Can I bath the kittens?

Hi all, My two 10-wks old kittens has got home for 5 days, they are doing fine and more familiar with environment. Right now we are considering a bath for Foxy, the long-hair baby cuz she's very dirty from playing in the old couch (visible dirts in the fur, few hair under chin start to mat), we did comb her and brush her but it doesn't help much. Consider these kittens are very young and probably still under stress, can I give her bath?

Thanks!

I wouldn't. A little dirt isn't going to hurt them as much as being to cold and catching a chill.

I wouldn't either, 10 weeks is pretty young.

I had to bathe my kitten Ozzie because he knocked over a jar of olive oil in the pantry and got it all over him... ugh, what a night. He was probably 7 weeks at the time and thoroughtly pissed off, but i kept him burrito-ed in a towel and was in a small bathroom. After about 20 minutes of so i gave hima good rub down and used my blowdryer on warm for a couple minutes and he was all but dry.

The alternative was to have him coated in olive oil and have him eat it, not to mention the mess he'd get everywhere. I'd say if you ensure he's kept warm emough I don't see a problem, treat them like you would a baby and they should be ok.

I wouldn't bath them unless it is a real emergency - I had to with Persil when I found her because she was drenched in black motor oil. Otherwise try and comb/softbrush them gently to remove mats and loose dirt.

I personally think it is a good idea to get a kitten used to baths. I wouldnt bathe more then everyother week tho.

i think it would be fine,,but if your worried about getting too cold , there is dry shampoo for cats that you can use, I use that sometimes, and it smels like baby powder,,it does get them clean too. absorbes the oil and dirt, hope this helps.

Sure, just make sure the water is not too hot. You can probably wash the kitten right in your kitchen sink at that age. I've washed rex kittens in the kitchen sink.

Be sure to towel them dry, keep away from drafts and if a longhair, you'll have to gently comb and use the blow dryer; otherwise the wet fur will tangle. Get someone to hold the blow dryer while you comb the kitten.

I've haven to give Harley 2 bathes - once he decided to tip our outside table over and spilled beer all over himself...and I didn't want a kitten that smelled like beer!

The other time we were in the living room and he thought it would be fun to play with the spoon that was still in a cereal bowl that had milk in it, needless to say, the bowl and milk came down on top of him and he was covered in it.

He has quite the problem with tipping things over that have liquids...and they always seem to end up right on him!

He doesn't mind baths tho - which is quite odd! Sometimes I think he enjoys them!

If you are going to give it a try.....clip nails on all four paws to save yourself from some deep scratches

I have bathed kits as young as 6 weeks in the kitchen sink. However this was a 1 time event and using a damp cloth was not enough.
Those kits in particular were found in their own filth plus god knows what else matted in every part of their body.

I would not recommend giving them a bath in water at this age unless its a necessity.
a damp cloth, some soft soap, a brush, or comb will do wonders.
Either way,
Avoid their Nose, eyes and ears with soap. Careful of any excess dampness on their paws(like kids, whats on the paws goes in the mouth). Do not leave them damp to dry. Dry them off with a towel until they are completely dry.
Give them plenty of your body warmth or similar method to insure their body temp is ok prior to letting the go back to investigating the big world around them.

I agree with getting kittens used to baths. Every coulple months when I notice my cats starting to look a little oily I call a bathday. I can't remember the age I started bathing Kitty, but if it was after 10 wks, it wasn't long after that. Now, when they need a bath it's really no problem at all which most people find very surprising. If you don't dry the cat completely afterwards, I do recommend a thorough brushing after the bath or as the cat licks itself dry, it'll most definitely get a hairball. Learned that one the hard way!

I used to give my kittens baths to get them used to it too, up till they were about 16 weeks old. When they came home from the shelter my adult cat hated them/the smell of them. They had coccidia too so they were always playing in their diarrehea, gross. Deffinatly clip their claws Cats body temps are a few degrees warmed than our own so make sure the water is warm to you but not hot. Good luck!

Now would be the time to get your kitten used to a bath. Especially if he is long haired and you are going to want to bathe him in the future. Just keep him warm after and try to blow dry him.

We start getting our Persian kittens used to baths at about six weeks old, even if they're for only pets.