Need Advice on Bathing a Cat - Page 2

Ceci · ‎03-11-2010

I had a rescue, orange tabby which was a very difficult cat. We did not let him outside but occasionally he'd scoot out the door when someone was coming in. We have a screen patio and he loved to hang out there.

I had to bathe him a few times because I was worried about fleas and he also had a few incidents where he got himself very dirty on the patio knocking over my many plants. He loved to roll in the dirt from the, now broken pots laying on the ground.

I have a double sink in my kitchen. I'd fill one side with warm, soapy water (used Oatmeal Shampoo and Wen). I'd hold him by the scruff of the neck and lower him down into the water. Every claw was out and he was out for blood! I wore long rubber gloves to protect my lower arms and had lots of towels. Once in the water, I'd use my other hand and wash him quickly. I did wash his face.

I would then lift him to the other sink with clean water to rinse and used my sprayer to rinse well. I'd wrap him in heavy towels and take him outside to the patio to dry.

We live in Florida and it was hot out. I'd try to dry him as much as possible with the towels, but he's run crazy, shaking off the water. I'd leave him out there until he was almost dry.

I learned early on the only way I could deal with him was lifting him in the water by the scruff. Once in the water I just held him in place with my hand. I got clawed many times and bitten.

I always dreaded bathing him, I was usually soaked and scratched by the time I was finished. I did not keep holding him by the scruff once in the water. I just held him with my hand under his chin to keep him from flying out of the sink.

Hopefully, your kitty is easier than mine was. I had many cats over my lifetime and he was the most difficult and vicious.

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

Was I the only one who read the thread title & immediately thought,

’DON’T’....?

😆😆😆😆😆😆

Seriousy tho,

My advice would be to leave this to the professionals,

especially considering his size. So much can go wrong

for you AND kitty. Ask your vet for a recommendation or

maybe they will do it for you for a fee.

deedledeedeedle · ‎05-27-2014

My advice: Outsource the job.

dee

@noodleann wrote:
This is addressed to all cat custodians who either regularly bathe their cats or had to bathe a cat once or twice. I've done it once in the very distant past, and know the first rule of cat baths is to make sure their claws are clipped.

I am planning on washing Big Boy (and he is big, around 18 lb.). He is 9, a ginger, and has no current health issues except obesity, which we're working on. He is an indoor cat. I'm washing him because his lower back coat's gotten very greasy and I believe he had fleas this summer (now treated) and has what looks like stud tail. I believe the fleas came from mice, which have been routed.

I plan to wash him in the double laundry sink, where he'll be elevated and I can have a tub for washing and a tub for rinsing. (I can't kneel for more than a few seconds, so the bathtub is out.) I'll do it on an upcoming day when the temps are in the 80s and have plenty of toweling I've run in the dryer to warm it up ready to wrap him in when I've finished rinsing him off. I've read advice about keeping shampoo off his head so it doesn't get in his eyes or ears. I called the vet's office for shampoo recommendations, and they just kept repeating "oatmeal" and "nothing medicated."

A search on Amazon yielded some possible shampoos, and the one I liked most was Davis Oatmeal and Aloe Dog and Cat Shampoo. It's supposed to be hypoallergenic.

Your shampoo recommendations and any tips on the bathing process, prep to aftermath, would be much appreciated.

FancyPhillyshopper · ‎05-02-2017

You have received a lot of good advice from many other writers, and I see you have done some research.

People who show their cats (in cat shows) bathe them quite frequently, and have established a ritual in which the cats are used to it.

But with other cats--sometimes baths just have to happen!

First, try to comb out your cat.

Yes, I recommend gloves if you cannot trust your cat not to scratch or bite in fear.

Yes, stand them up in the tub and shampoo them with a very gentle shampoo, then rinse, either holding under tub faucet directly (much faster), or with a plastic container (less scary for the cat). If you have a spray nozzle, that would be ideal. Warm water is best!

You may want to put cotton balls in the ears to protect the water from entering.

Towel dry or let dry naturally.

Most cats despise hair dryers.

If the cat is long haired, comb out immediately.

Full disclosure--I usually ask my husband to assist because a team is more efficient!

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

@x Hedge - You showed such love and care when bathing your kitty! But I want to comment on one thing. DH is a veterinarian. I asked him a while back if I could use WEN on our kitties. He said absolutely not! Dogs are OK, but cats lick themselves and there are ingredients in WEN that wouldn't be good for them to ingest. I love SAM and I'm sure she smells terrific, but it might be better to get a shampoo approved for cats. (When I was a teenager and didn't know better I used to take my kitty in the shower with me and wash her with shampoo! My parents had a glass enclosure so she couldn't escape easily.)

Desertdi · ‎03-13-2010

Message from Kitty the Heavenly Fuzz: If anybody tried to give me a bath, they would not have been around to tell the tale........

