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Ally scared out of her mind about getting a bath

post #1 of 31
5/6/11 at 5:48pm
Thread Starter 
Ally has never been easy to bathe. I've tried bathing her in a shallow tub, the shower, and the sink. Yesterday I gave her and Ollie a shower and I got just an idea of how scared she really is. She urinated on herself when I put her in the shower.

Now, maybe it was just the running water, but I think she's scared witless of baths. As time went on, having Ollie with her, and seeing him not freak out allowed me to get her clean, but at no point in time has she ever been calm about bath time.

Has your cat ever gotten that scared about getting wet? It seems atypical to me - but I don't know enough to really know for sure. I don't expect her to love it, but urinating out of fear doesn't like a normal response to something she should realize is harmless by now.
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post #2 of 31
5/6/11 at 5:53pm
I had a cat, and a dog , that did that. Both went outside and both got themselves filthy from time to time and needed baths. The cat wouldn't struggle but occasionally she'd pee. All I could do was try to make it quick and try to get her to enjoy the scrubbing part a bit more. (And yes, you have to wash used motor oil off of a cat. I didn't have a choice when she'd get stuff like that on herself)

Your two are house cats, though, and I don't remember you mentioning allergies. Is there a reason Ally must be bathed? And since she's so easily spooked, never have her confined to an area with loud running water. Cats usually dislike water and the noise is like a sensory overload for them. Cats, for all the times they seem clever, are still an animal of instinct and victim to them. Water = danger to Ally and always will, she's just too frighten to learn anything during the baths.


Long time no see, btw.
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post #3 of 31
5/6/11 at 6:47pm
Thread Starter 
Mainly it's just because after 3-4 months without being bathed, the two of them manage to smell like a third world public outhouse. All the licking in the world couldn't get rid of that smell.

It's been a while, yeah. Ironically, since getting a smartphone I find that I use the internet much less these days. Who would have thought?
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post #4 of 31
5/6/11 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LawGuy View Post
Ironically, since getting a smartphone I find that I use the internet much less these days. Who would have thought?
I'm on my actual computer less. Though I don't really get at my PMs unless I'm on my computer since it's a pain on my phone.

They shouldn't get smelly like that. I don't bathe mine unless they get something nasty on them. My back just can't handle leaning over a tub for the amount of time it takes to thoroughly wash a cat.

There's only two logical explanations for it in both cats: Their teeth/breath is causing this or they're picking up smells from their environment.

Are you using covered boxes? What's your scooping routine? Litter type?

I don't know what your current living arrangements are... is it just you? Any chances they're napping on your dirty clothes often?
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post #5 of 31
5/6/11 at 7:05pm
Quite sure its normal for cats to be frightened of baths, I know both of mine absolutely hate getting their paws washed which I had to do for a while during a bout of loose stools that they'd occasionally step in. A domestic cat that got its coat completely saturated in water would have a pretty good chance of dying if it didn't get it dry before the cold nighttime.

And, well, fearing something that can kill you is a pretty good predisposition and in my experience cats rely a lot more on instinct than thinking.

My suggestion would just be to keep the water shallow, luke warm, and make sure the bath is already filled and everything is nearby on hand so the bath can be as short as possible.

For an indoor cat, IMO regular old baby wipes are good enough. If your cat is an indoor cat and stinks, then IMO that is reason enough to bring em to the vet. That is not normal and I'd think a sign of an underlying health issue.
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post #6 of 31
5/6/11 at 7:31pm
Why bathe a cat? They have all the equipment to get it done themselves. If they are muddy and wet, wait till they dry and brush them, they will take care of the rest.
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post #7 of 31
5/6/11 at 7:39pm
I've owned cats for 12 years and I've never bathed them. I do clean them up if they get something on them or something like that, but never give them a bath. They really don't need it.
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post #8 of 31
5/6/11 at 7:45pm
Some of my cats I've had for almost 20 years, and they never had a bath. They never needed one.

If your cats smell bad, something is not right. Cats usually smell very nice - with just doing all their "bathing" themselves.

Robin
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post #9 of 31
5/6/11 at 8:17pm
I bathe my cats and everyone who shows their cats bathe them too. I use this hose attachment in my shower to do mine:http://www.amazon.com/Rinse-Ace-Show...4419297&sr=8-2 The key with bathing cats is not to let go! Keep a hold on their scruff. I like that shower system because the water shuts off when you let go, I can quickly spray them down then it shuts off while I put the soap on and scrub, then I can rinse. If the sound of the water bothers her, I would definitely buy one of these shower sprayers.

