Blow Drying?

Since Kiney's fur is kind of long when i let her air dry after a bath she looks kind of bad. Her fur isn't as fluffed out and pretty. Plus she shakes and shivers the entire time she is wet. So, friday after her bath i decided to blow dry her. At first I thought she was gonna have a heart attack but when she realized it wasnt going to hurt her she calmed down. I made sure it wasnt to hot and i dried her on a low setting so the noise wouldnt be so loud.

Do any of you blow dry your cats? Is it ok to do this?

I think it's ok if your cat will tolerate it. Just be careful you don't have it on a hot setting and be careful not to burn her skin with it - keep it moving. I've never tried it as I've never bathed a cat in my life!

When I was bathing Petunia (RB), I would use the hair dryer on low. She got used to it without a problem and would come sit on the bathroom counter beside me when I was blowing my own hair dry. As long as it is on low and you are constantly moving it, I think you should be fine.

My old cat, Murphy, seemed to like it. He was so cold after a bath that he liked the warm air. I didnt realize that not many people bathe their cats. I try to bathe mine every 2 weeks or at least once a month. I was just wondering if you all blow dry your cats also.

Just out of interest - why do you want to bathe your cat so often? I'm just curious as I've never really heard of bathing cats before unless they were show cats or had rolled in something particularly nasty outside! Mine are always spotless and very fastidious with their hygiene. I used to have a long haired moggy and he never needed bathing. I currently have a somali kitten who I'm considering showing (not sure he has the temperament for it) and I don't think I'd bathe him even for a show as he doesn't need it.

I just like her to smell really good. I tend to put my face in my cat's fur a lot. And I let her play outside on a leash sometimes so I am afraid of fleas and dirt. Sometimes her fur just starts to look kind of bad after a while it looses it's "fluff" until i bathe her. I don't really know. I like to bathe my cats every once and a while so they are extra clean and I guess I do it so often so that they will get used to it when I do need to bathe them. (other wise it's an aweful experience). I will probably not be faithful to it and end up slacking off later. One thing is that I check her for fleas and I can see her skin SO much better when she's wet. Her fur is kind of long and I cant see her skin at all dry. I try all the time.

Plus she has been scratching lately and i cant find any fleas on her. I dont know why she is scratching but I keep bathing her because I keep thinking she has fleas. I am taking her to the doctor tomorrow and I will tell her about the scratching. Along with a LIST of other things. lol. I have SO many questions.

She could be having a slight reaction to your shampoo. My dog is that way. If you use the more medicated flea and tick shampoos on him he will scratch and scratch for days afterwards.

Originally Posted by Telynn

She could be having a slight reaction to your shampoo. My dog is that way. If you use the more medicated flea and tick shampoos on him he will scratch and scratch for days afterwards.

Click to expand...

That was my first thought too. Or her skin could be dry and itchy if the shampoo dried it out.

I agree - the shampoo could be causing the problem. I'm not sure it's a good idea to bathe a cat that often - when you bathe them you strip away the natural oils in the coat so it's best not done too often. My cats smell good without being bathed!

I am inclined to agree that the extent of washing is removing the natural oils!

My three play outdoor on their harnesses and leads and they have never been dirty enough to require a bath!

Well I will cut back on the bathing but I'm not going to stop altogether. I appreciate all of your advice. I really just want to get her used to bathing while she's young so I dont have to go through heck when it comes time to bathe her as an adult.