How do you get your cat to take a bath?

Question

My cat is dirty because he plays outside all day, so I decided to try to give him a bath. I stuck him in the bathtub and was going to shut the glass doors and spray him w/the shower sprayer from overhead, but before I could even shut the doors he jumped up, bounced off the back wall and out of the shower.

Answer 1

It's hard, but it's possible. Just be careful!!!

First of all, does he really NEED to be washed? Cats are capable of washing themselves without getting sick. The bacterias in their mouth are strong enough to kill anything they might pick up outside (dirt, bugs, etc), so you really could just let him clean himself. He doesn't need a bath. Many people don't know that and think they need to keep their cat clean themself. But if he's actually covered in mud and in serious need of you cleaning him, good luck!

This is how we cleaned my cat before when he really needed a bath: We rolled him up in a towel real quick so he couldn't scratch or bite us, then stuck him, towel and all into the tub and closed the glass doors. He got out of the towel quickly, then we sprayed him from above with a lot of water. We didn't get to use soap or anything, just a whole lot of water. He cried like we were killing him the whole time. When we were done we just let him sit and dry off a little bit. Then opened all the doors, let him out and stayed out of his way for awhile. He was pissed and hid for like, 2 days.

If you need to give him a bath because of fleas or something, that's a different story because you need the soap. Wear gardening gloves at all times while holding him so he doesn't scratch you. I'm serious! That's not a joke!! And have someone else help you. Rub the soap on him as fast as you can while he's being held. Wear clothes you're not attached to because you WILL get wet and soapy. Clutch him as close to you as you can and do it quicky. Then use the "water-from-above" technique with the glass doors closed to wash the soap off.

Cats are very difficult creatures when it comes to water. So good luck! And have plenty of band-aids ready!


I just read Nikki's answer about the cleaning wipes at the petstore. I've never heard of those but they sound like a much better option. I'd look into those before attempting the shower technique again. Good luck!

Answer 2

LOL, I would have LOVED to have seen that. Your problem is, most cats are afraid of falling/running water. If you want to bathe them you have to first fill the tub with about 4" of water. Nice and warm, but not too hot. You can buy a product called "cat calm" that is available at pet stores like Petco, it comes in a small brown bottle. It's like a kitty Valium. Anyway, after the kitty has had it's medicine, clip the tips of their nails with finger nail clippers just like the ones you use and SLOWLY lower the dirty kitty in to the water. Make sure they can touch bottom! This is important to keeping the cat calmer. Use a cup or small bowl to pour the water on the cat from what is in the tub. It might help in handling if you put on a swim suit or just got naked and got in the tub with the cat. You are going to get very wet yourself and will probably need to take a shower yourself when you are done bathing the cat. Good luck.

Answer 3

Here is what I used to do in high school when my parents had a cat.

Get in the tub with the cat. Assure the cat everything is OK. Hold the cat down while slowly turning on the water. The water will sowly rise and the cat will get upset. Keep holding and assuring the cat. You only need to fill the tub 2 or 3 inches deep.

Get a scoop and gently wet the cat. Once the cat is totally wet it usually gives up trying to stay dry.

Wash the cat with pet soap then rinse. Keep assuring the cat that everything is OK.

Dry the cat then let it run off.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I use the bathroom sink, but the kitchen sink is good, too. The bathroom is preferred because there is less room for the cat to escape. Expect your cat to go berserk - remove anything, everything from the area beforehand.

Set the water to warm, not hot. Pick up the cat, put it in. The goal is to hold the cat in one place, water coming down the neck, away from the head. One hand holds down the cat, pressing down so the cat can't get any leverage, the other hand guides the water, soaps, and rinses. My cat screams "NO!" "No!" "No!"

When cat is fully wet, then add soap, squeezing the soap on the cat's back, and using your free hand to spread it around. My soap says to wait for 5 minutes to soak in and kill fleas. So I let my cat go for 5 minutes, to walk around the bathroom. Usually she sulks about, looking very sad and depressed.

Then I catch the wet, slippery cat (easier than it sounds, since she's really hopeless looking, and stuck in the small bathroom) and rinse. I then wrap the now exhausted, overwhelmed kitty in a towel, covering all but her head, letting her go in about 5-10 minutes.

Answer 5

Grab the cat by the neck? Ouch! My cat is 13 lbs, so that wouldn't work anyway. And cats do bathe themselves, but it really does nothing for the smell. My cat is too fat to bathe most of her body too. She's also going bald in places because she compensates for that by bathing too much in some areas. And some cats are just lazy. My old cat got feline acne because he was lazy & didn't clean himself properly. I wrap my cat in a towel and hold her down in a tub outside to wash her. I usually get someone to help me hold her while I scrub & rinse. Be sure you wash all the soap off because the cat will lick itself after you bathe it & you don't want it to get sick. And maybe wear thick clothing & maybe some facial protection! My cat likes to climb on me to try to get out of the water!

Answer 6

I used a mesh bag, the kind you use to wash things like lingerie in the washing machine. I put the cat in but left his head sticking out. The claws get caught up in the bag and it's a little easier to hold him down, gently but firmly. Then you just wash the cat through the bag. Don't let the water get too hot and use the sprayer if you have one.

As you let him out of the bag, let him into a towel (have one waiting). Give him a good (again, gentle but firm) rubdown to get as much excess water out of his fur as possible.

Answer 7

You need to use the kitchen sink and have it filled up with warm water BEFORE you take your cat to the bath. Then you must hold him gently in the water, while soaping him up and while rinsing him.
I also use a rubber sink mat on the bottom of the sink so he doesn't slip.
Towel off excess water and let the cat finish drying himself.

Answer 8

Just leave the sink or tub running till a certain point the cat/dog should start drinking the water grab the cat/dog by the back neck
and sit them in the water just do ur best of luck :)

Answer 9

Aww that's MEAN! He probably won't get clean that way anyway, just wet and dirty. I realize you probably don't like your cat being dirty, but I'm sure he will take care of it himself in time. If you MUST bathe him, you'll just have to wear protective clothing and hold him down, gently I hope. Maybe just set him in the tub and wash him with a cloth or something? Good luck with that, is all I'm saying. :)

Answer 10

Go to the pet store and buy Pet Washcloths. They look like wet wipes but they have soap in it that smells good and cleans well. You can warm them up in the microwave for about 10 seconds so it will be nice and cozy for the little guy!

But good luck with spraying your cat with water. Hmm I dont think he appreciates that method. ;-)