bathing cats

[wcladymacbeth]

lizzybeth's kitten thread got me thinkin'...

Do people actually bathe their cat? What about indoor cats? I mean, my white cat keeps himself pretty clean, and any attempts we've ever made at bathing him resulted in a very unhappy cat who hid who-knows-where for days. We do brush him a couple times a week.

What about y'all? Bath or no bath for indoor kitties?

 

[Pam111]

Never have except when we had a flea outbreak and I used Dawn

 

[corgipower]

Mine weren't indoor cats but I didn't bathe them...except one got a bath after getting skunked and the another who had to get about a half dozen baths when she came home covered in some sort of oily I-don't-know-what. Took that many to get whatever it was off her.

 

[MaloreyAnimal]

I know people who bathe their cats. Not often, but they do do it.
I have never had my actual own cats, so can't say I've ever bathed one.

 

[noludoru]

Baths. They keep Emma's coat de-greased and brushable. Same with the rest of the cats.

 

[Dizzy]

I think if your cat is getting dirty enough to need to bath, there are serious issues there that need addressing.

I have never owned a cat in nearly 29 years (ok, maybe I can't remember the 1st few yrs of my life, but I have never lived without a cat) that has needed a bath.

Knots, tangles etc should be brushed out anyway if you own a long haired cat.

And I'm in the UK and we let our cats out the house.

 

[Izzy's Valkyrie]

Jade gets a bath if we're going to be visiting family, just like Izzy does. She doesn't mind them as much as some cats and the bath just leaves her feeling extra soft and smelling lovely.

 

[babymomma]

I will in the future bathe my cats.

I know many cats that NEED a bath.. They are so full of dandruff and are icky to the touch..

 

[*blackrose]

I have never bathed any of our cats, save for Apollo and that was because he was seriously ill and had massive squirts that ended up all over him and he STUNK.

We get cats that come in to work for grooming/bathes. I personally hate doing it. The cats that get shaved down have to be bathed for the clippers to go through them, but when people bring in short haired cats for bathes? I shake my head.

I have seen some cats that need to be bathed due to horrible skin problems, but IMO, if your cat has that gross of skin (dandruff/waxy buildup/hairloss/etc.) then you need to look into medication and a change of diet, not just a bath.

Even our outdoor cat keeps himself clean enough to not warrent a bath, and he showed up with half his body covered in mud the other day.

 

[railNtrailcowgrl]

I bathe Storm. I started when she was a kitten and she gets a bath now every 1-2 months. IMO it really helps with shedding, she dislikes being brushed (she can't sit still long enough) but doesn't mind baths. I bathed my last cat too, a DMH. Due to her baths and my brushing routine you would never guess there was a cat in our house, unlike my first cat DSH, who shed all over!

 

[noludoru]

I think if your cat is getting dirty enough to need to bath, there are serious issues there that need addressing.

Knots, tangles etc should be brushed out anyway if you own a long haired cat.

Some of us have cats with issues. One of mine took over a year living here to start grooming himself on a regular basis, and right now he's being fed really terrible food, so he does need baths. His coat is gross when he isn't bathed, and before he started grooming himself, he was actually sticky to the touch.

The longhair that I bathe regularly also needs it - just brushing her coat does wonders, but after six months or so she gets kind of greasy. I'm not sure if that's a problem with her diet, how her coat is, or my dad's questionable hand-washing before petting the animals. If I haven't washed her in 8-9 months, the difference in brushing her after I do is amazing. I don't think giving your cats semi-regular baths is a bad thing. It keeps their coats extra clean, makes them smell a bit nicer, and gets dirt off that they clearly aren't cleaning off of themselves.

It's also great if you have a cat that gets messy a lot.

 

[lizzybeth727]

My cat rolls in the dirt outside a lot. Like, every day. And she comes up just COVERED in dust, it's seriously like a chinchilla dust bath. She gets most of it off herself, and I brush her several times a week (she's short haired), but there's still dirt way down at the skin.

Basically I want the kittens to get used to baths just as another facet of socialization. So that IF I were to choose to bathe them in the future, they would stay calm and happy and accept it. Just like I want to get them used to nail clipping.... even though they'll most likely have scratching posts, they may need their nails clipped regularly too. I'm also thinking about getting them used to wearing harnesses.

 

[stardogs]

Our cat gets bathed when my parents visit because my mom is allergic. We tried a waterless bath but it smelled really strongly and Pi hated it. We now bathe him in the tub with Cloudstar shampoo and he complains but doesn't try to claw or bite like with the foam.

 

[Tankstar]

I'll bathe Marley once in a while. Normally Ill bring her to work so I can "tie her" in to a tub. I only do it once in a while. Just because she gets pretty dandruffy depending ont he time of year. Due to our house being so hot and dry, every one gets itchy and dry. So Ill bring her in to sooth her skin with a good oatmeal bath. She hates it, but oh well, tis life lol.