Do you bathe your cats?

[House Cat]

I’ve always bathed my cats because we have allergy sufferers in the house. This helps things greatly. I’ve been slacking big time with Maggie! Now that she’s about seven months old and has only had one bath, I’m a little afraid of her. I usually put a few inches of warm water in the bath and work as quickly as possible. Then I get the poor kitty out of there as fast as I can. I have no other method for this adventure.

If you bathe your cats, do you do anything different? Do you have a favorite shampoo?

For allergy sufferers, dry baths don’t work.

Also, do you have your cat’s claws trimmed? I’ve never considered doing this before but she plays really rough with my chihuahua. 99% of the time, it is great fun for both of them, until Honey lets out a yelp because Maggie gets a little too carried away. Is your cat still capable of doing all that it needs to do when it’s claws are trimmed?

 

[missy]

I only bathed them once...when we first got them as they were all rescues and all pretty filthy. And it did help our allergies. However we have not bathed them since and they clean themselves sufficiently and they are little terrors when trying to bathe them. I am very allergic to Tommy's saliva but there isn't much I can do about that. And he always wants to lick me of course lol.

We trim their nails as often as we can. Three of our 4 kitties are challenging while trying to trim their nails and it is a dangerous job. But we persevere. And what's a little (or a lot haha) blood between family. I wear thick work gloves when holding the kitties down while Greg is cutting their nails.

Maybe this link will be helpful.

hahaha yeah I could see my kitties being OK (not) with this...

 

[cmd2014]

I never bathed my boys, but I regularly clipped their nails. I just waited until they were sleepy and cuddly and did it with nail clippers as I found that easier than pet clippers. It was never an issue.

 

[stracci2000]

No, I have never bathed my cats.
But I have always trimmed their nails with "people" nail clippers.
They resist, but when you get good at it, you can clip all 10 front toes real fast before they run off.

 

[dk168]

Can't remember bathing mine since I had her from September 2007.
I would only bath her if she is covered in something like paint or oil etc..

DK

 

[MeowMeow]

I bathe my little boy if he needs it only. Which he rarely does. We do trim his claws though. He gets little evil fish hooks really fast. We probably trim once a month to every 3 depending on how lazy we are. It takes 2 of us to trim. One to stuff the cats face with treats and the second one to clip! He barely notices it's happening that way.

 

[chrono]

All my cats get baths. I do try to start as young as possible and trimming nails helps a lot. In the initial phase, I start with a pail of water that the cat can stand in and a hose rinse or another pail of water for a super quick rinse. 3 fluffy towels laid out for a quick dry and wrap the cat afterwards.

No favourite shampoo.
I bathe him either every week or alternate weeks.

Given that I've had my cat for a while (he's 7 months old now), I bathe him directly under hot-ish running water since it is quicker. I am considering a non-slip mat though because he slips and slides when I move him around under the tap.

I trim his front and back nails every 3 weeks. He can still grab stuff, just less prickly. I trim his nails when he is drowsy. No issues with the front but he doesn't like the back ones trimmed.

 

[lambskin]

We have bathed our cat and it is not fun. We do clip nails beforehand and try to get a brush (he is a short hair and hates to be brushed). It takes both my daughters to bathe him and the sound is not pretty. Everyone gets scratched up a bit. He is an indoor cat so we do not have to do this a lot.

 

[redwood66]

No. LOL my barn cats would freak out and run away. Though I can't even catch or touch two of them.

 

[bludiva]

We have and it takes 2 people and they hate it. They came from the shelter with fleas though and were too young for meds so we had to. Wouldn't do it again unless absolutely necessary. They are ok about nail trimming and enjoy being brushed.

I feel for you with the allergies, maybe there is a way to gradually convince your cat to enjoy bath time. My dog didn't like baths for the first few years but we included a nice doggie massage with every bath and now she hops in the tub, no problem.

 

[PierreBear]

I bathed my cat when he was a kitten. I think a friend gave me animal shampoo so I said why the heck not. Cat didn't like it and tolerated it. Eventually learned that cats just don't smell bad so just stopped doing it out of convenience.

I trim my cat's claws. He's a weirdo and doesn't run away or get nervous. In fact he starts purring. Maybe this is abnormal for cats? He only has his back claws though so it's a quick 1 minute action.

 

[Matata]

The advantage of having a breed that loves water....my cats shower with me everyday. If I close them out of the bathroom a riot ensues. Have you tried the injections? If I remember correctly, you have to have one injection a week for a year.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

We don't bathe our cats but we do trim their nails with regular people nail cutters like Stracci.

