How offten to shampoo your cat?

I have two half Persians and have been told you should bathe them about once a week. But I have also had some one on here say not to bathe them more then once a month. So who is right? Also what is a good shampoo for their type of coat?


Francine

I wouldn't have thought you would ever had to bathe your cats unless they got really dirty with mud or something.


Cats will generally clean themselves pretty well.

I've never had to wash any of my cats - That includes long hairs.

My Norwegian Forest Cat gets bathed once a year.
Unless they are dirty (or smelly), there is really no reason to bathe them at all.
The NFC only gets a bath after she's been shaved down to remove loose hair.

I wash my cats about one month to every other month, and it is an effort, but they smell so nice afterwards. (I always wash them before my family comes out of state, which is about twice a year to make them smell nice and fresh...) I don't do anymore than that as they wash themselves pretty good and the oils on their body I don't want to strip away. Although sometimes one of my longhair cats needs more, as I think he rolls in the litterbox!! EWW, stinky!!

There is no reason to bathe them unless they aren't doing it themselves or if they're smelly. You can take a warm wet cloth and gently rub them down with it. This will get off the dirt but not traumatize them. Besides that, if you don't get all the soap off and you bathe them that often, they'll clean the soap by licking and ingesting it and that's not good for them.

I don't think I've bathed mine since they were kittens! I prefered unscarred arms, but will risk it if ABSOLUTELY neccesary!

I only ever bathed once (my Himalayan included) because of fleas and I just washed them in dishsoap. I wouldn't do it unless they are really dirty. I definately would not do it once a week!

I bathe Oliver once a month... he's a VERY good bath kitty - not thrilled to be there, but he cooperates and sits still very well... I bath him a) because my mom is allergic and if I dont bathe him, she cant even be in the house with him (I have the allergy stuff that you put on a washcloth and put on him, but that doesnt work nearly as well, I only use it in between baths) and b) because by the end of the month all he smells like is litter (even though he preens himself like a million hours a day) and I really dont like sleeping with a litter box curled next to my head (it doesnt matter the brand either - litter is litter and it all smells like litter, haha)... Oliver's a shorthair and I just use oatmeal pet shampoo (helps keep dander down) - I know places like Foster and Smith sell all kinds of pet shampoo (check the description though, some will say "for dogs only" or "not for cats")... I know they have like coat brightening and moisturizing and all fun kinds of things... just my opinion on all this - I just know I wouldnt be able to cuddle up with my furry boy if he didnt get a monthly bath, and he's a cuddler!

I dont bath my cats. I think I would end up in hospital if I did. Even when I used to show cats, I only just brushed them. The two I have now aren't keen on being brushed a lot but they are shorthair cats and a good hand grooming gets their fur looking nice.

i dont bathe my cats either unless i have to cats are pretty clean if u think about it they take more baths then we do lol

I have a persian and I also have read persians should be bathed once a month. I think the once a week is for show cats. But I only bathe my persian about 4 times a year, once a season. I also have been wondering about a good shampoo for persians. I do not want to do a show a bath and have yet to find a shampoo I like. I usually just take my persian to a groomer but I have been doing him myself for about 9 months now.

I bathe Twitch once a month to keep her white fur white. She isn't very good about her backhalf, so I wash that with a pet wipe twice a week. Lily thinks its fun to roll in her poo on occaison, so I bathe her when I bathe Twitch. Then they are both clean.

I like Oatmeal shampoos because they are better on the fur/skin. I wouldn't suggest a whiteneing shampoo because I always wonder how they whiten.... I bought a coat brightening shampoo for white cats & it got more yellow out of Ophie's fur. I would suggest smelling the shampoo before you buy it. You don't want you cats smellling like something you don't like!

