Cat Shampoo Brands Okay?

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ghostchant

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My kitty seems to have an itchy licky problem, so I'm thinking he might need a bath.

I know that unless you want to risk your cat's health, you should buy expensive flea meds. Is this the same with shampoo? We have "Hartz" and "BioGuard". I know the cheap 8$ flea medicine from Hartz is bad -- so what about the shampoo? And is BioGuard just another brand, or is it something decent?

Any replies ASAP would be great because I need to give my kitty a bath very soon. Thank you!
 
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i used the Zodiac flea shampoo (about $10 small bottle)on Phenom with a flea collar and it has seemed to do the trick. she doesnt itch like she did and i havent seen any fleas and believe me i have been checking her like crazy. just be careful to follow the directions to the letter!
 
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Originally Posted by Phenomsmom

i used the Zodiac flea shampoo (about $10 small bottle)on Phenom with a flea collar and it has seemed to do the trick. she doesnt itch like she did and i havent seen any fleas and believe me i have been checking her like crazy. just be careful to follow the directions to the letter!
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Okay yeah, that was another thing. I didnt know if I could go to the store (Walmart, or does it need to be a pet store?) and buy some. I dont care if its 20 bucks. I just cant wait 2 weeks or whatever for a website to send it, you know? And my kitty doesnt have fleas. He's just CONSTANTLY licking and itching himself. I just figured a bath couldn't hurt.
 
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kerrimah2005

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Originally Posted by Phenomsmom

i used the Zodiac flea shampoo (about $10 small bottle)on Phenom with a flea collar and it has seemed to do the trick. she doesnt itch like she did and i havent seen any fleas and believe me i have been checking her like crazy. just be careful to follow the directions to the letter!
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ive used adams and other store brands I guess id say I was just careful not to overdo the shampoo ..a small amount does fine as with any skin condition you dont want to make it worse by overdoign with chemicals..just make sure kittys rinsed well and dried as best you can ..I tend to blot
up the wetness for as long as she kittys will stay still...rubbing with towel seems to irriate them more...also even though my cats are indoor onli I still use flea drops so they dont get them
good luck with kitty bath
 
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goldenkitty45

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You are wasting money on Hartz stuff. If you are not positive its fleas - do you see any evidence?, then you shouldn't be using a flea shampoo. Cats can also be itchy due to dry skin or general winter "dryness".

I know a lot of you will probably object, but we have never used "cat shampoos" for washing our cats - they get the good people stuff - Nexxus shampoo and conditioner. Never had a problem using it. The secret is a little conditioner on the coat after the shampoo.
 
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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

You are wasting money on Hartz stuff. If you are not positive its fleas - do you see any evidence?, then you shouldn't be using a flea shampoo. Cats can also be itchy due to dry skin or general winter "dryness".

I know a lot of you will probably object, but we have never used "cat shampoos" for washing our cats - they get the good people stuff - Nexxus shampoo and conditioner. Never had a problem using it. The secret is a little conditioner on the coat after the shampoo.
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I'm pretty sure it's not fleas. And winter dryness sounds about right. I dont need the chemicals in cat shampoos to kill fleas or whatever, so I really wouldnt mind using people shampoo. I think its just about time he needs a little wash. We've got pantene shampoo. Think that would do?


PS - Thank you everyone for your replies
 
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I use kitty shampoo from places like target and CVS with no problem.... Oliver gets a bath once a month to help with shedding/my mom's allergies and to get rid of those litter paws... my procedure's been pretty much perfected after years of bathing strays at the shelter/vet:

With Ollie, I harness him and attach his leash to the built-in handle in the tub (he's good during his baths, but I dont want to take the chance of a soapy naked kitty running around my apartment)... then I soak him down (my showerhead is the kind with the hose, so it reaches to the bottom of the tub)... he doesnt like the tub filling up, so I turn off the water and soap him up: I start at the neck and work back, bein sure to get his boy parts good - lord knows they need a good cleanin once in awhile, hehe - then I go down his legs and do his paws.... the last thing I do, is a TINY TINY bit of soapy foam on his head around his ears (you can essentially skip this step if it makes u nervous - I always clean his ears out afterwards anyway).... then the water goes back on and I wash the soap down his head away from his eyes, then THOUROUGHLY rinse the rest of him... if you arent extremely thorough in the rinsing, then your kitty's gonna itch like crazy anyway cuz of the dried soap... then I use his shed tool to slick a bunch of water off him and get rid of some dead hair - another step you dont necessarily have to do... then he gets blotted with a towel while still in the tub, then wrapped up like a baby in the rest of the towels and I hold him for awhile til he starts to squirm...

