To Bathe or Not to Bathe?

We have had several cats and over time occasionally gave them baths in
the laundry tub using warm water and a mild soap. Then we towel dried
them and let them take care of the rest of the grooming.

We now have Nugget, a 17-year-old elusive tortie who hates being
bathed; Scrap, 10 years old who has never had a bath but who looks
pristine; and Smoke who is 9 months and never had a bath.

At what age and how often should Smoke be bathed? She is a longhair.
How about Scrap? He's a domestic shorthair. And Nugget? She was an
abandoned kitten and was the probably the runt of the litter (hence her
name).

Is it proper to bathe cats when they keep themselves pretty clean? Or
should they be bathed to clean off what we cannot see with the naked
eye and they may not be able to get at with the naked tongue?

It is improper to bathe cats unless they have gotten into something and
cannot bathe themselves.
Gail
"catmando" wrote in message
ups.com...
We have had several cats and over time occasionally gave them baths in
the laundry tub using warm water and a mild soap. Then we towel dried
them and let them take care of the rest of the grooming.

We now have Nugget, a 17-year-old elusive tortie who hates being
bathed; Scrap, 10 years old who has never had a bath but who looks
pristine; and Smoke who is 9 months and never had a bath.

At what age and how often should Smoke be bathed? She is a longhair.
How about Scrap? He's a domestic shorthair. And Nugget? She was an
abandoned kitten and was the probably the runt of the litter (hence her
name).

Is it proper to bathe cats when they keep themselves pretty clean? Or
should they be bathed to clean off what we cannot see with the naked
eye and they may not be able to get at with the naked tongue?

In article et,
says...
It is improper to bathe cats unless they have gotten into something and
cannot bathe themselves.

Or are so large that they cannot effectively clean themselves. I have
one of those. Every couple of months we have to bathe Cosimo. He's
surprisingly easy to bathe though. Puts up with it like a champ.

This is Cosimo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kd1s/77384615/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kd1s/80341108/

And here's Randy (Aka Bright Boy):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kd1s/77243996/

And finally Emily, the Cat that has a house to run:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kd1s/77244038/

Or if necessary that the person or persons in the household have a need to
remove the extra pet dander
"Gail" wrote in message
nk.net...
It is improper to bathe cats unless they have gotten into something and
cannot bathe themselves.
Gail


Not all the way true
If necessary that the person or persons in the household have a need to
remove the extra pet dander or read below from
http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/general-care.shtml

Bathing
You should not ordinarily need to bath a cat. Cats are normally very good
about cleaning themselves, and for most cats, that's all the bathing they
will ever need. Reasons for giving them a bath a
a.. The cat has got something poisonous on its fur,
b.. It doesn't take care of its coat as normal cats do,
c.. You are allergic and need to bathe it to keep allergens down,
d.. The cat is a show cat and about to be shown,
e.. You are giving it a flea, tick, or lice dip,
f.. It is unusually dirty for some reason (perhaps bad weather).
If you just trimmed your cat's claws, now is a good time. Having someone
help you hold the cat definitely helps.
If your cat is long haired, groom it *before* bathing it. Water will just
tighten any mats already in the coat.

Bathing methods:


a.. Get everything ready. Warm water, selected bathing place (you might
consider the kitchen sink as being easier on your back and facilitating
control of the cat). Having water already in the tub or sink reduces the
potential terror to the cat at the sound and sight of the water coming out
of the faucet. Put a towel or rubber mat on the bottom of the tub or sink to
give your cat something to sink its claws into. If you have spray
attachments, either to the sink or the tub, those will help you soak the cat
efficiently. You want to use soap formulated for cat skin, as human-type
soaps will remove all the essential oils and leave the cat's skin dried out
and susceptible to flea infestations or skin breakouts. There are some soaps
formulated for allergic pet owners. Use sparingly and rinse well after
working through coat.

