The Care and Keeping of a Messy Kitten

snuggle-luvr

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Well, my sister insists that her precious little kitten
needs to have a Bath, yes, a BATH,
weekly. However, Snuggles does NOT agree.
I'm afraid she may grow to hate my sister if she keeps this up.
Are there any alternatives to baths
to keep her coat smooth and silky?


 

bigorangemenace

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The best thing to do for a cat is to groom it. I have a paw shaped brush but I also like to use a comb for my larger cat to get hairs out. It makes their coats 104% shinier and smoother. In bathing her cat, your sister is actually taking out nutrients from the coat. Cats have natural oils which they spread on their coats to keep them clean and warm, and by giving a cat ab ath you are getting rid of that. Plus, certain soaps can seriously harm your kitty. I believe it is because they can absorb it through there skin, and also because they lick their fur and can digest the soap. I would suggest that your sister just brush her kitten with a nice comb and make sure to pet her alot and feed the kitten good food that has alot of nutrients. She can also put a little bit of oil in the kitten's food to help keep the coat and skin soft and shiny. Im not sure how much oil you put in there but there are many posts about it here. If she still insissts on "bathing" the kitten, she can use a damp cloth to wet the kitten down which may help her groom it better. Basically though a grooming every 2-3 days will help it alot. I have a ktiten that is very soft as it is, but after I groomed her (even though she isnt shedding and only gave up a tiny bit of fur) the coat was twenty times softer and shinier.
Hope that helps!
 

nano

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Unless this is an exotic breed or a longhair breed, there is no way a cat needs a weekly bath.

Is the cat spayed or neutered? That cuts down on mess.

Is the cat eating quality food? That cuts down on smell and gives nice fur coat.

Is the cat using decent litter? That cuts down on mess, too.

You didn't give a lot of information, but those three things are a decent starting point.
 
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snuggle-luvr

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She is a Siamese.

She gets good food.

My sister hardly cleans the litter box. It reeks.

It has not been spayed, but it isn't old enough to be spayed yet.

My sister believes soaking the kitten in warm water and then conditioning the fur with HUMAN conditioner will make her sleek and shiny. How dumb could you possibly get? She doesn't even own a brush. I mean, I don't wanna talk trash about my sister, but some things go without saying.
 

nano

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Well, it sounds like your sister needs a crash course in cat care.

How is your relationship with her? You can try to enlighten her directly or you can buy her a cat care book to make the point indirectly.
 

wellingtoncats

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There is no need for the cat to be bathed every week. To stop the cat from being smelly, perhaps she should change it's litter tray more often?
 

5catsandcountin

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If she isn't willing to care properly for it, then why does she have it? Can you send your sister to this site or print out info from here to set her straight? The cat will suffer if the issues are ignored.
 
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snuggle-luvr

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My relationship with her? Terrible! She won't believe a word I say, unfortunately for poor snuggles
She stopped bathing her... for now. But who knows when she may try it again? As for the cleaning of the litterbox, you're right about that too, but my sister won't do as she's told. She need a crashcourse in kitten care AND obedience, but that's another matter entirely
I have a few cat books. My sister is as stubborn as a mule in her ways. I might be able to convince her.... I must give this another try for Snuggles!
 
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