Any insight on bathing a kitten?

Olivia is about 10-12 weeks old and she's completely settled in at home and doing great. My only complaint is that she smells like litter box. I've checked her fur, paws, and bum and there's nothing stuck. The litter pan is clean (usually cleaned twice/day) and she doesn't play in it so that isn't it either.

I've read conflicting information.. Some people say not to bath and others say it's okay to get them used to bathing in case they end up needing one later on (fleas, accidents, etc). I've already tried a baby wipe and it hasn't helped.

Any insight? I'm thinking of doing it now since her nails are recently trimmed lol.

It's not ideal to bathe small kittens, but it can be done safely.

I have to say, I've had cats all my life, and I've never had reason to bathe any of them (though, of course, there are circumstances where it IS necessary ). If it's simply that she smells of her litter (rather than poop or pee), then switching to a different litter might be the answer.[article="31634"][/article][article="29672"][/article][article="31211"][/article]

Columbine said:

It's not ideal to bathe small kittens, but it can be done safely.

I have to say, I've had cats all my life, and I've never had reason to bathe any of them (though, of course, there are circumstances where it IS necessary ). If it's simply that she smells of her litter (rather than poop or pee), then switching to a different litter might be the answer.[article="31634"][/article][article="29672"][/article][article="31211"][/article]

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Sorry shoulda specified dirty litter lol. Right now I'm using a corn litter and it (surprisingly) smells quite nice! If she smelled of the litter I wouldn't have a problem :nod:

If its a dirty litter smell the first thing I'd suggest is scooping more often. You want to be scooping at least twice a day [article="0"][/article][article="31242"][/article][article="0"][/article]

In my original post I stated that I scoop 2 times a day (sometimes more). I know how to reduce odour and how many times to scoop.

Sorry! :doh3: I must've missed that bit.

I've never used a corn litter, so I'm not sure why this would be happening. If you feel you absolutely have to bathe her then go ahead, but be very careful that she doesn't get chilled

If this problem persists, then switching litters might be the answer - its not good to bathe cats too often, as it can really dry out their skin.

No problem! I re read what I said and I hope I didn't sound rude, that wasn't my intention!
And if I bath her I'll be careful about that, thank you!

You were fine It's always good to clarify things, anyway

Not exactly an answer about bathing, but  have you considered that her diet may not agree with her and be giving her gas? Now as for bathing, 10 to 12 weeks is old enough to start bathing. My kittens get started around 5 to  6 weeks to get them used to it for the show ring. The main thing to remember is to rinse well and dry thoroughly while keeping them warm.

posiepurrs said:

Not exactly an answer about bathing, but  have you considered that her diet may not agree with her and be giving her gas? Now as for bathing, 10 to 12 weeks is old enough to start bathing. My kittens get started around 5 to  6 weeks to get them used to it for the show ring. The main thing to remember is to rinse well and dry thoroughly while keeping them warm.

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Thanks for the advice I did consider her food so I'm watching for that (I know any "fishy" soft food is nightmare sometimes lol so I try to avoid it).

About bathing: I did give her a bath yesterday after warming up the house and it went well! I mean she's not a huge fan but she's never one to scratch so I came out unscathed. I found that holding her above the water to rinse helped loads (I didn't have a rubber mat so I know she probably didn't like the floor). She didn't even hate my sister and I after so that's nice lol

Thank you for all the advice!

Very glad the bath went well I wouldn't ever expect a cat to enjoy the process (though there are always some who buck the trend :lol3: ), but it sounds like your girl handled it very well

Now to work out WHY she got smelly in the hopes that this doesn't need to become a regular thing