Pandora will pee in the tub if the temperature changes, like if I wash her in warm water then I put cool shampoo on her it will cause her to pee. So I mix the shampoo before I start with warm water so that it's the same temperature and it solved the peeing problem.
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post #10 of 31
5/6/11 at 8:22pm
The reason you have to scruff a cat though is because they HATE it. So my opinion is why stress an animal if not necessary? My cats are half white, and their legs and bellies/chests are always very bright white on their own, and the only odor is only on their butts if they haven't licked down there after going recently yet and there are specs. Overall they smell like pretty much nothing... and I definitely know cuz they love to squish themselves onto my face when I'm on the couch heh.
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post #11 of 31
5/6/11 at 10:14pm
I'ave had a cat my entire life and only bathed a cat once. She got sprayed by a skunk...cats do not need baths and if they smell, take them to a vet something is wrong or clean the environment they live in. Giving a cat a bath every 3 months is cruel. IMO
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post #12 of 31
5/6/11 at 10:41pm
we bathe for allergies, and for grooming purposes, since i'm able to use a zoom groom to get a lot of loose hair off my kitties while washing them. my saki kitty, her fur tends to start to look oily and sort of stick together if she doesn't get a bath once every couple of months. Isis, when we first got her, just had this funky smell that wouldn't go away, and took a few months and a few baths to get rid of. I dunno what it was, but it was a strange smell. Isis is scared of the water, and does the typical climb frantically over any human to get away, until you can calm her down and get her wet and warm, and then pet her while someone else washes. Saki just stands there and cries while she gets bathed, never puts up a struggle, and is just pathetic. I know a lot of people believe in doing everything the "natural" way, ie. no bathes, raw diet, etc., but to each their own I say.
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post #13 of 31
5/6/11 at 11:33pm
I have the opposite problem - keeping my cat OUT of the bath He loves to watch the bath fill up, drain and is fascinated when people are in it. He will on occasion dive right in. Happiness to him is sticking his head under the shower!!!! He is pretty easy to dry off, as he is a Turkish Angora and has no undercoat.
I would not however bathe him to clean him. When we found him, he was covered in motor oil - he was found trapped in a car engine. I took photos of him and took them to the vets. I was very concerned about the oil and thought that i would have to bathe him. The vet told me that under no circumstances should i bathe him, just wipe the worst off with a cloth dipped in warm water and the kitten would do the rest. Within three days he became a clean fluffy bundle.
I know that show cats have to be bathed, but dont understand why you would want to bathe a house cat. Smelling strange sounds a little odd - i would definately arrange a checkup at your vets.
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post #14 of 31
5/7/11 at 8:08pm
If your cats are getting that stinky after a few months then I would look inward, so to speak, instead of outward, i.e. their skin and coat. What are you feeding your cats? I thought I wanted to start bathing my cats awhile back and started a thread on bathing. I decided not to bathe them because I groom them so often and they are on an all wet, grainless diet and their coats are gorgeous and they smell so clean all the time, and the shedding is minimal too. I don't think I could even hold Perkins or Perla to bathe them, I think they would freak
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post #15 of 31
5/7/11 at 11:36pm
When Sho was a young cat he would sometimes smell awful. A cheesy soured smell. Come to find out my DH was taking off his socks after work and leaving them on the floor beside the bed (his side, not mine ). Well, Sho seemed to think this was a perfect bed and would make himself a nest in those dirty socks.
Sho was completely healthy, though I've never been sure that DH's feet are…

Likewise I've had cats smell from the litter box. No, not of poop. I made the mistake of trying Scoop Away close to 8 years ago, the heavy perfumes permeated Sho's fur and everything else in the room. When I used chicken feed the cats would smell grainy after a fresh change.

My bets, since Lawguy does take good care of his cats and because both smell like an "outhouse" is just that it's litter box related. Either the litter isn't doing it's job or it's a covered box/box in a small space like a closet.
Of course there's always the chance that, like my DH, he's not picking up his dirty socks.
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post #16 of 31
5/12/11 at 12:57pm
Thread Starter 
Wow. A lot of criticism of bathing my guys.

They do get check ups at the vet and they were just there in February for shots. I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong with them, but I can ask the vet if this is something to be concerned about.

