Giving your cat a bath and why?

Question

I read in another post that someone gives their cat a bath. I thought that cats took care of cleaning themselves. I will wipe off the cat if he gets something on him. He is an indoor cat.

And plus I don't think my cat would enjoy the thought of taking a bath. Do you do it like you would a dog? Put him in the bathtub and scrub him down and then dry him off.

I've just never heard of this so I was just wondering...

Answer 1

Normally you are right - a cat in good health will take care of his own grooming. In the event that a cat comes into contact with something that he can't get out of his fur, you'd probably have to intervene. Also, if your cat had the misfortune to develop skin problems such as fleas, eczema, etc., he might have to be bathed. Being an indoor cat, chances are good that you'll never have to bath him at all.

Answer 2

we used to do about once or twice a year. We did it mainly when they had bad dander or when sometimes they got stinky smelling (we'd go on vacation and the litter box wasn't very fresh.) However, we found an easier solution. The pet store sells these kitty wipes that do help freshen them up when they not smelling good. I do that once a month or so. I'm not good about combing them so it helps get rid of shedding hair, too.

We had a long hair before and poop used to get stuck on his butt and he just sort of smelled stinky. Plus sometimes if they get a bad case of fleas, the flea dirt can get nasty. Fortunately we don't have these issues now. So the wipes do just fine. However, sometimes it is necessary, esp. if you outdoor kitties

Most cats hate baths. You have to be quick and not run the water while they're in the room (they freak out!). Have a helper since one person usually needs to hold the cat down and the other washes.

Never ever, give an elderly cat a bath. My husband did this with one of my cats (she was already ailing) and I think she musht have caught pneumonia and died within a week. I think she was going to die anyhow but it sped up the process.

Since cats lick themselves a LOT after a bath and ingest a lot of hair, it's good to give them Petromalt so they don't puke up a big hairball. :)

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Answer 3

We not often have bathed our cats and we've had 11 over the years. purely contained with regards to a flea infestation or previous to a cat educate, likely. Or in the adventure that they get into some thing quite messy. Cats sparkling themselves as you recognize. maximum acceptable component you may do for a cat is in basic terms brush them. That keeps the hairball project down. canines, sure. Cats, no longer mandatory. And if a cat is given a bath, tell those women to make positive they use a cat shampoo a minimum of! appears like they have too a lot time on their fingers. "want some thing to do. I were given it! enable's grab kitty and provides her a bath. She'll like it!" no longer.

Answer 4

Giving a cat a bath can be a good thing, although whether it's absolutely necessary is up to the owner.....and whether or not the cat is an indoor/outdoor cat and/or if it gets pretty dirty.

We give our male cat a bath from time to time simply because it makes his fur feel better, gets rid of a lot of hair (more than we can get rid of with brushing), and reduces the amount of dander.

KittyKat reminded me of something; I recently bought some of that waterless cat shampoo. It's basically a foam that you rub into the fur, then towel dry your cat. The major advantage here is it makes them smell better, and reduces dander....without going through the trauma of a water bath. We got it for our new female....because she's pretty fiesty with the claws when upset.

Answer 5

Alot of people for some reason think it is necessary, but I have only bathed my cats in desperate situations, like when I rescued one as a kitten he had the runs and was too little to know how to clean himself... other than that I have only given flea baths in the past, but with Advantage that is even unecessary now. To tell the truth I think its silly to bath a cat because they bathe themselves sevral times a day and it is quite a chore to bath an unwilling cat, and most cats are unwilling..... My 4 cats are all indoor cats and I have not bathed any of them in years, because they never get dirty enough to bath!!

Answer 6

I have 2 cats and a kitten, all indoor ones and I have never thought of giving them a bath. Cats are very meticulous and clean themselves all day long. No need for baths.

Answer 7

I have a cat now that,s almost 2 years old and she,s never had a bath and never has any odor at all she is always bathing herself. About 5 years when I got my first cat I gave him a bath and bled for 2 hours afterward so it,s not necessary and dangerous.

Answer 8

I do occasionally give my cat a bath (an experience neither one of us enjoy I might add) but I sometimes have to bathe him after a trip to the vets office because we did not quite make home in time for him to use the box

Answer 9

I give mine a bath when the weather's warm every few months - she hates it at the time, but completely loves being so clean for the next couple of weeks. Make sure you do it early in the morning so they can have all day in the sun to dry - good to get rid of fleas too.
Just make sure you don't get water in their ears or head - and watch their claws!

Answer 10

reasons vary.

I've given my cat a bath once in 10 yrs. I was in Missouri & she got out during fleas season. As soon as she came back, she got a bath. She was not happy at all! She glared at me for an hour afterward! But.... I'm not going to get started w/ fleas in the hsoue. Dog hates the bath as well, but she got one every day durin flea & tick season. Out in the morning, at night when she came in it was straight to the tub. I liked the routine less than she did. I had to put flea powder down in her path & vacum the carpet.