b.. The garden sprayer can also be used. Fill an ordinary pressurized
garden sprayer (try a hand-pumped type that does *not* hiss) with warm soapy
water, put cat and sprayer in empty bathtub, and use the trigger wand to
soap the cat with one hand while hanging on to the scruff with the other.
Put the sprayer wand down and work the soapy water into the fur, and finally
follow with a bucket of water as a rinse. This procedure results in low
moans from the cats, but no shrieks.
To dry the cat, towel dry first. You can try hair dryers on low settings
depending on your cat's tolerance. Otherwise, keep them inside until they
are fully dry. If your cat is longhaired, you will want to groom it as the
coat dries. Give the cat a treat after the bath, this may help them tolerate
the process.
If the problem is greasy skin, you may wish to try a dry cat shampoo
instead.

If you are attempting to remove grease, oil, or other petroleum products
from your cat's fur, try using Dawn brand detergent first to remove it, and
follow up with a cat shampoo. Dawn is used by volunteers who clean up birds
after oil spills. Also reported to be successful is Shout laundry stain
remover.

"catmando" wrote in message
ups.com...
We have had several cats and over time occasionally gave them baths in
the laundry tub using warm water and a mild soap. Then we towel dried
them and let them take care of the rest of the grooming.

We now have Nugget, a 17-year-old elusive tortie who hates being
bathed; Scrap, 10 years old who has never had a bath but who looks
pristine; and Smoke who is 9 months and never had a bath.

At what age and how often should Smoke be bathed? She is a longhair.
How about Scrap? He's a domestic shorthair. And Nugget? She was an
abandoned kitten and was the probably the runt of the litter (hence her
name).

Is it proper to bathe cats when they keep themselves pretty clean? Or
should they be bathed to clean off what we cannot see with the naked
eye and they may not be able to get at with the naked tongue?


I don't think you need to bathe a cat unless it gets into something such as
a sticky or oily residue. The only exception would be if a cat has an
infestation of fleas when first adopted -- then it may be necessary to bathe
once or twice. (I'm basing this on the assumption that yours are indoor
cats, as mine are.) Neither Holly nor Duffy have ever been bathed. My
first cat was bathed twice because he was feral when adopted and had a great
many fleas. We didn't have anything like Advantage at that time, either.

MaryL

On Thu, 05 Jan 2006 00:54:29 GMT, "Gail" wrote:

It is improper to bathe cats unless they have gotten into something and
cannot bathe themselves.
Gail

I don't believe it. What is your source for this? Why is it improper
to bathe a cat? What about Bengal cats, who like the water?

My cat is kept indoors, but I have lots of dogs coming through the
place nowadays, and my cat is sociable with all of them. Ergo, he
picks up a few fleas. I gave him a nice bath last night. I have a
battery operated pump with a little plastic hose coming off it...
perfect for bathing an animal. He has gotten so he tolerates it
calmly. Now that he is used to it, I think he realizes the warm water
feels good.

Charlie


"catmando" wrote in message
oups.com...
We have had several cats and over time occasionally gave them baths in
the laundry tub using warm water and a mild soap. Then we towel dried
them and let them take care of the rest of the grooming.

We now have Nugget, a 17-year-old elusive tortie who hates being
bathed; Scrap, 10 years old who has never had a bath but who looks
pristine; and Smoke who is 9 months and never had a bath.

At what age and how often should Smoke be bathed? She is a longhair.
How about Scrap? He's a domestic shorthair. And Nugget? She was an
abandoned kitten and was the probably the runt of the litter (hence her
name).

Is it proper to bathe cats when they keep themselves pretty clean? Or
should they be bathed to clean off what we cannot see with the naked
eye and they may not be able to get at with the naked tongue?

catmando wrote:
We have had several cats and over time occasionally gave them baths in
the laundry tub using warm water and a mild soap. Then we towel dried
them and let them take care of the rest of the grooming.

We now have Nugget, a 17-year-old elusive tortie who hates being
bathed; Scrap, 10 years old who has never had a bath but who looks
pristine; and Smoke who is 9 months and never had a bath.

