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how often do you give your indoor buddy a bath?

post #1 of 31
10/2/09 at 1:26pm
Thread Starter 
just wondering if im over/under doing it
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post #2 of 31
10/2/09 at 3:52pm
Never. They bathe themselves and I like my skin intact. They are short haired and they do not get dirty. If they got in to something nasty, I would probably risk it.
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post #3 of 31
10/2/09 at 4:00pm
2-3 times a year for mine., the show cats a little more often.
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post #4 of 31
10/2/09 at 5:04pm
I've never had to bathe any of my current cats.
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post #5 of 31
10/2/09 at 5:08pm
never had to bath either of mine either, they do a good job themselves
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post #6 of 31
10/2/09 at 6:05pm
I have a short-hair, indoor only. My vet said to bathe her twice a year, but when I talked to my cat owner friends, they said they never bathe theirs. That was nice to hear since Holland barely even lets me trim her claws!! I've had her for a year now, no baths and she's just as clean as the day I got her.

Cats are made to clean themselves. I imagine if yours go outdoors or get into something icky, a bath may be necessary, but otherwise you should be OK!
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post #7 of 31
10/2/09 at 6:12pm
Thread Starter 
well this little guy likes the attention





actually he hates bathes but has a few fleas that im trying to put the end to. his fur feels really soft after a bath too.
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post #8 of 31
10/2/09 at 8:10pm
He's beautiful!

How old is he? At eight weeks he will be old enough for frontline plus, and that will take care of the flea problem. Just use it once a month for about 6 months, if you live in a colder climate, since you're keeping him inside, you probably won't need it at all after that.

As has been said, cats are self cleaning and do not need immersion baths unless they have gotten into something nasty or toxic, or if they have an illness that has caused them to soil themselves.

Too many "human" baths can dry their skin, and strip necessary oils.
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post #9 of 31
10/2/09 at 8:59pm
Thread Starter 
those were when he was 7 weeks, he's 5 months old now.
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post #10 of 31
10/2/09 at 9:07pm
Very cute little guy! I bathe my white cats about once a month, as they are not real good at keeping themselves clean (Twitch doesn't do her own behind at all ).
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post #11 of 31
10/2/09 at 9:31pm
Wish I could bathe Ku Ku. I often use a towel-wipe(w/conditioner), and once in a while a dry-shampoo. She really hates it both.

My old vet told me: bathe for cats are not necessary as they clean themselves.
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post #12 of 31
10/3/09 at 4:44pm
So far I've just given my cats butt-baths as needed. I don't know the hair length/breed of your cat, but what I've read about my Persians is that I'm supposed to bathe them anywhere from once every two weeks to once a month (depending on the source) because of the oil in their skin. I haven't done this yet and have to buy some shampoo soon... from how they react to the butt-dunk, I am not looking forward to it!
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post #13 of 31
10/5/09 at 3:43am
One of the many great things about cats is they do not need to be bathed. Yes, if they get into something. But I have never bathed any of my cats. They never have a smell and they do their own cleaning. They have beautiful coats and are healthy. And as has been said, I don't want to have a blood transfusion!
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post #14 of 31
10/5/09 at 4:11am
Mine get done once or twice a year and whenever my mum comes over to visit.

They didnt like baths at first but got used to it and Magnum has to be pulled out of the tub when washed - yet he is still scared of it if we are using it.

Quincy has had several baths/showers since we got him last week, I dont think he got the memo about cats not liking water and will hop right in to the shower with you and stay.
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post #15 of 31
10/5/09 at 6:21am
I bathe mine about once a month with shampoo and in between that just a rinse off....Now that its getting to be winter and we have a wood stove for heat so its nots regulated with a temp dial I dont bathe them as often...Normally Ill go the whole winter without bathing them because I dont want them getting sick. My long hair I bath the most because after his bath is the only time he will let me comb out his fur he likes the attention he gets afterwards.
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post #16 of 31
10/5/09 at 6:23am
Our show cats get a bath before the show (so depends on how many shows they go to). Our HHP gets one 2-3 times a year just because.
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post #17 of 31
10/5/09 at 7:53am
Once or twice a year for Xander.

Three or four times a year for Riley, with a "butt bath" a little more often
He just seems to get dirtier than Xander does!
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post #18 of 31
10/5/09 at 9:35am
My solid white gets baths. He's always playing by the fireplace and comes out gray. Plus I use a whitening shampoo to keep hi sparkling white and avoid the yellow staining. I probably bathe him every 6 weeks - 3 months depending on what he gets into or if there's any occasion I want him clean for.

