How often is to often?

Hey,
I was just wondering how how often I should bathe my cat and how much is too much??






Thanks
Mel and Terry Fox

Why do you want to bathe her? I only bathe mine if I need to - and indoor kitties hardly need baths at all unless they are sick and can't clean themselves (and then it is often better to leave them to be dirty rather than risk the stress and cold of a bath). I bath Persil sometimes as she has a desire to sit under cars and comes home filthy with oil that would be dangerous if she licked it. I bathed the boys when I first got them as they were street filthy and had serious fleas. I have never bathed Dushka or Ellie. I brush them to get dust out of their coats and they keep themselves clean.

I only ever bath my cats if they get really dirty. Like one time Tinga-roo came back with concrete dust all over him. Otherwise there is no need to bath them like you have to dogs. Cats naturally clean themselves.

My cats' fur gradually becomes a little on the "greasy" side -- I think it's probably mostly my own body oil that rubs off from my hands when I handle and pet them. So I bathe them about every other month.

Oliver gets a bath once a month - he's quite the shedder... I'd say a month is a good interval - keeps him fresh but doesn't overdry his skin/coat.... I know show cats get bathed pretty frequently as well, so maybe some showers will have some experience to share.... I've come to learn that it's personal preference as to whether people's kitties get bathed at all and/or how often - they are extremely clean animals on their own, but I think it helps with the shedding (thereby cutting down on hairballs), keeps their bum nice and clean and brightens up those litter feet - just makw sure your kitty is ok with it and use all kitty-safe products.... hmmm, reminds me that it's the end of the month and Ollie's due for his bath in the next day or two

Am I supposed to be bathing my cats??? They are a little over a year old...and they have never had one...and they look and smell clean to me!
Linda

Linda -- if they look and smell clean to YOU, they don't need a bath.

Originally Posted by BuzbyJLC10

I've come to learn that it's personal preference as to whether people's kitties get bathed at all and/or how often...

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I never bathed my other cat Lewis but he wouldn't have put up with it for a second anyway. I Just started bathing Terry because when i brought him home he was a little stinker and he didn't seem to mind the bath at all in fact it seemed like he enjoyed it. I put a few bath toys in there to play with while I shampooed him with the tearless kitten shampoo. Now he smells fantastic. My boyfriend who had a slight allergy to him before and he doesn't seem to react to him at all now.

He also get's into a mess all of the time just the other night he decided to grab a bowl of gravy and knock it everywhere. He was defianatly due for a bath then

I'm allergic to cats and they sleep with me. Sheba produces the most allergens of all, and I take her to a groomer once a month and let her handle it, as Sheba does not particularly care to be bathed. I take Purdy every two months. With his long hair, even though I comb him regularly, the bath just makes him so much softer and gets rid of that excess dead hair I don't seem to get with a comb.

Now Red Cat is another story. I had him bathed twice when my former vet had an assistant who would do it. They had to tranquilize him both times. The new vet no longer allows his assistants to do it. So I took him to a local professional groomer over two years ago. Oooops! He went ballistic, scratched her, and she told me never to bring him back. At 15.35 pounds, he has plenty of muscle and is a big fighter. The groomer told me he was so fat, she couldn't get a proper scruff on his neck! Anyway, he's had three baths in the six to seven years I've had him. Thankfully, he sleeps on the other side of the bed, he doesn't get right up in my face to sleep like the other two do, so I can better put up with the allergens. I'd still like to get him bathed again, but he is such an anxious cat that I also hate to put him through it.

We bath Huggy and Tara abot once every two months. Molly and eviecat dont need to be bathed. Also I don't they'd let us.

If your kitty is not shown, then I would not wash them very much other then if they get really dirty. If they are inside, they shouldn't get dirty. If your cat is white or has a lot of white, you might wash more often as whites are sometimes hard to keep clean (they tend to get a yellow cast over time due to the saliva).

If its a show cat, of course they will get washed before every show. My white rex got his bath the nite before a show but since he's retired he only gets a bath every few months (plus he's 14 yrs old and doesn't keep as clean as he did).

I would wash them every few months if you want - use a conditioner so the coat doesn't dry out too much. And if its a longhair, be sure to comb the fur BEFORE wetting and you'll have to blow dry a longhair - the rest can air dry.