Do you bathe your cat(s)?

I was curious as to how many of you bathe your cats. I usually bathe Tousse and Bease every month or two, right before I apply their advantage. Do any of you bathe your cat(s) also?

You're kidding, right? I don't think there are enough bandages and anti-biotic ointment in the world to repair the damage that any one of my three would cause if we tried a bath.

Originally Posted by Emma's Friend

You're kidding, right? I don't think there are enough bandages and anti-biotic ointment in the world to repair the damage that any one of my three would cause if we tried a bath.

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Ha ha! I tried to bath Baylee's paw a while back, not the smartest idea. Other than that, I've never had to bathe her but if I had to, I would.

I do have a friend who owns a Himmie and she bathes her cat regularly because she says her cat gets stinky. So you can add that to your poll if you like.

Not unless it's absolutely necessary. I want to keep as much of my skin as possible!!!

When we got our first kitty, Spirit, I tried to bathe her once a month (my and my husband are allergic to cats and have asthma, but can't live without them (thank god for allergy pills), but it got the point that it took 2 of us to do it and someone always ended up bleeding. I figured if I started bathing and brushing when we got her (she was 5 weeks old) she would get used to it, unfortunately someone forgot to tell her.

Originally Posted by Shawn90801

I was curious as to how many of you bathe your cats. I usually bathe Tousse and Bease every month or two, right before I apply their advantage. Do any of you bathe your cat(s) also?

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Surprisingly all 3 boys love to take baths, especially Miko. I bathe them 1-2 times a month.

I'm curious to know what bathing products people use. I use Vetbasis Shampoo & Conditioner (no tea tree oil) and they smell delicious! Oh, and their fur is super soft too.

I usually don't bath mine either unless I have to. I have had to do it a few times and it varied on who was getting the bath. Kuce takes her bath pretty well, while its a struggle with the rest, especially Lil' Jag. (but then she is a kitten and not used to the idea of a bath in water yet.)

Mine get baths Twice a Year, once in he Spring and once in the Fall. Sometimes something inbetween if its needed..IE dutchy escapeing when she was a little kitten and rolling in the mud.

And to the products question. I use an all natural soap my friend makes.

I only bathed one cat regularly in my life. "Rocky" was a 10 year old unneutered tom cat when I found him roaming outside. I caught him, vetted/neutered him and brought him out to the country where he became a lovable indoor/outdoor cat. Rocky was the rare cat that NEVER groomed himself and also loved to hunt mice. He would come in not only dirty and unkempt (he had long hair), but with mouse guts on his face. But the weird thing was that he LOVED baths. I'd put him in a tub of water and he would walk around before he would settle in and sit down in the water. He loved the attention of a bath. Go figure that a 10 year old tom that lived his entire life outside liked baths. Very lucky for me!

I breed and show Persians and Exotics so in the Show season they need to be bathed reguarly other then that they don't get a bath unless absolutely essential. They like baths though.

My mom bathed our last cat about three or four times a year. She liked to go outside and would pick up a no-see-um bug (not fleas). She'd also get a little dandruff every few months. So mom would give her a bath and she'd be good to go for a few more months. She was a long-haired cat, and I had mild allergies, so it really worked out well. Eby, the cat, never really fussed too much, but would be mad at my mom and I for days. She's the only cat I've ever known to hold a gruge for that long. She wouldn't come near us, she'd just sit across the room and scowl. (Yes, scowl. She had some amazing facial expressions.)

I've only had Merlin since June, and I gave him a bath around the end of September because he had put some extra pounds on and was having trouble keeping himself clean. He gave me absolutely no problems. He just sat there and let me wash him. He even let me help groom him after he was towel dried. I sat there brushing him until he was fluffy again. (And he didn't get a hairball.)