Food wise, they eat Wellness brand Indoor Cat formula dry food (unlimited supply), Wellness brand canned food (1 can per cat per day), and for water they have a Drinkwell Platinum that I change the filter on twice a month at least. For treats, they get Crunchlovers Chicken and Seafood flavor treats.

Also, it's important to mention that stinkiness is just one reason I bathe them. I'm extremely allergic to pet dander - that's another, and a much more important reason.]

As for the few who have gone almost as far as to imply that my bathing them is akin to animal cruelty - I find that extremely offensive considering the lengths that I go to in an effort to make sure that Ally and Ollie are as happy as two cats can be.
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post #17 of 31
5/12/11 at 3:06pm
I have to bathe my wirehairs occasionally. They put off a musky type odor, and tend to get oily. Interestingly, my smooth wirehair never needed a bath.

What works best for us is to have a large bucket or container of some sort filled and ready in the tub. Dip kitty into that bucket, then let her stand in the tub on a wet folded towel, so she won't be slipping. Do the actual soaping there, then do a soaking dip back into the tub of water.

Work quickly, and have some nice warm towels ready to wrap/hold her in afterward. If you avoid wetting the head, things will go better. You can always wipe her head with a warm damp washcloth later.

Good luck.
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post #18 of 31
5/12/11 at 5:54pm
LawGuy - I apoligize I didn't mean cruelty in the sense of mistreating or not feeding your cats. It seems cats are either fascinated by water or absolutely hate it. I apologize.

Cats just normally don't stink unless there is something wrong. Have you tried any of those dry coat cleaning products? I haven't but anything is worth a shot. Once again I apoligize for offending you
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post #19 of 31
5/13/11 at 7:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LawGuy View Post
Ally has never been easy to bathe. I've tried bathing her in a shallow tub, the shower, and the sink. Yesterday I gave her and Ollie a shower and I got just an idea of how scared she really is. She urinated on herself when I put her in the shower.

Now, maybe it was just the running water, but I think she's scared witless of baths. As time went on, having Ollie with her, and seeing him not freak out allowed me to get her clean, but at no point in time has she ever been calm about bath time.

Has your cat ever gotten that scared about getting wet? It seems atypical to me - but I don't know enough to really know for sure. I don't expect her to love it, but urinating out of fear doesn't like a normal response to something she should realize is harmless by now.
Outside of having to dunk specific body parts into water to remove caked on <insert whatever here>, I've never given any of my cats baths. True, people that show their cats bathe them all the time so they might be able to give more advice on the subject than I. But I've found that an occasional wipe down with those moist baby wipe things for cats is quite sufficient in my household. All 4 of mine are indoor only cats.

I would be concerned about the smell though. You might rule out any physical problem that might be causing the odor. If it's nothing physical it could be the cats diet or perhaps the litter that might be causing some of the problems.
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post #20 of 31
5/13/11 at 9:13am
Hmm... about your kitties smelling bad every once in a while.. I'm going to ask, do they roll around in the litter box? Genever goes through phases where she does that. It is so gross. I dont see her doing it now that we moved and the litter boxes are in the spare room (used to be in our bedroom), but she comes out with litter all in her fur. Usually she is good enough about grooming herself afterwards so she doesn't stink, but there were 2 times where she just stank. And I wasn't about to wait for her to take care of it, it was too gross, so into the tub she went. And out of the tub, back in, jumped out, in, out, etc. I did eventually get her soaped and rinsed, and I was as wet as she was.

Sorry, as you might imagine from the above story, I have no advice on how to best bathe a cat, especially a really scared cat. But i'm just thinking about the smell, since people are bringing that up as a possible internal problem. I'm wondering if it's just an external problem.

Oh, I just did a search on Petco.com, and there are a few brands of cat wipes available, which require no water! Maybe check out something like that for Ally?