Funny you should ask that. I just gave Dori a bath last night and it was the first one in over a year. She does a great job of keeping herself clean, but I noticed as she was sleeping on my head the other night (silly cat) that she smelled a little funny. She wasn't happy with getting a bath but strangely she was ready to cuddle as soon as it was over. Personally, I think she just wanted to get me all wet

Clover is a half himy and he would only get a bath when he was dirty (outside kitty). Now he dosne't get baths because he dosen't live with me. I think it can mess up the oils on their fur if they get bathed to frequently but I can't remember where I heard that.

The only cats I know that absolutely need baths are hairless cats like Sphynx.

I had two females and they were such good kitties. They kept themselves real clean. But my boys, now they are another thing all together. I have never seen a cat not like to groom them selves. They do lick themselves, but not as often as I would think they would groom. Any ways they get pretty dirty, and I have to keep clipping the poo off of their back ends. It is gross, but I am not going to let them run around with it on them, until they decide they don't care for it any more. Any ways that is the reason why I asked about the bathing, because they need it. I just don't want to over do it, so their poor skin gets too itchy.

Curious, how old are your boys?
I've noticed that none of our boys was very fastidious when they were young.

If they need baths, and they get itchy, get an oatmeal shampoo, make sure it is ok for use on cats though.

We had a cat who smelled so good, that when she slept in the dirty clothes hamper, the whole bedroom smelled wonderful! If I could have bottled that... I would have bathed all my cats in it!( I still have her mom-she smells faintly like her daughter did-makes me smile and sad at the same time.)

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I would suggest smelling the shampoo before you buy it. You don't want you cats smellling like something you don't like!

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That's another reason I like the oatmeal shampoos - makes me think of cookies!

I'd say that once a month is ok (sounds like your boys do need some bathing)... to me, once a week sounds like a little too much... would probably dry out their skin some - especially if you happen to not rinse them completely...

When you do decide to bathe them (it sounds like it will be their first baths) search on here about bathing.... there've been discussions on this before about good techniques and such to use - I bathe Ollie like I bathe the dog: in the bathtub with the shower head (the kind that has a hose so you can bring it down into the tub) - he doesnt like if the tub starts to fill, but most cats I've encountered dont like this kind of bath and would rather have water poured over them... gotta see what kind of kitties yours are in the bath - whatever technique you decide on, the MOST important thing is that you stay calm... if you are nervous, your cats will sense this and will probably freak out and become more nervous than they already will be.... GOOD LUCK!

My guys are about 11 months old, here is a more recent pic of them. That was taken in Jan. They are pretty big boys, they weigh about 11 lbs. As for them getting bathes. They got two when I first got them. They were flea infested, so they needed one. And then this past weekend I gave them one. I used baby shampoo, so as not to be to harsh on them. I heard some one mention they used dish soap on their cat when or if they ever had to wash them. That is too harsh a detergent to use on them, just thought I should mention that. Any ways the one who is always a bit of a handful is Sammy, and he didn't do to bad. I was expecting to get a little clawed from him. But instead I got pretty badly clawed up by my guy who is always laid back. Bings is a pretty good guy, maybe it was just that I thought I wouldn't have too much a problem with him. So I let my guard down. Whatever the factor, he did pretty good at first. But then he just said he had enough, and tried to get out of the tub. And that was even if he had to go over me to do it. And that is what he tried. He got his three nails caught in my forearm. And left behind a pretty badly bruised arm. I had to pull his nails out of my skin, and they didn't want to come out. Man that hurt. I have had cats all my life. And have had them scratch me before too. But this one was a dozy, he's freaking out on me, and I am trying to stay calm and get his nails out of me with out hurting either of us too bad. Well let’s just say I got the raw end of the deal. My husband poor stomach just can't take it when I showed him what happen. LOL It did look worse then it felt. It hurt more when it happen, then after words. But it still looks pretty bad. I know I keep saying it, but I just can't get over what happen. LOL Any ways, you can better believe it, I will be a lot more cautious when next I have to clean him up.

Wow!!! They are both GORGEOUS!!!!

We gave my Molly a bath once and I had a similar experience. Molly was a very mellow cat also. If I attempted it with Abby , I don't think I would live to tell the story.

I hope you heal real quick