If you want to bathe your cat, start them out with a bath at four months of age or more. Trying to bathe an adult cat can be pretty challenging. The adult cat will leap around in the bathtub and try to escape. He will try to scratch you, also. The cats I started bathing at four months old never put up a fight.
If you take your cat to a groomer, ensure they are certified. I took one of my adult cats to a groomer, which was a complete disaster. They did not know how to handle a cat. They told me they tied him to a chain to give him his bath. My poor cat bit on the chain and lost about 5 to 7 front teeth; needless to say, I never took any of my cats to bathe again.
Cats are generally quite fastidious and, therefore, do not need a bath most of the time. They need a bath if they get dirty or have a lot of dandruff. You will also want to bathe a cat that has fleas. I would use flea dip and or flea soap. Use mildly warm water for your cat’s bath, and do not get his head wet.
When bathing your cat, sprinkle water over him. Do not run water directly on him; your cat will think you are trying to drown him. Rinse off the soap by splashing water lightly over him. Dry him off with a lot of dry towels. Some cats, but not many, will tolerate a hair dryer to dry them off. Always bathe your cat in a warm area. Soaking in a cold area could result in a trip to your vet.
I had a Siamese cat that would not tolerate bathing at all. I used a waterless shampoo that you just rubbed on her, and then you would gently rub it off. After her dry bath, her coat would be bright and shiny.
Do not bathe your kitten until it is at least four months old. You would not want your kitten to get sick.
I hope this helps you from not getting harmed the next time you bathe your cat.
Copyright 2015. Not to be reproduced in any form.
4 replies on “How to Bathe Your Cat Without Being Harmed”
Great tips from a pro at bathing cats! BTW- my barn cats are not getting a bath in the near future.
I have only bathed cats when they had fleas. That was with my first cat that I got when we got married and he was infested. After that none of my cats ever had a flea issue so I never felt like I needed to bathe them. With the two I have now they groom each other and are inside cats so there does not seem to be a need to bathe them. I think it would totally stress them out if I tried! 🙂
My cat loves his baths. If I put water in the bathtub he will jump in 🙂
I have to say every time I feel like I’m putting up a fight with my cat, I love him so much but it is a challenge, I haven’t tried taking him to a groomer just yet, but after your story, I’m definitely going to make sure they’re certified, I don’t want any missing teeth for my Luka.