Tips For Giving New Cats A Bath

[Curlynn]

So my fiance works in a factory and has been feeding this little black feral cat that has been taking shelter from the cold inside their building. Last night she was caught in a trap someone put up so I decided to take her home so she wouldn't be in the trap all night until someone decides to take her. She was very skiddish and never let anyone touch her in the factory but after bringing her home and checking her out she cuddled in my lap and purred her little heart out. She's very very very smelly right now, so bad I thought she pooped in the kennel but its actually just her. Now, I'm not sure if shes going to be so sweet with me once I try to give her a much needed bath. Does anyone have any tips on how to go about this and any good cat shampoo brands they would recommend? She's maybe 4 months old.

 

[Margret]

Ouch!

My only recommendation is keep her quarantined from your cats! Who knows what parasites and diseases the poor little mite is carrying? I know that doesn't answer your question, but a quarantine is both important and urgent. (Definition: Some things are important, like taking care of cats. Some things are urgent, like answering a ringing phone. Some things are both, like answering that call from the doctor with your test results.)

Margret

 

[Curlynn]

Yeah shes not even in my apartment right now. Shes next door in my friends apartment. I have experience with cats, just not bathing them lol

 

[Curlynn]

Yeah shes not even in my apartment right now. Shes next door in my friends apartment. I have experience with cats, just not bathing them lol

Ouch!

My only recommendation is keep her quarantined from your cats! Who knows what parasites and diseases the poor little mite is carrying? I know that doesn't answer your question, but a quarantine is both important and urgent. (Definition: Some things are important, like taking care of cats. Some things are urgent, like answering a ringing phone. Some things are both, like answering that call from the doctor with your test results.)

Margret

 

[Margret]

Yeah shes not even in my apartment right now. Shes next door in my friends apartment. I have experience with cats, just not bathing them lol

I'm very glad to hear it.

Okay, let's see. Bath suggestions.

1. Trim her claws before bathing her, back as well as front.
2. It may help to have two people involved, one to hold, one to bathe.
3. Make sure the water is warm enough, and use a large cup for pouring water over her.
4. Make sure there isn't too much water in the tub or sink (with a kitten you probably want a bathroom sink).
5. Make sure you have towels ready, for both the cat and the humans.
6. Make sure the bathroom door is closed so she can't get away and end up under the bed.
7. Expect scratches and bites, and research how to care for them before you bathe her. Both of them can be extremely dangerous for humans, because of feline bathroom habits.
8. Make sure your tetanus immunizations are up-to-date first.
9. Sorry, no, I don't know about good cat shampoos.

That's the best I can come up with. I bathe cats as little as possible, and recommend that policy to others, but I agree that this is an emergency situation. If she's that filthy it probably isn't even safe for her to bathe herself.

Margret

 

[orange&white]

You mentioned you thought she pooped in the kennel, so she smells like cat poop, not some other odor? Did you look at her rear end? I'm thinking she might be having a bout of diarrhea and some clung to the fur down the back of her legs? Has your neighbor mentioned if her poops are solid or not?

I would just take a warm damp washrag and wipe her down instead of trying a full-on bath. Much less stressful, and she may actually enjoy that if she's willing to cuddle on your lap and purr. You may need to bath her if she has fleas, or for some reason the odor doesn't get better.

If you do end up needing a full bath, I'd use very diluted blue Dawn dishwashing liquid in warm water. Avoid her ears, nose and eyes, and make sure to get all the soap out when rinsing.

If she is stinky from loose stools, a wormer and good steady nutritional diet should clear that up in short order.

 

[Curlynn]

Thanks for your suggestions! Yeah she hasn't been grooming herself at all. She's terrified of water and I'm just getting her to trust me enough to actually get out of the kennel by herself but she's very timid. She has had very little socialization, but she's coming around to me a little and cuddling and purring if I pick her up but she doesn't walk around much just cuddles if I pick her up otherwise she's frozen wherever she is sitting. I gave her a wet towel bath for starters. Going to give it a day or two before I try a full blown bath like she actually needs. She's going to the vet in a few days so hopefully I can have her cleaned up by then!

I'm very glad to hear it.

Okay, let's see. Bath suggestions.

1. Trim her claws before bathing her, back as well as front.
2. It may help to have two people involved, one to hold, one to bathe.
3. Make sure the water is warm enough, and use a large cup for pouring water over her.
4. Make sure there isn't too much water in the tub or sink (with a kitten you probably want a bathroom sink).
5. Make sure you have towels ready, for both the cat and the humans.
6. Make sure the bathroom door is closed so she can't get away and end up under the bed.
7. Expect scratches and bites, and research how to care for them before you bathe her. Both of them can be extremely dangerous for humans, because of feline bathroom habits.
8. Make sure your tetanus immunizations are up-to-date first.
9. Sorry, no, I don't know about good cat shampoos.

That's the best I can come up with. I bathe cats as little as possible, and recommend that policy to others, but I agree that this is an emergency situation. If she's that filthy it probably isn't even safe for her to bathe herself.

Margret

 

[Curlynn]

update. I found a friggan flea!!! Now, how do I go about preventing my two cats at home to get them? The new cat is currently the apartment two doors down from me so the cats have had no contact what so ever. I don't want them to travel on my clothes and infest my house! I changed in the laundry room immediately and threw my clothes in the wash with hot water and borax... I saw the kitten yesterday though and didn't take these precautions because I didn't see a single flea or egg. How can I prevent them from taking over my house?