Growing up, my mom used to bathe our cat weekly but she cleaned EVERYTHING so nothing was immune in our house lol!

 

[Babyblue033]

I have special needs kitties (Cerebellar Hypoplasia) who has limited mobility so they tend to get pretty dirty pretty often, also their limited mobility prevents them from being efficient self groomers. So they get regular baths, otherwise they would get filthy with caked on food or pee/poo they often fall into They can't exactly walk/run away so I usually just put a towel on the bottom of the laundry room sink and wash them off as quickly as I can.

My "normal" boys are on their own

Everyone gets their nails trimmed regularly. I've done it almost weekly ever since I got my first pair of kittens 15 years ago so it's a pretty quick & painless process at our house as everyone's used to it.

 

[foxinsox]

I've never washed my cat but I trim his front claws very regularly since he sharpens them into talons very easily. I've never trimmed his back claws though as I think he needs them untouched in case of a fight. The fronts, I just take the very first part of the sharpest bit off so it blunts them enough that he's comfortable to play with but not so blunt he can't climb trees or defend himself if necessary. I think he sees it as a manicure because he starts purring as I do it.

 

[4ever]

“Do you bathe your cats?”
No because I have no desire to die from the blood loss that would result from the one million little scratches that would be inflicted upon me should I try and insert my cat into any sort of liquid.

Yeah you people are brave!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

My Bengal always wanted to be in water--couldn't avoid it if I wanted to!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Alexiszoe]

I bathe my boy once every quarter to coincide with the change of seasons. He's very, very plushy (British shorthair), so a good bath loosens up some of the matted fur underneath.

I will admit that he is a very easygoing cat. The very first bath there was some crying and scrambling, but now he just sits down or places his front paws on my thigh while I give him a bath. Couple of fluffy towels laid out similar to @chrono for a quick wrap and dry.

Also his favorite treats after the bath so he associates it with more pleasant things!

Nails are cut every 3 weeks, he is not a fan, but doesn't struggle too much either. He is very playful and has scratched up so many things - doors, door frames, walls! etc, so cutting his nails is a necessary evil.

This is him doing what he does best - getting into the grocery bag after I just got back from the supermarket!

 

[LaylaR]

When we first got our first cat, I did. I paid for it in blood too.

Then I got the bright idea to take my 4 cats to a groomer to be bathed. The groomer was no where near as diligent as they should have been, and one of my cats got sick because the groomer didn't dry them for hours after they had been bathed. Never again.

My husband and I agreed that bathing was only a solution if there was no other choice-- if the cat was not able to take care of itself or if it had somehow gotten into mud or something else that had to washed off.

I've had to do it periodically. I've gotten pretty good with it. There is a lot of planning that goes into it. Clipping the claws short before hand. Making sure the bathroom is stripped off anything that a cat could grab onto. Standing water with soap in it that is already the perfect temperature for a dunk (not the head), and then warm water for rinsing close at hand. And an assistant to do all the scrubbing and rinsing as you hold the cat gently but firmly.

Microfiber cloths. And then a small room with a heater in it so that the cat can stay warm while it dries. Away from anyone else or drafts. Because blow drying is just asking for your cat to never be the same again.

For the most part we brush them, and I have pet wipes I can use. Duncan, my blind 18 year old needs a bath soon. But we are waiting until we can get him set up to dry safely.

I am fostering two kittens right now, so small safe warm spaces are not possible. So I brush him every day and wipe him down at least a couple times a week. He's patient with it. But he's frail so I have to do it a little bit at a time each day.

I don't have a favorite shampoo, but I always look for the ones that are hydrating instead of stripping the natural oils from their skin.

 

[jaysonsmom]

I used to have 2 Persians, and due to their long fur, and the flea infested apartment complex I lived in at the time, they had to get bathes (with medicated flea shampoo) every couple of months or so. I got really scratched up the first couple of times, then I read about putting a cat in a pillow case, with only their heads sticking out, and soaking them encased in the pillow case to prevent scratches. It really worked wonders!

 

[TooPatient]

“Do you bathe your cats?”
No because I have no desire to die from the blood loss that would result from the one million little scratches that would be inflicted upon me should I try and insert my cat into any sort of liquid.

Yeah you people are brave!

The first two kittens I rescued about 15 years ago had to have a bath as they got fleas. DH said it was easy and what was I worried about. Yeah... After adding bandages to the shopping list since he needed the whole supply we had, I got him to admit it wasn't so easy.