Oh yeah, since you're around after not being around for a while (at least not that I've seen), how about some pics of your sweeties???
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post #21 of 31
5/16/11 at 9:03am
I have one of those "waterless shampoo" things that I use on Peanut- but I find it leaves his coat greasy, and I really don't like it. He has trouble grooming due to his disabilities so his coat gets greasy on its own, but he howls like he's being disemboweled if you try to bathe him!
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post #22 of 31
5/23/11 at 5:06am
i always have to wash my cat as he is a longhair, how can people NOT wash their cats, one benefit of washing your cat is their coats are lovely and shiny and they smell fresh afterwards too.
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post #23 of 31
5/23/11 at 8:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HUYI View Post
how can people NOT wash their cats, one benefit of washing your cat is their coats are lovely and shiny and they smell fresh afterwards too.
I'm not going to condemn anyone who bathes their cat(s), but here is a photo of one cat who has never had a bath (other than the ones she gives herself):



Trust me, you'd be hard-pressed to find a softer, shinier, more plush coat anywhere. When I first adopted Holland the vet told me I'd have to bathe her at least twice a year. I decided against it after talking to other cat-owners who'd never bathed their cats. She doesn't need it - her fur is lovely and she never smells bad - and I value my life.

Good luck LawGuy, I hope Allie gets over her fears. As you can tell I don't have any useful advice for you...
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post #24 of 31
5/25/11 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mystik Spiral View Post
I'm not going to condemn anyone who bathes their cat(s), but here is a photo of one cat who has never had a bath (other than the ones she gives herself)
<beautiful pic and other stuff snipped for space>

What a beauty! I love the way she looks. I've never given any of my 4 meezers a bath. I have dunked body parts into the drink when they have gotten into something or poop has stuck to their fur but other than that, no bath. Sometimes I'll use those kitty bath wipes on them but very seldom. All of mine have beautiful coats. None of them smell bad. I do give them all their daily brushing which they really look forward to.
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post #25 of 31
5/25/11 at 8:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LawGuy View Post
Wow. A lot of criticism of bathing my guys.

They do get check ups at the vet and they were just there in February for shots. I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong with them, but I can ask the vet if this is something to be concerned about.

Food wise, they eat Wellness brand Indoor Cat formula dry food (unlimited supply), Wellness brand canned food (1 can per cat per day), and for water they have a Drinkwell Platinum that I change the filter on twice a month at least. For treats, they get Crunchlovers Chicken and Seafood flavor treats.

Also, it's important to mention that stinkiness is just one reason I bathe them. I'm extremely allergic to pet dander - that's another, and a much more important reason.]

As for the few who have gone almost as far as to imply that my bathing them is akin to animal cruelty - I find that extremely offensive considering the lengths that I go to in an effort to make sure that Ally and Ollie are as happy as two cats can be.
I don't think its cruel to bathe your cats. In particularly if you have an allergy to dander. Show cats are bathed all the time. If you're not drying their skin out and the vet says they are healthy; I would not worry about what other people say. I don't bathe my kitties. They don't have any odor and they are pretty much self cleaning. They do get a daily brushing which they love. Sounds like your 2 "kids" are quite the happy, healthy pair
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post #26 of 31
6/20/11 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 
Been a while. Like I said - I'm not terribly active online these days.

NutroMike - My guys are quite happy indeed. I would imagine if they could verbalize a complaint, bath time would be just about the only thing listed. That, and maybe the few times I've inadvertently subjected them to the dutch oven in the middle of the night, which incidentally is probably why Ollie no longer ventures under the covers.

DarkMavis - As for some recent pics, I just picked up a Canon S95 that I need to play with and figure out, so it's a good excuse to take some up to date pics.
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post #27 of 31
6/21/11 at 12:40am
LawGuy!!!! No advice for you, unfortunately Thinking about just shaving my whole crew here die to hairballs - call me cruel, but Gee! Groom groom groom and just isn't enough!
I feel yourpain!
Just wanted to say I missed seeing you and your babies here Please stick around and yes, place pictures of Ally and Ollie!!!
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post #28 of 31
6/21/11 at 1:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy View Post
Why bathe a cat? They have all the equipment to get it done themselves. If they are muddy and wet, wait till they dry and brush them, they will take care of the rest.
I hate seeing mine stressed at the best of times when they have to go to the vet, so a bath would tip them overboard.
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post #29 of 31
6/22/11 at 7:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosiemac View Post
I hate seeing mine stressed at the best of times when they have to go to the vet, so a bath would tip them overboard.
Ho boy. Isn't that the truth.
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post #30 of 31
6/25/11 at 11:04am
Our youngest cat is extremely afraid of having a bath. I can just imagine how she would scratch my husband's arms, I say my husband because I would never attempt this, only he would be that brave or crazy, can't decide which one. We have given our oldest a bath once, and honestly that didn't go great either, but at least there wasn't too many scratches. Most cats hate having a bath, I think they feel insulted, they feel that they are quite capable of cleaning themselves..
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