Kitty in fireplace; white kitty now black?

Black is not the new white and I am trying to figure out how to clean off a white kitty who has been hanging out in the fireplace. (She will no longer be going in there, yes I know) We haven't had a fire here yet but there are ashes from previous people who lived here. Dite has long hair (she is a ragdoll) and is very fragile so I am wondering the best way to get this soot off of her. Please please if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

Thanks!

Never had that happen to me (knock on wood), but I've gotten fireplace soot on my hands. First instinct for me would be to give her a bath, but if she is fragile (I'm not sure what that means) and you don't want to go to that extreme, then try damp wipes and give her basically a sponge bath. I don't know of any specific products to use for soot (other than soap and water), and I wouldn't want them on my pets in the first place.

Good luck! How badly covered is she?

She's pretty dark... doesn't look so bad up close but once you move further away she is a darker shade of grey and has a lil beard! Ha ha By fragile I mean she just recovered from a broken neck (plus she's 8 months old!). I had a friend tell me to use dish soap but that just sounds like a nightmare.

What about Dawn dish liquid? Many people recommend it here for bathing cats that have fleas. I guess you could get some cat wipes from the pet store and try those. I am not sure that wiping would work b/c when the soot gets damp it is going to stick even more. So my instincts would be to gently bathe her in Dawn or get a cat bath product at the pet store.

I don't know what you meant by fragile, but my kitty HATES baths, she HATES them and is too aggressive for me to handle if I try to bathe her - but she loves jumping in the shower and sitting next to me.

I have to bathe her quite often as she likes to climb inside the kitchen walls (long story) and gets quite dusty and she's not a fan of grooming herself unless she has to.

I found the easiest way for me to clean her is to have a shower with her. I'll cradle her in my arms and hop under the shower first, then slowly start wetting her, then turn around and let her go under the water. She doesn't like it very much but she stays calm and still and is much less panicked because I'm cuddling her as I wash her. I found it the best way when I had to wash her with flea shampoos as well, because she was happy to sit in my arms dripping wet while we let the flea shampoo soak in.

My boyfriend thought it was hilarious seeing myself step out of the shower with the kitty and both of us being completely wet, but she doesn't fight me when I wash her using this method.

HTH