Bathing My Cat

I would like to bath my cat.

Iv had her for about 8 months and she is around 2 years old. Iv never bathed her before but i need to as i have flee treatment.

My cat has killer claws so this is why im a bit worried. The other night when i turned the light off in the lounge to watch a dvd I noticed her sitting on the floor so i picked her up to give her cuddle and she wasnt aware i was there (totally my fault, i proberly scared her in the dark) and SCRATCHHHH...3 fresh claw marks down my wrist. So I know what shes capable off.

I know HOW to bath a cat. I used to bath my other one ALL the time but my two cats are very different and im afraid that this one will HATE being bathed and ill have a problem on my hands.

What do i do if she panics or starts kicking and scratching?

Can you trim her claws before you bath her? I don't really have any suggestions for getting her bathed without injuries. I have claw marks front and back as kitty climbed over me to get away from that nasty water. What kind of flea treatment are you doing?

no il'd rather not trim her claws as im not comfortable doing it myself and iv taken her to the vets about 4 times already THIS year for numerous things so were not going back there again unless theres something seriously wrong.

Im just planning on washing her with a basic flee shampoo. I just want to make sure shes clean thoroughly cause she leaves little bits of dirt in my bed and where she sleeps.

Im just reallly not looking forward to it it ALL.

1. Clip ALL cats nails before you attempt to wash. Also if longhair, cat needs to have all tangles/knots out of the coat before you wet it.

2. Have a mat in the bottom of the tub so they are not sliding.

3. Have all things ready: shampoo, 2 towels (warmed in dryer before), washcloth.

4. Run fairly warm water in the tub about 2 inches deep. It helps a lot if you have a hand held shower head for rinsing.

5. If you have a helper, it will go a lot better. I can wash cats by myself, but I've shown cats a lot

6. Gently put kitty in the water and talk softly. Keep a firm hand on them so you are in control. If kitty panics a bit, allow her to stand in the water with the back legs and hold onto the back of the tub with the front.

7. You only want to wet from the neck down - not the head or ears! After you have the cat totally wet to the skin (use the washcloth) then put a little shampoo down the back and start working it in the sides and belly (use a little more water to stretch the shampoo.

8. After shampoo, then start rinsing the cat as you drain the tub. Be sure to keep rinsing the cat to get out all the shampoo.

9. After rinsing, then "squeeze dry" the fur to get out as much water as you can. Then quickly wrap in one towel and start drying her.

10. Switch towels and keep drying. Then put the cat in a room with no drafts or fans until they are totally dry.

Does she actually have fleas? If you just want to get her clean, use a regular cat shampoo. OTC flea treatments can be dangerous to cats.

Yes. Flea dips and flea shampoos are ineffective, and often dangerous to cats.

If your cat has fleas, you should use a topical flea treatment like Advantage or Frontline. This is applied one time to the back of the neck, and not washed off; it kills fleas for 30 days, at which time you reapply. And this will save you the trouble of having to bathe the cat.

Really, you should trim the cats claws before bathing. Other then that, you could get a pair of long playtex gloves to wear while bathing. That might help a bit. I don't have trouble bathing mine. But I trim claws and have done it for awhile (bathing) so it's pretty non eventful now.

Originally Posted by emmylou

Yes. Flea dips and flea shampoos are ineffective, and often dangerous to cats.

If your cat has fleas, you should use a topical flea treatment like Advantage or Frontline. This is applied one time to the back of the neck, and not washed off; it kills fleas for 30 days, at which time you reapply. And this will save you the trouble of having to bathe the cat.

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Agree 100%. I've not one time in 9 years since my 2 cats lived with me have had to/gave them a bath. That's the beauty of cats, they WASH THEMSELVES and do it just fine! However, I have been lucky in that they never NEEDED me to wash them (i.e., no skunk encounters, etc.), as these babies are indoor only, and have yet had no flea problem, but for sure, those flea dips and shampoos are toxic to cats and dogs, as emmylou suggested, please use Advantage or Frontline (get from your vet only), we have used this on our dogs when needed, it is so effective with killing fleas and their eggs..