≈^••^≈

♥Surface of the Sun♥

violann · ‎03-10-2010

@noodleann wrote:
This is addressed to all cat custodians who either regularly bathe their cats or had to bathe a cat once or twice. I've done it once in the very distant past, and know the first rule of cat baths is to make sure their claws are clipped.

I am planning on washing Big Boy (and he is big, around 18 lb.). He is 9, a ginger, and has no current health issues except obesity, which we're working on. He is an indoor cat. I'm washing him because his lower back coat's gotten very greasy and I believe he had fleas this summer (now treated) and has what looks like stud tail. I believe the fleas came from mice, which have been routed.

I plan to wash him in the double laundry sink, where he'll be elevated and I can have a tub for washing and a tub for rinsing. (I can't kneel for more than a few seconds, so the bathtub is out.) I'll do it on an upcoming day when the temps are in the 80s and have plenty of toweling I've run in the dryer to warm it up ready to wrap him in when I've finished rinsing him off. I've read advice about keeping shampoo off his head so it doesn't get in his eyes or ears. I called the vet's office for shampoo recommendations, and they just kept repeating "oatmeal" and "nothing medicated."

A search on Amazon yielded some possible shampoos, and the one I liked most was Davis Oatmeal and Aloe Dog and Cat Shampoo. It's supposed to be hypoallergenic.

Your shampoo recommendations and any tips on the bathing process, prep to aftermath, would be much appreciated.

Buddie, my obese altered male ginger has listened carefully as I read your letter to him, rolled his eyes, and growled softly before meowing his only advice on this subject - “”DON’T”.

I’m going to try the moist wipes first, and if I must, I’ll take him to the vet and have him professionally laundered there.

I have too much appreciation for my digits to try anything else.

Keep me posted, OP, and I’ll do the same for you.

NickNack · ‎03-10-2010

@noodleann I have never bathed a cat, but do want to say that I would definitely use a shampoo for cats. Human shampoo disrupts the pH balance of the skin. You can Google this for information.

Also, when I bathe my dog I put a hand towel down in the bottom of the tub. This keeps her from slipping.

I had a cat one time that suddenly got a greasy coat. I couldn't understand it. I took him to the Vet and after much research she put him on a special food. This was about 15 years ago, so I'm not really clear on what it was. I think it was a prescription food. It cleared up his coat fairly quickly. I was really amazed.

I wish you good luck in bathing him. I would be afraid to bathe my cat and would take him to the Vet and let them do it. I would also highly suggest a Vet appt. about the greasy coat and see what they would recommend.

The Bluebird Carries The Sky On His Back"
-Henry David Thoreau

noodleann · ‎06-10-2015

@sidsmom wrote:
Was I the only one who read the thread title & immediately thought,

’DON’T’....?

😆😆😆😆😆😆

Seriousy tho,
My advice would be to leave this to the professionals,
especially considering his size. So much can go wrong
for you AND kitty. Ask your vet for a recommendation or
maybe they will do it for you for a fee.

LOL. I will consider this, but since this may become a regular thing and we're going into the colder months, I was hoping to be able to do it myself and not expose him to the added trauma of a car trip (he pees when he's scared) or handling by people who are probably more used to dogs.

I sort of assumed the vet didn't provide this service when it wasn't suggested to me that they handle it there. Maybe they know him better in that respect. I understand he wasn't the best customer for his last sanitary shave, but maybe that's because he'd also had a blood draw and the indignity of a temperature-taking beore that.

It's hard to be a cat.

noodleann · ‎06-10-2015

@FancyPhillyshopper wrote:

You have received a lot of good advice from many other writers, and I see you have done some research.

People who show their cats (in cat shows) bathe them quite frequently, and have established a ritual in which the cats are used to it.

But with other cats--sometimes baths just have to happen!

First, try to comb out your cat.
Yes, I recommend gloves if you cannot trust your cat not to scratch or bite in fear.
Yes, stand them up in the tub and shampoo them with a very gentle shampoo, then rinse, either holding under tub faucet directly (much faster), or with a plastic container (less scary for the cat). If you have a spray nozzle, that would be ideal. Warm water is best!

You may want to put cotton balls in the ears to protect the water from entering.

Towel dry or let dry naturally.
Most cats despise hair dryers.

If the cat is long haired, comb out immediately.

Full disclosure--I usually ask my husband to assist because a team is more efficient!

Thank you for your veteran's take on the process. I don't have a third party to assist, but won't start this until I can get an attachment for the spigot that lets me rinse him more thoroughly than pour-overs. A spray will make the job go faster, which we'll both appreciate. I know it's critical to get all the shampoo out, and he's a lushly furred beast. I think I'm getting a Furminator to help with his undercoat.

I will remember the cotton balls for his ears, unless he protests. He doesn't like to have his ears fussed with.

Thanks very much for all the details. It's a big help!