topic Re: Do you bathe your cats? in Community Chat

Do you bathe your cats?

Shorty2U — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 05:10:46 GMT

There is a vine video I just saw on face book. It is longer than your usual vine, its a 2 minute video of an orange cat (not long haired) screaming what sounds like NO in complete distress while getting a bath in the tub.

There are comments under it with people arguing. Most are saying the owners are mean, this cat is in distress and the owners are laughing and that cats clean themselves. Then others are saying whats the big deal that cats can be bathed and that most cats would scream like that if bathed.

To me the cat didn't even look dirty and I felt bad for the cat but I am not saying don't bathe any cats.

Personally we do not bathe the 3 domestic cats we have now and they are very clean because of course they clean themselves. My husband brushes them at times. When we had our long haired cat (who has since passed away) we did bathe him on occasion. because his hair would get a bit messy in the back side being it was long. He did not scream like the cat on the vid but he wasn't thrilled.

Just wondering do you bathe your cats and do they even need to be bathed IF they have short hair and stay Indoors? I wonder what our vet would advise, we never asked we just assume they clean themselves because our cats look immaculate.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

hennypenny — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 05:20:57 GMT

The last time we tried to bathe a cat was a fiasco. We had given a long haired cat a lion cut as he kept getting matted.

After the cut I thought it best to bathe him and get the excess cut hair off of him. Well, mr. henny was given the chore of holding the cat while I washed him. The cat bit mr henny and it became infected and it was pretty scary.

No more cat bathing in this house.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

ROMARY — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 05:44:05 GMT

Only with paper towels dipped in luke warm water. Then, more paper towels to dry. She loves it! Purrrrrrs and purrrrrs..........

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

mewsmomtoo — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 06:18:40 GMT

If I trap kittens they get a bath to get off all the dirt and any fleas. Other than that, the only time I bathed a cat was when he got ringworm (got it at vet's!). I had 3 cats and the vet said I would have to bathe them once a week with a special shampoo. The one who had the ringworm was just a love bug and while he didn't like his bath, he tolerated it. The other two I did get into the tub, but that is as far as it went. Since I did not have a death wish, we left it at that. I also discovered that it doesn't matter how often you bathe and medicate a cat with ringworm, it is going to go away in it's own time. Shampoo and lotion etc. are a waste of money

I wouldn't bathe an adult cat except under certain circumstances. I understand that hairless cats need to be bathed once a week because of their oily skin. If you find your cat enjoys it (some do!), then that's great, but I'm going to go with brushing and the occasional warm wet rag

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

sylviahomeatlast — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 06:27:24 GMT

my daughter and I bathed 2 cats---we had to suit up in parkas and big gloves---not only were they ballistic about the actual washing, but the hair dryer sent all of us over the edge---never again ---we've had cats for 40 years and I think they do a better job on themselves---even the long hairs

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

brewhaha — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 08:30:33 GMT

They prefer showers - raining cats & dogs.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

Topaz Gem — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 08:36:46 GMT

No. Cats are self-cleaning critters.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

Alter Ego — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 11:18:58 GMT

I used to bathe my long hair cat and he didn't mind it at all. He was somewhat of a diva and I'm sure he actually enjoyed it. He was a rescue and it was pretty clear that he was used to it.

Because of him, I tried to give my domestic short hair a bath. THAT didn't go over well, and I haven't tried it again.

I eventually started taking the long hair to a groomer and recently decided to bring the short hair as well for a wash. He looked gorgeous when he was done - he was deshedded and actually looked a shade darker. Although I brush him, I was surprised by how much dead hair they got out. Because he has particularly thick hair, I am considering taking him again - I like the fact that he won't be ingesting all of that dead hair and that the hair won't be all over the house.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

lolakimono — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 11:28:43 GMT

I would need a blood transfusion.

With my Coonies, sometimes I would have to assist with rear end "litter critters" or a dingleberry, but that's where I draw the line.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

MikafromTopeka — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 12:34:48 GMT

No. Unless there is a medical reason or it got into something that a vet should handle then they don't need human style baths.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

sgraham30 — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 14:43:36 GMT

No. I bathed my oldest cat once, that is a mistake I will never make again. With the fiasco of his bath, I was too afraid to try it with any of my other cats.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

kittymomNC — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 14:44:51 GMT

No --- I don't want to die!!! (They're indoors only...)

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

Marp2 — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 15:00:17 GMT

I have one that voluntarily bathes herself occasionally in the sink under running water or in the shower while waiting for the water to get warm enough for me. Bathe my boys? Only if EMS was on the way to the house.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

Krimpette — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 15:05:05 GMT

I haven't had cats in a few years, but when I had them, I never bathed them. They were indoor only cats.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

gazelle77 — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 15:16:47 GMT

I had a cat.... I gave him one bath.... that was the last bath of his 19 year life. I will NEVER forget THAT bath

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

BeckiWV — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 16:10:17 GMT

No, no, no, never again. I tried that once years ago with a cat we adopted and it is something I will never repeat. I don't try to bathe our current cats and they don't try to bathe me. Works for everyone.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

anisa — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 16:39:50 GMT

I've seen some downright abusive YouTube videos of people bathing their cats. Those people think it's funny and laugh and tell the cat he's rotten when the cat screams and howls and fights against getting a bath. Anything for a few Like clicks. Infuriates me.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

lulu2 — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 16:42:10 GMT

My mother use to bathe the cat as she slept in my little sister's bed.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

GCR18 — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 16:46:52 GMT

I bathed my boy kitty twice. Once he snuck out and got sprayed by a skunk. The other time he had an accident in his carrier. He has long legs and they were flying everywhere. I wouldn't do it unless there was a good reason.

Re: Do you bathe your cats?

NoelSeven — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 17:19:05 GMT

Yes, all of our kitties have had baths once in awhile. The little feisty tortoiseshell girl, now 9 months old, gets really stinky every so often. I don't know what she does, but it results in a bath.

We put two dishwashing containers in the tub, exclusively for their use, one with warm soapy water, and one with clear warm water for rinsing. Our vet and others we know recommend using Dawn or an unscented Dove dish soap, it gets off an oiliness they produce.

None of the girls have ever freaked out, we talk to them reassuringly and use a measuring cup to rinse, then there's a big fluffy towel to wrap them in. We only give a bath on really warm days. The four year old hasn't had a bath in over a year, she takes good care of herself. But that baby... whoa.

They're both Persians so we also trim their bottoms every so often. Makes for a clean trip to and from the litter box.