Bath time?

Ok, so today for the first time I decided to give my 8 mo. old and 6 mo. old kittens a bath. I started with the 6 month old kitten first, because he's the gentlest......or so I thought. He screamed and scratched and practically went through the shower curtain, so I finished the rinsing with just a wet cloth, that went much better. I didn't even attempt to put Cheeto, who is much quicker to bite and scratch into the shower, but just bathed her with the cloth and a little bit of cat shampoo which went ok. My question is, is this sponge bath better than doing nothing at all? I think it helps a little bit, but certainly not as much as the full bath, but that seems to not be an option as I value my life too much for that and I feel bad for them putting them through something they hate so much. But I do have a pic of a mad wet siamese to post shortly

We haven't had to bath except for a couple times when they rolled in the dirt outside (on their leash). Both were very well behaved even though they didn't like it. Sorry to hear your baths didn't go so well.

The sponge bath is an excellent way to get your cats used to getting wet, and it IS better than nothing. Make it a pleasant experience and reward them with treats and eventually maybe they'll learn to tolerate the "real thing."

When I give Cupid a bath, I fill the tub with a couple inches of warm water and turn the faucet off, but leave the water on. That keeps the water from scaring him. I change it to the handheld for when it's time to rinse. I have a handheld that is "splashproof" meaning, it comes out sort of like a kitchen sink faucet...hard to explain. It has a handle like one of those garden hose handles that keeps the water from coming out except when you push it.

I wash him with a furry glove. This keeps my hands on him at all times, comforting him, but still bathing him. The furry gloves I use are the super-cheap gloves you can get that are really small, but stretch. They're really soft and good for lathering--but not the kind that aren't 'furry'--they don't lather much. I keep one hand on him at all times, usually under his belly but sometimes on top of him if I don't feel he's a flight risk.

When it's time to rinse, I push the handle and rinse him. He does pretty well! I think the key is to keep a hand on him at all times so he's comfortable, and to not keep the water faucet on. If you don't have a handheld that you can pause, maybe you could fill up a bucket or some cups to rinse him off with so you don't have to turn the water back on. Also, I find that the warmer the water is, it more it almost soothes him.

Oh, and I just realized that you probably wouldn't need a glove at all to wash a furry cat. Duh!

Unless they have gotten themselves in a huge mess or something toxic, or are not grooming themselves well, it should not be necessary to bathe a cat. Cats hate water and they have no problem letting you know this!

For minor messes like a little surplus poop on the rear end or dirty paws from playing outside, you can use baby wipes, commercially available cat wipes, or a warm, damp washcloth.