 

[orange&white]

I wouldn't worry much about a flea infestation in your house. Do go get Frontline Plus or ask the vet for prescription flea meds when you take the kitten to the vet. Put the monthly flea control on your cats in addition to the kitten.

If the kitten does have a lot of fleas then get some Capstar for a quick knock-down. That will kill every live flea on him in a few hours.

You'd have to neglect a flea problem for a while to end up with your house infested. Sounds like you're on top of it.

 

[Curlynn]

My one cat is scratching herself more often so I think it might already be a problem. The friend that currently has the kitten comes over all the time and probably has fleas on his clothes. What is Capstar and where do I buy it? Im unfamiliar. Im planning on getting my cats frontline or something, depends on the prices, money is really tight for me right now but I'd rather prevent this before it gets ridiculous.

I wouldn't worry much about a flea infestation in your house. Do go get Frontline Plus or ask the vet for prescription flea meds when you take the kitten to the vet. Put the monthly flea control on your cats in addition to the kitten.

If the kitten does have a lot of fleas then get some Capstar for a quick knock-down. That will kill every live flea on him in a few hours.

You'd have to neglect a flea problem for a while to end up with your house infested. Sounds like you're on top of it.

 

[orange&white]

My one cat is scratching herself more often so I think it might already be a problem. The friend that currently has the kitten comes over all the time and probably has fleas on his clothes. What is Capstar and where do I buy it? Im unfamiliar. Im planning on getting my cats frontline or something, depends on the prices, money is really tight for me right now but I'd rather prevent this before it gets ridiculous.

The active ingredient in Capstar is nitenpyram. Capstar is the original brand name which is over the counter now, but WalMart (or online at Chewy) sells the same product for less money under the PetArmor FastCaps brand.
PetArmor FastCaps Oral Flea Tablets for Dogs & Cats, 2-25 lbs, 6-count

I'd probably go to a store and get some sooner rather than waiting for mail order to arrive.

 

[posiepurrs]

If you decide to bath the kitten, have the kitten facing AWAY from you, with one hand on the neck at all times. This prevents the kitten from attempting to climb you like a tree and the hand on the neck gives you more control. If the is a danger of being bitten (and that is a possibility) I would suggest investing in a e-collar like the vets use after surgery. This prevents the cat from being able to latch on to you. Now with my kittens, most freeze when put in a bath the first time, but they are not ferals.

 

[Father of furbabies]

I've used the walmart brand and it works but just not as good as Capstar which I have used also.

The active ingredient in Capstar is nitenpyram. Capstar is the original brand name which is over the counter now, but WalMart (or online at Chewy) sells the same product for less money under the PetArmor FastCaps brand.
PetArmor FastCaps Oral Flea Tablets for Dogs & Cats, 2-25 lbs, 6-count

I'd probably go to a store and get some sooner rather than waiting for mail order to arrive.

 

[orange&white]

I've used the walmart brand and it works but just not as good as Capstar which I have used also.

It should be identical, just under different package labels. I've had pretty good luck with the PetArmor brand, including their "copy-cat" Frontline Plus.

 

[Father of furbabies]

It should be but I have noticed that some products are not. I'm not saying it didn't work, just saying Capstar worked better in the speed of it and the duration. The chemicals stay in the cat's body only for a day or so but it just seemed the PetArmor did not last as long as Capstar.

 

[blob99]

For bathing with fleas, use ivory dish soap--it's gentle, it works, it's affordable, and vets recommend it.

I've bathed many stray, flea filled kittens but they were all quite tiny and that made it manageable.

I would suggest giving frequent wash cloth bathes--daily even, if it's not too much of a stressor. That'll get her more prepped and ready for the real bath.

Make sure you dumpster the soap--put her in soapy water rather than soap directly on her. And then rinse carefully or re submerge in warm water without soap.

Be ready to scruff her if need be, that'll be the fastest way to prevent attack. You could even try doing the entire bath with her scruffed (supporting her bottom). If you do this, I recommend getting help so one person can hold her securely and the other can do the bathing.

She will probably sulk and hide after, but she'll come back around. Though, being wrapped in a dry towel might result in lots of purrs after.

 

[Father of furbabies]

We had to scruff our Shade when we brought him into the house. Even as small as he was, he was feral and ferocious. For the wife and I to work on him and his fleas, we used the kitchen sink so it was high enough and wide enough for the both of us. It helped also that it was a double sink so we could have the water running on one side while working on him in the other plus the sprayer helped out getting the water where we needed it to go.

After the washing, we wrapped him up in a warm towel from the dryer and let him calm down before we continued to dry him with another towel. He sulked about for a day or so but soon started craving the loving we willingly showered on him.

 

[dustydiamond1]

It should be identical, just under different package labels. I've had pretty good luck with the PetArmor brand, including their "copy-cat" Frontline Plus.

We have had good luck with PetArmor

 

[Father of furbabies]

We have had good luck with PetArmor

I have also with their dog flea meds but this particular one did not do that well. It could have been just a bad batch but I am willing to try it again if I need to.

 

[dustydiamond1]

How did the vet visit go?
You, your fiance, and your cat sitting friend are all fabulous folks for saving this dear little kitty