Kitty bathtime.

I have a kitten that is somewhere between 4-6 weeks (I think, he could be older).

He's a wild cat, born in a barn, so when I found him he wasn't the cleanest. Since then I've taken him outside with me alot, to let him play considering thats where he spent all his time before I took him in anyway. He seems to have an attraction to dirt, laying in it or just stepping through it. He's also a VERY messy eater, and messy in the litter box... not to mention he rarely cleans himself.

I have two questions...:

1. I want to give him a bath, is it a good or bad idea, and whats the best soap and method?

2. How can I get him to begin grooming himself, or will he start doing it as he gets older?

Sounds like a very young kitten. I would get a vet health check before you try bathing him. For now just wipe him down with a wash cloth. If the vet says the kitten is heathly I would bathe him with baby shampoo.

I have a kitty just like that. When she was about 8 weeks old, I started letting her play in the water in the bathtub, so she'd get used to it and it wouldn't freak her out as she got older. Later, I started bathing her with antibacterial soap and sometimes I even use my own conditioner on her. That might not sound so good, but this cat REFUSES to clean herself, ever. So it's not like she's going to be ingesting anything, and it's nice to have her actually smelling decent for a while.

It's probably kind of uncommon for cats to absolutely refuse to bathe themselves, like Dinah. I'm sure your kitty will start cleaning in time.

But if you want to give him baths, make sure that he gets used to the water young!

Isis was a barn kitty. She made a good adjustment. She was also very dirty when I got her but the vet said I shouldn't bathe her until she was over her UTI that she had. She has had two baths in the month that she has been here and while she isn't very fond of the water, she deals with it. I use childrens/baby shampoo and make sure that i have a towel going in the dryer for when it is time to get out of the bath tub. As far as method, I put Isis in the sink, and I don't let the stream of water run over her directly. I cup it in my hand and "pet" her if you will. This gets the water over her and tends to calm her down alot. I don't directy apply the shampoo, I put it in my hands and rub it together. Kind of like I'm washing my hands with it. Then again I "pet" the soap over her and repeat my petting method with water again to rinse. Hope this helps and good luck!

Pixel was born outside and found outside before I found her at the shelter. Often she would not clean her behind. I would gently hold her and, using a spray bottle, wet the area. This would cause her to start lapping at the water and it taught her to clean herself.

This part is optional and I have no idea if it had ANYTHING to do with her understanding me:

Before spraying her, I would sniff her (I wouldn't put my nose in there or anything) right around her haunches. Then, say "oh oh."

Then after she was clean I would the do the same thing, and then make nice nice sounds.

Don't laugh!

It actually seemed to work!

I would start bathing your kitten now using mild baby shampoo. I did this with my own cat as a kitten, and he doesn't enjoy baths but he won't try to eat me. He just tries climbing out of the tub. Whatever you want your kitten to be good with, you need to do now, like nail clipping, bathing, and brushing if it has a long hair coat.

As far as cleaning he's still young, he'll catch on evetnually [or be one of the few who aren't good at grooming hehehe].