Hans, I will never wash, he'd probably kill me. L.S. isn't ready for a bath yet. He has panic attacks at odd times, and I wouldn't want him to have one while covered in shampoo. Once he's settled down, him and Mer will probably get bathed twice a year. I think it makes for a nice-looking cat, and this way in case they ever do absolutely need to have a bath, it won't be traumatic for them.

I use a soapless shampoo from my vet's office. It's mainly glycerin, oatmeal, and aloe. I really like it, and it rinses off easily, which is always a plus!

As much as my boys love water, I dont think I could get them fully bathed!!! They scoot around the shower when i'm in it, and dip their paws when i'm in the bath but that's about it!!

No, unless absolutely necessary. And when they do take a bath, they seem to enjoy it!

Originally Posted by Emma's Friend

You're kidding, right? I don't think there are enough bandages and anti-biotic ointment in the world to repair the damage that any one of my three would cause if we tried a bath.

Click to expand...

same here!!!!
no way would I try to bath my two!!

Same here!

I'll just let them wash each other

I tend not to wash my two! The only time they get bathed is when we are going to spend time with my Sister and use Petal Cleanse/C to remove the allergens (and prevent her asthma)

I've never bathed a cat, then we have always had short haired cats that kept up with their grooming. But if I had to, I guess I would. I really wouldn't want to try and bathe Samwise as he hates water, but I don't think Gandalf would mind all that much, he loves to dip his tail and paws into my bath water when take a bath.

I used to bathe Dori with an oatmeal shampoo, Pure Pet, once every month or 2. She had very oily fur and would get dandruff as well. Since I changed her food that stopped, and I haven't given her a bath in at least 6 months now. Her fur still looks really nice though. People have actually commented on it.

Nope - I think I gave Meeko a flea bath once as a kitten, but other than that I've never bathed any of mine - I don't do anything else like using dry shampoo or wipes, either, they've always kept themselves very clean and there's just been no need (they're indoor cats, so there's not really much they can do to get dirty).

A catalog of my cat bath experiences:

First of all technique:

I use a kitchen sink with sprayer, and i also fill a whole bunch of drink pitchers and tupperwares with water before i start, in case the running water noise causes panic and i can only use a trickle. If i have to use one of those stupid bathtub spouts that is only on or off i fill all of the above containers, plus a few dish pans and watering cans, etc. In addition to the horrible wetness, the noise of the running water freaks out every cat i have bathed.

Beren, Maine Coon, long haired. He gets dandruff and just isn't the best groomer so about twice a year i bathe him, focussing almost entirely on the base of the tail (small of the back analog) where the dandruff, and finger oils from constant petting, build up. I used to bathe him head to toe, but the return on my investment wasn't so good. He has become more used to it over the years, and hates it but just stands there resigned.

Miniver, 6 lb semiferal, now codependent on us : ) She has gotten 2 baths in the year we've had her, since she is a mediocre groomer, very long silky hair, and actually gets stinky. She isn't the most healthy cat, having lost many teeth due to her feral life, and for other reasons, so we can track how well she feels with how smelly she is. She gets mad but again, is resigned and isn't that difficult. She also gets washcloth and cat wipe baths pretty often.

Some of the semiferal kittens i have fostered/socialised have come to me covered in a variety of street sludge; for example the orange tabby boy and his dark calico sister who honestly were coated in motor oil gunk. Their colony lives in a car heap near some commuter rail tracks. Kelti's white fur was actually dark grey. Holding them made my skin itch and burn. No joke. I gave them two baths each in a week, and that only dented the surface. They were wiggly, but not that difficult.

I use a shampoo called Hairy Beast : ) Its super concentrated so i lather up my hands and then work it into their fur. Little pea sized dabs all over the cat give great coverage. It doesn't leave their fur as soft as baby shampoo, which i've used in the past, but i don't know what baby shampoo might leave behind so i switched.

Good luck and try the container method instead of the faucet method, in case its a noise issue and not a wetness issue. I have not actually ever been scratched by my own cats or my semiferals, in a bath. Elsewhere, yes : )