Washing my cats!

I have 2-10 year old cats (brother and sister) I also have bad allergies. Anyway, I try to give them a bath once a month. My male cat lives up to his name as soon as I bring him near the water (Damian). He has even bitten me, and is able to vocalize the word NO!. The Female, Sheena, is more timid. She just cries and struggles a little. Anyone have suggestions and how to make this easier? Is there a way to knock them out?? (only half kidding there)

Is there anything YOU can take for your allergies instead of stressing the cats by bathing them? I do believe there are shampoos for cats that do not need rinsing off. You apply the product and then wipe the cat off, but I am not sure how well those work and they may not be safe for your cat either.

Thats because it is'nt really the done thing to bath cats!.

When you see cats grooming themselves, thats when their giving themselves a 'bath'.

When you see dogs who dont groom themselves like cats, thats when you have to bath them.

Your cats are telling you they don't like water, so that's how you have your bites and that's why their crying and struggling!!

See the doctor for your allergy.

Susan

I do take medication, even did allergy shots, but I won't get rid of them. My male cat does not groom too well, he is a bit of a slob. Although they are both indoor cats. The female actually looks like she is happy after the fact, while Damian hides from me for a few hours, then once he is dry, he comes right back to being my shadow. I will look into the bath without water thing. My Dad told me to put tape over their paws to prevent the scatching, but I think we would end up having more biting.

plus pulling hairs out at the root - quite painful ! ouch!!!

Oh god, please don't put tape over their paws!!!.

Please look for the product that John mentioned, theres nothing more upsetting than a cat being stressed by something he/she doesnt like.

Susan

i didn't thnk was was such a bright idea myself.

Hi there, here is a thread about bathing cats. I have to bathe strays and ferals from time to time, and I swear by the bucket method

Bathing cats

You can also try the cat wipes. They say they are for waterless bathing. They're nice and big and have plenty of moisture on them to get a pretty good bath. I used them on my cat when I need to do a quick bath.

I have to give Cupid a bath 1-3 times a week b/c he doesn't have fur. So his oils build up and attract dirt. Luckily, he just sits in the water and lets me do it. He likes the sink better than the tub b/c he feels more secure.

I just groom them with the brush, then take a cloth with animal shampoo over them, then dry them. I think its better rather than putting them in a tub of water.

I bathe my cats, not saying that they like it, but my cats respond better to the tub than they do those cat wipes and the cat wipes make more dirt stick to there fur in my opinion. Just watch your pillows when they get out of the tub that is my oldest Cat's favorite place to dry off. :goodbad:

Hi,

I bath my Garfy boy every 2 weeks. i also have allegic. There are few things that I observe:

1. The water cannot be cold AT ALL. You need warm water. Put for hand into the water to test for it.

2. Put a ball that can float together with the warm water in the bath tub. Then put your cat into it slowly. If you can do something that they like while you put them down. For example, I used to sing to Garfy when I bath him while he is still a baby.

3. Don't ever let the water Splash to the cat face. Start from their back and slowly to the place that you wish.

I bath my Garfy since he is 8 weeks old. The first time is the worst. He hurt me. But then slowly everything get ok. Now he is not afraid of water but like to play with it until my kitchen get flooted!!!

Try and see. The most important thing is not scare them of. Once they are confident with you they will relax.

Anyway I have the same problems as you when I gromm Garfy! He will scratch my hand as he feel pain. He use to have tangle hair as he has long fur.

The ball that I mention in step 2 is to direct the attention of the cat to the moving floating ball rather feel scare and hurt you

I bathe my cats regularly. It takes awhile for them to get used to it. One tip that helped me is to put a rubber mat in the bottom of the sink so they feel secure and aren't slipping around. The kitchen sink is better because it is smaller and also gives a little more feeling of security. I wrap my left arm around the cat and hold their front paws (for my cats that still struggle a bit). Then I wash with my right hand. I've become very good at grabbing shampoo with one hand while holding the cat firmly with the other.

As far as biting, I've never had one try to bite me while bathing. But they do have little soft muzzles you can buy.

I can empathize with your allergies. I have allergies too and 5 persian cats and bathing them does help a lot. I try not to take so many allergy meds anymore because of other health problems I've had in the last year so. And I figure why should I take uneeded drugs if I can handle it in a more natural way! Wipes and shampoos you don't rinse out just don't do the trick for allergies.

Good luck with your kitties! You can do it if you just be patient and persistant. I have a page on my website on bathing and grooming. It's geared more for thick, long fur but you may find some helpful hints there!

Tammie

I just gave my cat Scotch his first bath. He has terrible hairballs, and I use a brand of wash that is supposed to help reduce the amount of hairballs he gets (I also use hairball treats, and am about to switch him to a food formula that helps with it). He actually likes to play in water, so he was fairly calm through the whole ordeal, but I have a couple of tips. First, I wore knit gloves with kitchen gloves over top them to prevent my hands from getting scratched. This helped a lot. I also used a cup to control the water I pored on his fur, and keep it away from his face. Lastly, I would warm towels in the dryer to wrap them up in and dry them off some when the bath is over. It will help them feel warmer and more secure.

Good luck next time!!