Does anybody bath their cats?

I ask becuase I have found that both kittens I have had do not seem to groom themselves properly until they are around 9 months - a year old.

My kitten who we brought home at 12 weeks old is now around 16 weeks old and I never see him cleaning himself ever.

Is there anything I can do to help him learn to do this?

His coat is starting to look a bit greasy and I dont want him to start smelling.

I've bathed kittens as young as 6 weeks old. Since I show most of my cats, they are bathed at a young age and most love taking baths when older. But the non-show cats also get baths 2-3 times a year.

If your kitten is looking greasy or dirty, then start now and give him an occasional bath as needed. If you start young, they don't mind so much as an adult. If a longhair, then be sure to comb all tangles/knots out of the coat before its completely wet. And you'll have to blow dry after the bath. If shorthair, still comb thru the coat and get any loose hairs - they just air dry after the bath. Be sure to keep the cat in a room with no drafts or open windows till they are completely dry.

I bathe my Persian cats regularly. Also, there are threads around here that talk about how to encourage a kitten or cat to groom themselves. I wish I had time to search for them but I'm on my way to work. You could do a forum search for "grooming" and I'm sure you'd find something.

That sounds excellent

Thanks guys.

I will search for the threads about how to incourage him to groom and I will bath him tonight.

Bijou loves to roll in my flower beds and since he insists on sleeping under the covers with me, then yes he gets baths. Fortunately he loves to be vacuumed so I don't have to bath him frequently to get all the sand and dirt off him.

Originally Posted by davecat

That sounds excellent

Thanks guys.

I will search for the threads about how to incourage him to groom and I will bath him tonight.

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Good luck, be sure to tell us how the bath goes!

I bathe my kittens (~8 months old) about once a month. However they do go to cat shows so they are required to be bathed. I would probably do it anyway though because my Maine Coon tends to get a bit greasy without it and my DSH likes to roll in the dirt.

If I would even try to bath mine I wouldn't be here now...
What I've done with kittens that I pick from the streets and foster is to "bath them" with a damp cloth everywhere in their little bodies and at the end they do it themselves... how old is your kitty?
Good luck!

My Jack loves a bath--in fact he loves water so much he has gotten in the bath tub with me! We try and give him a bath every 2-3 months--he is a medium to long hair.

The new cat Harley hasn't received a bath, he has shown some interest in the bathtub, but he's a short to medium hair so I don't see us giving baths soon--unless he were to get into something a require him.

Leslie

All 4 kids get a bath before I apply the next treatment of advantage. Everyone is indoor only, but they find dust bunnies under all of the beds & tables ect...... And the window sills are dusty too. I only do advantage in the flea season May/October. So we will prolly only do bathes every the month to match.

K.

a cat not grooming himself is not normal, could be a sign of disease or sickness(i read this in a cat care book) but he could be doing it without you knowing it. He may also be afraid, a cat will seek security first before cleaning himself. I suggest taking a damp towel (not completly wet) and running it over him. a bath might jsut scare the wits out of him and be stressful. i usually run a damp dish washing towel over him daily. i also run a fine lice comb through him as well. but my cat is very good about grooming himself. next time you go to the vet get him checked out for sickness.

My family cats used to get bathed once a month. They absolutely DETESTED it.

I've tried to bath my baby once but she got freaked out just by bringing her closer to water. She was a stray, not a kitten when I got her first, because of that, I could not get her used to bath
I also tried to use "waterless" formula shampoo but she ran away as soon as she saw the bottle...

If you can get them used to it while they are kittens, I'm sure there wouldn't be too much of problem later on.

I used to bathe mine monthly before shows, but now I don't bother unless they've gotten dirty outside.

I think bathing kittens is fine since it takes some of them awhile to get into the habit of keeping clean, but once they get older it's not advisable to bathe them often.

Cats have their own oil balance which helps keeps them clean and shiny, and when you bathe them you screw up their natural oils. Of course a bath every once in awhile is fine.

Kittens are also MUCH easier to bathe than full grown cats. I think most people would not make it out of the bathroom alive trying to bathe certain full grown cats.

I would suggest that you whipe him constantly (and gently) in his muckey spots with a wash cloth and warm water. It's supposed to be the same feeling as getting cleaned by the momma cat. and should help him get the idea of being clean.

Good luck!

Oh, and make sure to use a kitty-friendly soap/shampoo. Baby shampoo and natural shampoos are usually acceptable.

I bathe all my cats (oh joy!)...non show cats every 3 months or so, show cats more frequently, the Long Hairs min every month.

I bath all of mine once a week. They don't seem to mind it becuase they have been getting bathed since they were 8 weeks old. Baby Shampoo, lather them up rinse them, dry them. This is when I cut nails and clean ears too. We have alot of this going on with three sphynx.

This may sound silly but what i did was got some runny treat from the pet shop or spermarket and smothered him in it. he had hours of fun licking it off! Becky x

No, I don't bathe my cats. They aren't show cats or anything, and they keep themselves extremely clean.