Cat ate soap and got water in ears while getting a bath

iheartlife

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My cat got his first full bath tonight. Usually I just let him clean himself but occasionally have I had to wash a foot or his tail here and there when he stepped in something really dirty. Well this time he jumped behind the fireplace and came out covered in rust colored dirt and dust. It was too much for him to clean (and I didn't want him to ingest it anyway) do I have him a bath with some regular non-concentrated dawn dish soap (the blue kind). While he was getting his bath he kept trying to lick the soap off of himself. I tried to get it off quickly but he did manage to lick some. Also while rinsing, he got some water splashed in his ears. I dried him off and looked in his ears to see if there was any water still there and I ran a q-tip through his ear like his vet showed me how to do (he has very waxy ears so the vet showed me how to clean them myself). I don't think any water got into his eardrum and he isn't shaking his head or pawing at it or anything. But what should I watch out for in case it did get further into his ears than I thought? I'm more worried about the soap. He didn't ingest a lot just a few licks. Will the soap hurt him? What would be abnormal reaction if he has any? What should I watch out for?
 

stephenq

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My cat got his first full bath tonight. Usually I just let him clean himself but occasionally have I had to wash a foot or his tail here and there when he stepped in something really dirty. Well this time he jumped behind the fireplace and came out covered in rust colored dirt and dust. It was too much for him to clean (and I didn't want him to ingest it anyway) do I have him a bath with some regular non-concentrated dawn dish soap (the blue kind). While he was getting his bath he kept trying to lick the soap off of himself. I tried to get it off quickly but he did manage to lick some. Also while rinsing, he got some water splashed in his ears. I dried him off and looked in his ears to see if there was any water still there and I ran a q-tip through his ear like his vet showed me how to do (he has very waxy ears so the vet showed me how to clean them myself). I don't think any water got into his eardrum and he isn't shaking his head or pawing at it or anything. But what should I watch out for in case it did get further into his ears than I thought? I'm more worried about the soap. He didn't ingest a lot just a few licks. Will the soap hurt him? What would be abnormal reaction if he has any? What should I watch out for?
Hi.

Diarrhea is a possibility if he ingested enough soap.  If he shows any symptoms or you're just concerned, the ASPCA poison control hotline linked below in my signature is as cheap as or cheaper than a vet visit and they're open 245/7, or your vet may be willing to advise you over the phone.  I will add that it does not sound serious at this time.
 
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iheartlife

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Hi.

Diarrhea is a possibility if he ingested enough soap.  If he shows any symptoms or you're just concerned, the ASPCA poison control hotline linked below in my signature is as cheap as or cheaper than a vet visit and they're open 245/7, or your vet may be willing to advise you over the phone.  I will add that it does not sound serious at this time.
Follow-up question:

After the bath and towel drying him as much as I could, I put him in his kennel to finish drying so he wouldn't get anything in his fur while it was drying (he's longhaired and solid white so he gets dirty easily). While in his kennel, he pooped - not diarrhea; it was solid so I'm sure it was just a stress reaction. He got some in his britches and at the base of his tail. It wasn't a lot just a few smears at the edges of his fur. He also got some on his front paw when he instinctly went to cover it. Again, not a lot but a little more than on his back end. Do I need to give him another full bath or will a wet wash cloth do the trick? I'd prefer not to bathe him again since it stressed him out so much the first time and it was just a few hours ago. I also don't want to dry out his fur from over bathing him. But on the other hand, I don't want him to accidentally eat poop when cleaning himself if I miss some with a wash cloth. So does he need a full bath or is a warm, wet wash cloth good enough? Also, he sleeps and eats in his kennel because he tears stuff up if you don't watch him; he's gone through plastic grocery sacks, paper, the curtains, etc. I've washed the lining tray of his kennel with soap and water; I can't wash the rest since it's intersecting pieces of metal. I also washed his food/water bowls out with soap and water and replaced he food/water. Is this enough or do I need to do further disinfecting?
 

stephenq

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Follow-up question:

After the bath and towel drying him as much as I could, I put him in his kennel to finish drying so he wouldn't get anything in his fur while it was drying (he's longhaired and solid white so he gets dirty easily). While in his kennel, he pooped - not diarrhea; it was solid so I'm sure it was just a stress reaction. He got some in his britches and at the base of his tail. It wasn't a lot just a few smears at the edges of his fur. He also got some on his front paw when he instinctly went to cover it. Again, not a lot but a little more than on his back end. Do I need to give him another full bath or will a wet wash cloth do the trick? I'd prefer not to bathe him again since it stressed him out so much the first time and it was just a few hours ago. I also don't want to dry out his fur from over bathing him. But on the other hand, I don't want him to accidentally eat poop when cleaning himself if I miss some with a wash cloth. So does he need a full bath or is a warm, wet wash cloth good enough? Also, he sleeps and eats in his kennel because he tears stuff up if you don't watch him; he's gone through plastic grocery sacks, paper, the curtains, etc. I've washed the lining tray of his kennel with soap and water; I can't wash the rest since it's intersecting pieces of metal. I also washed his food/water bowls out with soap and water and replaced he food/water. Is this enough or do I need to do further disinfecting?
It's ok if a cat ingests their own poop, any bacteria or other tings are already inside them.  I would skip another bath and possibly just spot clean him with a warm wet cloth if necessary, otherwise let him clean himself.
 
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