is medium haired. I tried yesterday to clean her with wipes and paper towels soaks in warm water, but the stuff on her is sticky etc.. so I feel like she needs soap/shampoo. I am not able to even brush her. I doubt she'll scratch me because she never has and she is in such a bad condition now and is so weak I don't think she'll even fight me. It hurts me so much to see her suffer because it's like she's given in.

Originally Posted by Judi

I think most cats don't like conventional baths.

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Often, it depends on what you get them used to when they are kittens. All breeders who show their cats get them used to baths early on. Our cats are given a bath every couple months or in Bijou's case if he happens to get into the mud outside.

It's a lot like clipping their claws - if you get them used to it as kittens, it's very easy to do for the rest of their lives.

Originally Posted by NinaBaby

Thank you for the advice. No, I've never had to give her a bath before b/c she is usually VERY clean... I forgot to mention that I've only had her for a little under a month and that she is medium haired. I tried yesterday to clean her with wipes and paper towels soaks in warm water, but the stuff on her is sticky etc.. so I feel like she needs soap/shampoo. I am not able to even brush her. I doubt she'll scratch me because she never has and she is in such a bad condition now and is so weak I don't think she'll even fight me. It hurts me so much to see her suffer because it's like she's given in.

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What did your Vet say?

I agree w/ the others: give her a "sponge" bath. She probably shouldn't have a full bath just yet, not when she's already sick..

I hope your furbaby will be okay..

~KK~

oh, I still haven't been to the vet yet... I'm at work now (not being able to concentrate at all on anything... and worried what I will find when I get home).. I'm taking her in about 1 hour to the vet...

Originally Posted by NinaBaby

oh, I still haven't been to the vet yet... I'm at work now (not being able to concentrate at all on anything... and worried what I will find when I get home).. I'm taking her in about 1 hour to the vet...

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Good luck. Please let us know how she makes out.

Thanks so much for the support!! I hope everything goes well!! I'm so scared... I'll update you guys!!


Here's Nina:

If you clean her, keep her away from any drafts and probably best to gently blow dry her instead of air drying.

My friend had a turkish van (although she wouldnt beleive me thats what he was) he used to sit in the bath and turn the tap on He even new wich was hot and wich was cold, had to change taps so he couldnt do it as there water bill was huge!

Sorry that wasnt helpful

It would be ok to bathe her.
Tips - turn the heat up in your home or whatever rooms you'll have her in, make sure it's not chilly at all. Make the bath as quick as possible since she's not feeling well. Dry as much as you can with a towel (blow dryer might frighten her?). And when done tuck her under a blanket it with you, your body heat will help keep her warm till she fully dries.

I vote for the sponge bath too. Our little Isaac was very sick with the cat flu 2 months ago and got all poopey/stinky too. He didn't have the runs or barfing and his appetite was good but he was lame for a good 10 days and so could barely make it to the litter box and couldn't even bury his doo doo so we had to clean him up a little each time.
Good luck and hope she's better soon - sending lots of vibes your way.