At what age and how often should Smoke be bathed? She is a longhair.
How about Scrap? He's a domestic shorthair. And Nugget? She was an
abandoned kitten and was the probably the runt of the litter (hence her
name).

Is it proper to bathe cats when they keep themselves pretty clean? Or
should they be bathed to clean off what we cannot see with the naked
eye and they may not be able to get at with the naked tongue?

It is nevver *necessary* to bathe a cat unless they have foreign
material on them, or a heavy flea infestation, disease, stud-tail,
etc.. If you *want to* bathe them, never bathe them more often than
every 4-6 months, and use a soothing shampoo made for cats. Rinse
really well and then rinse some more. All cats should be groomed
thorougly to remove dead hair and mats *prior* to bathing, or matting
can occur or be exascerbated. The best grooming tool is a medium or
fine toothed teflon-coated grooming comb. In reality, if you groom
your cats appropriately they should never need bathing.
-L.

In article . com,
-L. wrote:

catmando wrote:
We have had several cats and over time occasionally gave them baths in
the laundry tub using warm water and a mild soap. Then we towel dried
them and let them take care of the rest of the grooming.

We now have Nugget, a 17-year-old elusive tortie who hates being
bathed; Scrap, 10 years old who has never had a bath but who looks
pristine; and Smoke who is 9 months and never had a bath.

At what age and how often should Smoke be bathed? She is a longhair.
How about Scrap? He's a domestic shorthair. And Nugget? She was an
abandoned kitten and was the probably the runt of the litter (hence her
name).

Is it proper to bathe cats when they keep themselves pretty clean? Or
should they be bathed to clean off what we cannot see with the naked
eye and they may not be able to get at with the naked tongue?

It is nevver *necessary* to bathe a cat unless they have foreign
material on them, or a heavy flea infestation, disease, stud-tail,
etc.. If you *want to* bathe them, never bathe them more often than
every 4-6 months, and use a soothing shampoo made for cats. Rinse
really well and then rinse some more. All cats should be groomed
thorougly to remove dead hair and mats *prior* to bathing, or matting
can occur or be exascerbated. The best grooming tool is a medium or
fine toothed teflon-coated grooming comb. In reality, if you groom
your cats appropriately they should never need bathing.
-L.


I gave my cat, Bubba, a bath.

It took me forever to get the hair off my toungue.


Sorry...


Claude

"Charlie Wilkes" wrote :

My cat is kept indoors, but I have lots of dogs coming through the
place nowadays, and my cat is sociable with all of them. Ergo, he
picks up a few fleas. I gave him a nice bath last night. I have a
battery operated pump with a little plastic hose coming off it...
perfect for bathing an animal. He has gotten so he tolerates it
calmly. Now that he is used to it, I think he realizes the warm water
feels good.


Tweaker is so copisetic! (Or however you spell that, is it even a word,
lol!)
What a laid-back boy, and the luckiest former barn cat ever.

I bathed my little rescue tabby at first because she smelled like the
shelter.
It was the first time she put her claws out, trying to climb out of the tub
over
my back, and she did get purchase in some skin, too. She was terrified.
Every time after that was such an ordeal I finally stopped, realizing it was
more for me than for her. (It takes care of the stinkybutts and makes her
so soft and fluffy!) She has had maybe five baths, all in the first
two years she was here. So she has not had a bath in something like
two years. Since she is all indoor, she is fine. I am fine too, because
I would rather not traumatize her and have her smell a little funky.
I don't believe in that "life is messy, clean it up crap" that Proctor and
Gamble shoves down our throats to sell us more $3 bottles of stuff
we don't need. Some of the best things in life are a little funky smelling,
after all. :')

I am thinking of picking up some of those kitty wipes because she is
allergic to so many things, they might help keep the allergens off of her.

Claude V. Lucas wrote:I gave my cat, Bubba, a bath.

It took me forever to get the hair off my toungue.

LMAO!