How do you bathe your cat?

Question

How do you keep them from killing or maiming you with their claws?

Just interested in those who bathe their cat by themselves, not with assistance from anyone including groomers.

Answer 1

In most cases, you should not bathe your kitty. He/she will groom and keep clean with no bathing.

However, that being said....there are certain times when bathing a kitty is necessary...bad fleas, very bad run-in with something messy or dirty. For example, when my cat first came home from the shelter, he reeked of urine.

I worked at an animal hospital for 5 years and have bathed lots of kitties....its definitely not easy if you get a cranky one.

Here's my advice. Kneel at the edge of your tub. Get a towel ready. If you can (meaning if he lets you), clip your kitty's nails first. You have to hold the cat BY THE SCRUFF (seriously....this does not hurt them, it immobilizes their arms and it makes them submissive to you). Grab the kitty at the neck and pull the skin away from the body. Get a good handful and just hold him by it. You are going to have to do all the shampooing with the other hand. It's not fun or easy, but it works. The kitty hates it, but he can't move. Just go quickly and make sure you get all the soap off. Also, kitties are very susceptible to cold when wet, so towel dry and keep the cat warm afterwards.

Good luck! Happy bathing!

Answer 2

I actually wrote a "Training Manual" on this for on of my Grad School Classes (Training Systems). I got an A, and used my poor baby for the pics of the booklet. She still hasn't gotten over it and that was about 7 years ago.

Hold them by the scruff of the neck, and use tepid water....not too cold or hot. Use big rubber gloves to protect your hands and arms. It would probably be a good idea to make sure their claws have been cut first. Close the door(s) to the bathroom. They will still scream and try to bite and kill you, but there is no easy way to bathe a cat. They usually clean themselves very well, so there really aren't many reasons to bathe a cat. And after you get them all wet, they just spend the next several minutes licking themselves anyway.

Also, my vet told me that dish washing liquid (like Ivory or Palmolive) are safer to use than human shampoo in a pinch.

After they are done, just wrap them in a bunch of towels so they are comfy and try to get them as dry as quickly.

Answer 3

First off, don’t wash a cat unless you really need to. If you have a shower/tub with sliding glass doors or can use someone else’s you’ll be a lot better off. That way you don’t have to try to hold them down in the tub and get bit and scratched. Even the gentlest of cats will fight back at a bath. Get in the shower with the cat. Then you just point the showerhead at them. They look like miserable rats and often claw at the door. But at least they aren’t clawing at you. Cat shampoo is optional. Depends on how dirty your cat is. Be sure to buy shampoo specially made for cats and do your best to rinse all of it out as they will lick themselves later and regular people shampoo can make a cat really sick. Be ready for wet cat flying out of the shower when all is done and the door is open. You may not be able to hand dry your cat with a towel afterward so try to do this on a really hot day (at least 90 in the house) as cats can get cold easily. Let the cat dry itself and expect it to be pissed at you for a while. Never use a blow dryer on a cat, it scares the living daylights out of them. Good luck.

Answer 4

It's all in the way you hold the cat (for an inexperienced person I would recommend gloves... thick ones, not leather because you are obviously going to get them wet, and water and leather don't mix, but try faux leather), you have to grip their shoulders just behind thier head, so they can't turn around and bite you, or get at you with their front claws. And then you press down firmly enough that they can't get at you by whipping around and getting you with their back claws (I recommend having two people bathe kitty if you are trying it for the first time). But I had a boyfriend who was allergic to cats, so I had to bathe mine a lot to get rid of the allgergen (dander)... also it helps to start them out young (smaller and weaker and easier to control) that way they get "used" to bathing, they may not LIKE it but when they're older it won't be such a struggle to bathe them if you start bathing them as a kitten.

Answer 5

I bathe them only when necessary, but I get someone to help me. This is definately a two person job. I use the kitchen sink because I use the sprayer to get done quickly. One person holds the paws (all 4 use 2 hands) and one person to wash and rinse. The cat will be laying so you will have to switch sides. I can't say that I am not still bleeding when I am finished but a lot less than if I did it alone. I have 5 cats, not all of them are like that. Good luck to you.

Answer 6

If I can, I usually clip her nails before bathing her, unless she got into something and needs a bath right away. It's hard to give a cat a bath without getting a few scratches, especially if the cat hates water. It helps to have someone along to help while you bath the cat too.

Answer 7

I bathe my tomkat on a regular basis especially when he has been gone for a week.
1. run the water before you put the cat in cats are naturally afraid of water because they cannot swim.
2. slowly lower the cat in the water, use one hand to hold the cat between the shoulder blades , do not let their feet come out of that water or you arm is hamburger ( I still have scars from the first time)
3. use a cup to rinse your cat and talk to them in a soft voice, shut the bathroom door and lock it so that no one will spook the cat and make it jump.
4.have lots of soft towels when you are done to wrap them in. and suck up big time afterwards with tuna and milk in a few hours they will forgive you.
** in case of fleas use dawn blue dish soap it will kill them (original, not degreasing or foaming)

Answer 8

you in basic terms made my day! Hahahahahahaha! you're an astounding author. The scars throughout my body would inform you i'm the proud proprietor of a cat who has emerged effective on all my tries to bathe her. We not in any respect even were given on the fringe of the tub with out me bleeding by 1000 wounds.

Answer 9

Unless your cat gets into something, you don't need to give it a bath. Cats are one of the cleanest animals in the world. They clean themselves and if you feel the need to give them a bath you will have to be very careful....most cats don't like water. Why do you think you need to wash your cat? Did he/she get into something? As long as they are in good health and not around "bugs" they will be fine on their own. Just make sure you brush them if they are long haired...it will help with the nats in their fur....and if they get hair balls a lot...but a little bit of vegetable oil on their food and it will help them digest it.

Answer 10

I have a really weird cat that actually likes water. She always comes running when I start the bathwater. Sometimes she'll even jump in the bathtub when I'm taking a bath! :)

Good luck!