My black cat is almost 2 years old and has only had one bath (diarrhea incident ) and my seal/white has never been bathed and he's almost 4 years old.
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post #19 of 31
10/8/09 at 8:22pm
We usually bathe our groups of foster kittens (who are AT LEAST 2 months old) to make sure that they have clean ears and fur for while they stay at our house. No one likes having ear mites and I find that this is the most effective way to get rid of them (it also makes the kittens smell a bit better... LOL).

We bathe our two grown cats about one or two times a year. Usually we do this in the summer because the boys like to be outside and get rather dirty and covered with sap (we have lots of pine trees in our yard).
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post #20 of 31
10/8/09 at 9:49pm
One a month during the summer (the day before Frontline Plus) and then only if needed in the winter so no one gets sick. As long as I put a screen in the tub or sink no one minds it. But when it comes to butt-baths thats an all year around thing at my house.
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post #21 of 31
10/8/09 at 9:58pm
Mine are about 5-10 times a year. I overdo it a bit, but they don't seem to mind it too much anymore.
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post #22 of 31
10/9/09 at 3:50am
I've had my girls for a year and a half now, and they haven't had a bath. Last time we were at the vets, she specifically commented on how clean they were. They are indoor cats and both clean themselves very well, in addition to the "baths" they give each other on a daily basis. I do once in a while have to wipe Belle's butt off (long haired/soft stools does not mix!), but even that, I don't do a very good job (she's very protective of her back end) and she gets it clean herself pretty quickly.

If I need it, I have some waterless shampoo on hand in case someone needs a spot bath...they'd have to be pretty dirty for me to attempt a full bath!
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post #23 of 31
10/9/09 at 10:27am
I bathed Penny and Daisy 1x in 2005 and 1x in 2009

So in total they've had 2 baths each in their entire lifetimes

However, I only used water so maybe I wasted my time. (Although their fur did feel softer) As for the cats' behavior during , well, they weren't happy during but they were good about it. No one harmed me but you could tell they were counting the seconds til it was over. (I was rather fast anyway)

I bathed them in the kitchen sink!
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post #24 of 31
10/11/09 at 12:11pm
I bathe my cats every 4 months or so. Monster has long hair, and he is constantly shedding, and even though Mittens has short hair, it even seems as if she is constantly shedding, too. So, I like to give them baths every few months to help get rid of some of that extra fur, because neither one of them like to be combed. Even treats don't really help.. Monster has so much fur that I'd go through a whole bag of treats by the time I get him fully combed out. Also, the ONLY time either one of them will be calm enough to stay still while wrapped in a towel for me to clip their claws, is right after a bath. I DO clip their claws between baths as well, however, its very hard to get them to stay wrapped up long enough to get both paws done.. Usually, if I'm clipping, and they haven't had a bath, Monster will escape at LEAST once, and I have to leave him go for a while before I can catch him and finish. Plus, I LOVE how soft both of them feel after a bath...(Monster is always soft, well actually both are, but they're even softer after a bath) =]
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post #25 of 31
10/11/09 at 12:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by krazy kat2 View Post
Never. They bathe themselves and I like my skin intact. They are short haired and they do not get dirty. If they got in to something nasty, I would probably risk it.


Years ago I had a white cat I got as a kitten. He wasn't very good at grooming, so he had weekly baths starting as a kitten. He actually enjoyed it. He's the only cat I've ever bathed.
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post #26 of 31
10/20/09 at 7:07pm
...Never. Then again, I've only had him for three months, but he keeps himself very clean. His previous owner gave me wipes to clean him with in case he ever got into anything. He told me, "Wipe him down when he's eating! He ignores everything when he's eating."
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post #27 of 31
10/20/09 at 8:12pm
Never. I'm not suicidal. They do a good enough job themselves, thankfully
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post #28 of 31
10/23/09 at 11:49am
Every three or four months. The past couple of years I've been using baby shampoo instead of pet shampoo. That pet shampoo smells pretty gross.
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post #29 of 31
10/27/09 at 9:35am
I bathe mine about once a month. Unless they are going to show. Then more. But I have long haired Persians. If I didn't have long haired cats, or allergies, I wouldn't bathe cats. Most just do a good enough job on their own!
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post #30 of 31
10/27/09 at 10:13am
I bathed my cat I had growing up every month. He was allowed outdoors though and I noticed he got much dirtier than the cats I have now.

My cats I have now I have never bathed. They do a nice job themselves. I do brush them every week and than use a wipe to get the dander off and give their coat a little shine.
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