Our current cats are a mix between can get a bath if really needed and a guarantee to die of blood loss. We don't do baths unless we really really have to (like more than the grooming wipes can manage) and even then, I am not about to attempt the one guy! I would gladly pay for a vet visit plus the extra $60 to have them give the bath!

 

[asscherisme]

I never bathed my boys, but I regularly clipped their nails. I just waited until they were sleepy and cuddly and did it with nail clippers as I found that easier than pet clippers. It was never an issue.

I bathed them a few times as kittens before I realized it was not necessary.

I do however clip their claws a little with a pair of regular nail clippers reserved only for cat use. My vet told me that human nail clippers work the best. I just clip the tip so that they are more blunt and less sharp.

 

[junebug17]

Even the thought of it makes me cringe with fear! I really doubt my 7.5 pound kitty would stand for it, she's a scrappy little thing. I've never tried clipping her claws either, I'm too afraid she'd freak out. I'm totally intimidated by my cat lol.

 

[PierreBear]

I bathe my boy once every quarter to coincide with the change of seasons. He's very, very plushy (British shorthair), so a good bath loosens up some of the matted fur underneath.

I will admit that he is a very easygoing cat. The very first bath there was some crying and scrambling, but now he just sits down or places his front paws on my thigh while I give him a bath. Couple of fluffy towels laid out similar to @chrono for a quick wrap and dry.

Also his favorite treats after the bath so he associates it with more pleasant things!

Nails are cut every 3 weeks, he is not a fan, but doesn't struggle too much either. He is very playful and has scratched up so many things - doors, door frames, walls! etc, so cutting his nails is a necessary evil.

This is him doing what he does best - getting into the grocery bag after I just got back from the supermarket!

Your kitty is adorable! How old is he? I got my cat when he was probably 6 or 7 months old. Uncertain since we adopted him. More pictures please!!! : )

 

[TooPatient]

Even the thought of it makes me cringe with fear! I really doubt my 7.5 pound kitty would stand for it, she's a scrappy little thing. I've never tried clipping her claws either, I'm too afraid she'd freak out. I'm totally intimidated by my cat lol.

I do my best to get claws trimmed but usually just watch and only trim if it starts to curve because most of them hate it when we trim. (Senior girl gets weekly trims regardless!) I had to take one of mine to an emergency vet since he started limping and I discovered one claw had curved and grown into the pad of his foot. $500 to get a pain med, trim it, and flush the wound. (Plus careful watching and special litter to avoid infection...)

Anyway, I still don't force a trim on the cats but I do watch more carefully and have the vet do a trim every time we take one in for an exam.

 

[junebug17]

I do my best to get claws trimmed but usually just watch and only trim if it starts to curve because most of them hate it when we trim. (Senior girl gets weekly trims regardless!) I had to take one of mine to an emergency vet since he started limping and I discovered one claw had curved and grown into the pad of his foot. $500 to get a pain med, trim it, and flush the wound. (Plus careful watching and special litter to avoid infection...)

Anyway, I still don't force a trim on the cats but I do watch more carefully and have the vet do a trim every time we take one in for an exam.

Ah, you make a good point about the claw growing into a pad TP, I wasn't aware that could happen and I will keep on eye on her claws. I will ask the vet to trim them the next time I take her in. The vet braver than me haha. Thanks!

 

[doberman]

Absolutely. My cat is a rescue and when I got him he was always scratching. He'd had his treatments, but he still scratched. He has crinkle ears due to a mite infestation before we got him and he was starting a little bald patch on his head. I was pretty sure he was still suffering from an overpopulation of demodex mites. I started giving him regular baths using Cats n Mites shampoo. He is a very sleek little beast now who rarely scratches.

 

[sonnyjane]

I never bathed my boys, but I regularly clipped their nails. I just waited until they were sleepy and cuddly and did it with nail clippers as I found that easier than pet clippers. It was never an issue.

Exactly the same. No baths (except once after he got scared by a stray cat outside the window and peed on himself). My nail trimming strategy is exactly the same as yours. I wait for him to be cuddling in my lap. In fact I keep a pair of clippers on the side table by the couch so that I can sneakily grab them while he's sleeping! Sometimes he will only let me do a few at a time, but it keeps them under control.

 

[JPie]

We bathed my cat only once in the last 4 years, but there was a reason that I can’t remember.

We do trim get claws regularly, as much as she hates it. The trick is to wait for her to fall asleep.

 

[DeeSnider]

Though my cat lives in a flat, sometimes I take him outdoors on a leash and he gets there very dirty quickly. He's siberian and has long fur. That's why I bathe him after each such promenade.