Do I need to bathe my kitten?

I've had my kitten for almost 3 weeks now, she is approaching 11 weeks of age. i haven't bathed her but she doesn't smell very good. I'm pretty sure she lived in a garage before I adopted her but she has been to the vet and is all healthy now.

Is it necessary to bathe my kitten? If so, what shampoo should I use on her? I don't want to use anything that will irritate her skin!

hello! I don't think you have to bathe her. I have 11 cats and never bathed them, except the one with skin problems and used bathing and shampoo as a treatment...they all have smooth, clean, sleek fur and smell good, as my fragrance ... in time, with good food and maybe some brushing she will be looking good and loose the ugly smell

I would not bathe her yet.  You could take a soft wash cloth and dampen it with warm water and wipe her down.  I would try this before I would considering a bath.  

Personally, I would. I have two long haired kittens (10 months), and I give them a bath about once a month. They sometimes get stuff in their fur which needs to get washed out and while cats are generally clean, they all do not clean everywhere and cannot go deep into their fur really.

Plus, if your kitty has any chemicals in her fur from the garage, you will eliminate far more. You certainly don't want her licking it off and getting sick.

The younger they have baths, the more accepting they will generally be or so I had read (many times over). I wish mine had had baths early on rather than at 6 months because it would have made it easier. 

You need to use a shampoo specifically for cats. Don't use one for humans because the ingredients could dry her skin out of make her sick. 

Watching videos by vets on how to give a bath will help (not "normal" people as they often do it wrong...and then think they are funny!). 

Good luck.

I never bath my cats, if they get  dirty  I  will use damp soft clean white cloth.

Cats can clean themselves.

If she smells bad and it's bothering you I don't think there's any problem with bathing her. I've bathed a few kittens who got into something extra dirty and not had problems. I also had one rescue kitten who was weaned too early and never learned to groom himself from mom. He got baths every 1-2 weeks forever because he it consistently stinky.

I don't know if it would help or not, but if she's young and also was separated too early, maybe trying to give her more of a cat-style bath with a washcloth would stimulate her to learn to clean herself. But even if she's grooming normally for her age and just had kitten stink, I don't see anything wrong with bathin her.

Vet's offices and specialty pet stores carry cat-specific shampoos. Make sure to dry her thoroughly afterwards and make sure she's warm.

One more note - it's been my experience that young kittens are pretty accepting of a bath, and if bathed early they don't mind it as adults either.

I bath mine once a month before flea treatments. Mine are still kittens and still get into things and can get dirty. To save yourself a little clip their nails. Talk to her the whole time telling her how good she is and give lots of loving and praises after. 

I would at least once now at this age, making a really good experience nothing traumatic nothing falling in the water no sudden anything splashes just quiet bath time. I do mine every 2 months.

Tiny bit of dish washing liquid or bottled hand soap works fine. Place a rubber mat on bottom of sink or tub for security.