The vinegar in the rinse water helps to get out all the shampoo and also helps to restore skin ph. The cat will be less likely to develop dry or irritated skin.
A Dry shampoo is a good idea. That way you do not have to go through the stress of bathing but still get her nice and clean. See my post in the Members marketplace for brand recommendation.
There are a lot of tips for bathing in this thread. The important thing is to be confident, and talk softly to the cat. I bathe mine and they don't hate me at all. In fact they follow me all over the place!
Other than his gas, that is. *Rolls eyes*
Yes it is fine. Groomers use it all the time. I use it on Jake all the time and his coat is far from stripped of oil. In fact he tends to be over oily. Dawn is common practice with groomers and professionals. And we usually follow up with a conditioning shampoo and a vinegar rinse to restore the ph of the skin, which is key.
Glad you had some success and your boy smells nicer.Originally Posted by MsKtty89
Well, maybe after Foofy is done with her cold (whenever she's finished all the medicine) I'll give it a try. I bathed 1337 yesterday, thinking he'd be okay since he's the mildest of all three of our cats, but he hated it to bits (so I made it as simple as possible). I must say, he smells MUCH nicer now, though.
Please Your stripping and restoring. Why not don't strip at all!
OMG...I LOVE your cat names. Right when I read "Foofy" I started cracking up so loud!
You use about 2-3 Tablespoons of white vinegar to 2-3 gallons of water. It really helps to get all the soap out too. Be careful of any human conditioners you use. Make sure they don't contain any tea tree oil in them. I would be very cautious about human conditioners. Personally, I wouldn't use them just because I get paranoid about things like that. What is not harmfull to us can be deadly to them.Originally Posted by jiazzi
OMG...I LOVE your cat names. Right when I read "Foofy" I started cracking up so loud!1337?Your kitty names are so adorable!
My question for bathing experts is...what kind of conditioner do you use? Human conditioner? I have Dr. Foster & Smith's oatmeal shampoo for pets but would LOVE to know if you can use human conditioner as my Tyler has long hair.
And maybe I skimmed over this but how many parts of vinegar do you use to water?
One other question. I read that rinsing is very important to get out all the shampoo but how long do you usually spend on a long-haired cat?
I'm just giving my 25 + years of experience and the experience of people who breed and show cats for many many years. I'm sorry if you dissagree but it is my job to put forth my experiences on thecatsite. The shampoo industry, of course, is trying to sell shampoos. Sometimes very expensive ones at that. I'm not saying you are and I don't believe it. It's just may be what you were taught and what your experience is. I'm trying to offer an unbiased solution from experience. I have no ties to any company. In reality, the oils don't come from the actual hair but from the scalp and follicles. I appreciate your opinions!
Absolutely! And it's a good alternative if your cat gets into something and that's all you have around because you don't normally bathe your pet!
When I was staying at my mom's last summer, the dogs (3) and cat had fleas. The vets (1 canine and 1 feline specialist) both recommended Dawn. I ended up bathing all three dogs twice, and the cat once.
