Bathing my two kittens

Do you think it would be a good idea to bath my two little kittens?
One is 12 weeks and the other is 13 weeks.
Billy sat on the side of the bath when I was in it and wasn't too bothered about the water. He always sits in the bath and sink when they are empty. Perhaps he's trying to tell me something
On the other hand Max isn't that keen on water although he will come in when I am in the bath

I've always loved the idea of giving a cat a bath but never been allowed to do it.

What are you suggestions?

There really is no reason to unless the cat is extremely dirty like he got into something and it is just too much for him to be cleaning off himself. A bath occationally is fine but too much can dry out their skin and coats. Just use Johnsons Baby Shampoo if you do as opposed to cat shampoos.

I wouldn't recommend bathing your kittens! They will do a great job themselves!

As mentioned though, if they do get into something that will be either too much for them to clean off or bad for their health, then a bath is a good idea.

I don't see why not. As long as the kittens are kept out of drafts till they dry. It's better to start young so they won't be a problem later if giving a bath.

Of course any of my show cats were washed on a regular basis from about 3 months old. My 15 yr old I have to give weekly baths now as he can't keep himself as clean as he used too - pays off in him being washed since a kitten - he just stands in the tub and stays while you wash him.

There are articles and other threads on how to give a cat a bath on the board.

I bathe Oliver once a month... he does a great job preening himself, but after a month, haha, he smells kinda like cat spit... plus his pretty light orange feet get ashy from litter and my mom's allergic to him - the monthly bath also helps greatly to reduce shedding (especially in the summer)... I never would have attempted to bathe a then 3 year old former stray cat without my experience doing so many times at the shelter, but Oliver's GREAT in the bathtub... I use pet shampoo (usually something like an oatmeal mix so his skin doesnt dry), but whatever you use, make sure it's ok for young kittens.... He gets towel dried in the tub and then wrapped up in dry towels and I hold him like a baby until he starts squirming to get out (I definitely make sure my heat's turned up when its wintertime), then he gets to curl up in my bed for a little in his ducky bathrobe (yes, he's spoiled beyond belief) and after awhile I take it off and he walks around doin the wet cat foot kick thing and then he'll preen to dry off.... I try to give him a dose of hairball medicine before we go to bed that night too since he preens for like an hour after his bath and the hair is loose due to the bath.... I wouldn't really bathe more than once a month though, cuz the natural oils the cat produces are good and you don't want to dry out the skin - Ollie got 2 last month but only because the day after his first bath, we had a foot laceration incident which resulted in him rolling around in pools of his own blood (don't worry, its not as bad as it sounds, haha, he's perfectly fine now)

Thanks for all the infomation and your own opinions

Oh, also, I do agree that if you do decide that your kitties will get baths, the earlier you start them the better.... being tiny you can have more control over them and then by the time they're bigger they should be used to it and not put up much of a fuss.... I do harness up Oliver and attach his leash to the tub, just in case he gets the idea that he wants to jump out and run around the apartment naked and soapy!

At 12 and 13 weeks, they're probably old enough that they're not getting too dirty by playing in their food or litter, so they should be pretty clean in general. And they're short-haired - self-grooming can take care of almost all their needs.

I usually have to bathe the rescue kittens I foster - they'll be really grimy or have fleas or ocassionally ringworm. And I agree that it's good to acclimate young kittens to bathing - later in life, they may need to get special baths for medical reasons.

For example, this little guy needed ringworm baths once a week for a month:

(Just b/c he needed the baths didn't mean he had to like them, of course...)

Sounds like you've gotten Billy & Max to a good start. A nice gentle shampoo, soft comfy towels, and lots of encouragement/reassurance can make baths quite tolerable for kitties.

P.S. Kittens' fur is sooooo soft after they've had baths...

Also, keep in mind that if you ever show your kittys, they HAVE to have baths - that's why its not wrong to bathe them earlier and every so often.

Maybe I have no problem with washing kittens/cats because almost all my cats I've own were show cats - either in HHP classes or pedigree and I see nothing wrong with a regular washing.

Thanks for the other information I don't think we will show them
We got them a harness and lesh today and have tried it on both of them but did not do it up. Both weren't that bothered about it which was good although they do like playing with it

Harness and leash training is another thing that's better to start early so they get used to it... Oliver still goes into "slinky cat" mode for a little when his harness goes on