Dont know my cat breed can I give her a bath?

Hello, I got this cat a week ago from a friend.
Its 5 years old. Is that old?

He told me if you give her a bath she might get sick or even die. He said she can clean her self up. She look clean to me nothing wrong with her skin. It just she stink.

Can I give her a bath?

Also another question. Is there a way to make this cat smart. When I call her name she come. But she dont know how to do anything else.
Any training online info?

One more thing she love sitting on top of my monitor. is that dangerous for her? I think she like the heat.

You really don't train a cat. There is no need. It sounds to me like you could use a book on basic cat care as well as a vet visit. If your cat stinks- she could be ill. Has she been to a vet since she came into your home?

No not yet.. Her skin is nice and nothing really look wrong with her. I search through her body and nothing is on it. She is a clean cat. She never been outside.

But didnt take a bath for long time.

I am afraid if I gived her a bath something wrong will happen

also i dont have much time to take her to a hospital. I have school.

He was going to give her to a shelter so I thought maybe I could take it I think she is happy here. It just I am not happy with her smell.

what kinda of smell??

When I first got my kitties from the shelter they smelt horrible from being around so many animals. If you do decide to give her a bath I would suggest having a friend help you because you could get hurt or could hurt the cat. Start with a couple inches of water in the bathtub and a large cup to make it easier to wet the cat, they won't tolerate a removable shower head. Usually a cat will try to climb it's way out of the tub which you can use to your advantage. If she trys to climb try to place her on the wall opposite of the tub ledge that way she can't climb out. Make sure to have a towel ready and it's best to just hold her at first in the towel to absorb the water before really drying her off. Make sure that you rinse her really well because they can get sick from licking the shampoo off of her fur or can develop a rash. You'll need to get shampoo from a pet store probably and some stores have a brush through type of shampoo that doesn't require water. It's like a foam and it just goes into their fur and you brush it through.

As for sitting on your computer monitor, my cats do the same thing. It's not dangerous to them but you may want to make sure she isn't going to be getting cat fur inside of your computer fan directly because it can hurt your computer. Good luck!

Sorry but your picture was way over the size limit allowed so I removed it. Your friend was pulling your leg. Cats don't die if you give them baths unless you really don't know what you are doing and put them in harms way. But cat's don't need to have baths (usually) and if your cat stinks she needs to go to a vet.

I would agree with Hissy, whilst it is not dangerous in the normal course of events to give your cat a bath, she really needs to see a Vet to find out why she smells.

She could be ill and that may be the reason why your friend gave the kitty away. After all, it's not usual to give a loving, indoor kitty away when they are 5 years old. If she is ill the kindest thing is to take her to the Vet, just like a person it would be awful if they were ill and nobody cared enough to get treatment.

If you give her a bath, make sure you don't get any water in her ears or soap in her eyes/nose/mouth (of course). Make sure to get all of the shampoo out of her fur and the water is warm.

She will probably really, really hate a bath because she's not used to it. I don't think you should give her a bath yet, but if you do, be careful! You should take her to the vet to make sure she's okay first, because you never know, even if your friend says she is fine. Plus it's always a good idea when you get a new kitty.

Here is a good site with a lot of info about caring for a kitty: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/cat_care/

And another: http://cats.about.com/

This just crossed my mind too, you can take her to a grooming place where they will clean her for you so that neither of you is uncomfortable. Some places can be relatively cheap, less than $30 or so.

Originally Posted by traincracker

i dont have much time to take her to a hospital. I have school.

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You need to take her to the vet. No if's and's or but's. It is not normal for an indoor cat to smell bad and it is definitely an idication of a problem. I don't mean to be harsh, but not having time is not a reason to keep her getting vet care that she needs. She is a living thing and she relies on you for her health and happiness. When you took her in you accepted obligation to keep her healthy and happy. If you can't to that, then you need to think about giving her to someone who can take care of her. She may have a health problem that needs to be addressed, and will miss important vet care if you do not find a way to take her in.