As far as your kitty itching, look for shampoo that's meant for kitties with dry skin (those types often have oatmeal in them)... my dog gets dry skin in the winter and we use human Head and Shoulders on her and it works and smells great...
 
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ghostchant

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Originally Posted by BuzbyJLC10

I use kitty shampoo from places like target and CVS with no problem.... Oliver gets a bath once a month to help with shedding/my mom's allergies and to get rid of those litter paws... my procedure's been pretty much perfected after years of bathing strays at the shelter/vet:

With Ollie, I harness him and attach his leash to the built-in handle in the tub (he's good during his baths, but I dont want to take the chance of a soapy naked kitty running around my apartment)... then I soak him down (my showerhead is the kind with the hose, so it reaches to the bottom of the tub)... he doesnt like the tub filling up, so I turn off the water and soap him up: I start at the neck and work back, bein sure to get his boy parts good - lord knows they need a good cleanin once in awhile, hehe - then I go down his legs and do his paws.... the last thing I do, is a TINY TINY bit of soapy foam on his head around his ears (you can essentially skip this step if it makes u nervous - I always clean his ears out afterwards anyway).... then the water goes back on and I wash the soap down his head away from his eyes, then THOUROUGHLY rinse the rest of him... if you arent extremely thorough in the rinsing, then your kitty's gonna itch like crazy anyway cuz of the dried soap... then I use his shed tool to slick a bunch of water off him and get rid of some dead hair - another step you dont necessarily have to do... then he gets blotted with a towel while still in the tub, then wrapped up like a baby in the rest of the towels and I hold him for awhile til he starts to squirm...

As far as your kitty itching, look for shampoo that's meant for kitties with dry skin (those types often have oatmeal in them)... my dog gets dry skin in the winter and we use human Head and Shoulders on her and it works and smells great...
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I noticed that there is some *dog* oatmeal shampoo in the cabinet. Would it not be good to use dog shampoo on a kitty? (I assume if it's okay then it would say for cat AND dog, but I figure I'd ask anyways).
 
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Originally Posted by Ghostchant

I noticed that there is some *dog* oatmeal shampoo in the cabinet. Would it not be good to use dog shampoo on a kitty? (I assume if it's okay then it would say for cat AND dog, but I figure I'd ask anyways).
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I would say that it's ok as long as it doesn't say "For dogs only" anywhere on the bottle... I bought Oliver some new shampoo for Christmas (shhh, don't tell him!) and I got it a Target... It's natural oatmeal shampoo - "Premium" brand - and on all the directions and everything on the bottle it says "pet" and not specifically "dog" so I got it (although there is a dog on the bottle)... but I do stay away from the ones that says specifically "for dogs only" - you won't be using crazy amounts of it anyhow, just enough to get the kitty clean, so I personally don't see a problem with it and would probably use it myself - if anyone else has a different opinion, please post it!
 
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Thanks again everyone. Now I have some kind of idea of what to do to give my kitty a bath
 
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Pantene would be fine (with conditioner). Make sure you rinse any shampoo out. Dawn is really good for a greasy coat - a lot of persian show people use it for their longhairs (especially around the tail parts).
 
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Originally Posted by Ghostchant

Thanks again everyone. Now I have some kind of idea of what to do to give my kitty a bath
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No problem and good luck! Is this going to be your kitty's first bath? I hope it goes well as not all cats take kindly to bathing, haha... the only reason I ever tried was cuz I had so much experience bathing strays, whether they wanted it or not, at the shelter... thankfully Oliver is a very good boy during baths!
 
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Alright. I want to wash him now. But because he's been scratching so much, he's got a few scabs. Would it be bad to wash him with the scabs? I dont want them to get irritated and have a problem. I'm not sure if thats what will even happen. Any ideas?

Thanks again!
 
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