Is it bad to bathe cats in hot weather?

Question

Sometimes I give my cat a bath with cool water and mild soap to help cool her off in really hot weather. Is this bad? how often is too much? Does it do any harm to their skin? I notice that my cat doesn't really like being touched or carried in the summer, is there anything else that I can do to keep her cool?

Is anyone here a Vet? I need a Vet's point of view. She's an indoor cat, and I bathe her if weather is too hot, and she can dry off near the sun. She doesn't really fight about it too much.

Answer 1

It is a fallacy that cats don't like water. They can swim very well, especially the Van cats who are never out of water. We wrap our two in wet towels in the very hot weather, they seem to like that. You can bath them in tepid water but I would lay off the soap.

Answer 2

Cats In Hot Weather

Answer 3

Some cats do need to be bathed if they're not efficient at doing it themselves. But here's a trick. Don't use soap, just put your cat in the empty bath or sink and pour water over it instead of dunking it in the water. The cat will go off and lick itself for hours so no need for any soap. Your cat should be fine if it has fresh water. My cat will lay in a sunbeam in my non-air conditioned house for as long as the sun shines there. If he gets hot he'll go sleep in the basement. Your cat probably doesn't want to be touched because he's afraid of a bath!

Answer 4

Keep your cat indoors in really hot weather. You don't need to bathe her. Brush her and get the loose hair off. Regular soap could dry out her skin and cause problems. If you think your cat is overheated and you're sure she's experiencing heat stroke then cool her off slowly, be careful, you could cause her temperature to go too low. But like I said she shouldn't need a bath, just keep her in if the temp is too high outside. If she's a house cat keep the house cool and be sure there is adequate air circulation.

Answer 5

I have 2 long haired persians - and they have such a hard time in the hot weather. Believe it or not, I give them haircuts. I bought a pair of pet clippers at kmart, (after paying $80 to have it done at the vet, i figured it's cheaper to do it myself.) They don't care for the process much, but let me tell you, they are so so so sooooooo much happier once they are freed from all that extra hair! They are more playful, relaxed, friendly after their new "do's." Generally, they will only sit long enough to do them in sections - so they run around looking a little shaggy for a couple days, but it is well worth it. I even gave the boy a "mohawk" - he looked amazing! The girl looks like she's wearing harem pants. I can't say enough how much happier they seem once the hair is off of them!

Answer 6

you should not bathe your cat, as this takes essential oils from their skin. the only time u should bathe a cat is when they are absolutely filthy, or upon instruction from ur vet. if u want to help her keep cool, bring her inside if feasible, and certainly have clean, cool water always avaiable. what cools animals off when their owners bathe them is either a cool place to dry off, or if the animal can sweat, that does as well. you may actually be bringing her close to heatstroke if u put her outside after u bathe her.

Answer 7

That's good, it will cool her off with a good cool bath. It will also get all of her extra hair that is shedding off of her so she feels even better. There's nothing else you can do besides getting her a ceiling fan. My cats love them!

Answer 8

Brush her, I wash mine every month and their indoor cats, its not bad, just brush so it doesnt get knotts in her hair. You shouldnt wash in cold air anyways, make sure room is away from drafts and is warm. And my cats love it, they get on the towel and shake when there told, love their ears cleaned, usually I clip their nails too, and brush their teeth too. The vet says they are all in excellent shape.

Answer 9

I feel sorry for your cat, they can wash themselves and they generally hate water. Does she look happy when you're giving her a bath?! If she does.....then I suppose you can carry on although to be honest, it's not going to make her feel any cooler.
Shade. Water. That's it.

Answer 10

Kitties don't like fast temperature changes, not to mention they usually HATE water. Too hot or too cold they are likely to scratch your eyes out.

S/he may be much happier with ice cold water to drink. I had a kitty that liked to lick the condensation off a cold drick so I started putting ice cubes in her water she loves it.