how can i get my kitten to go in the water to give her a bath?

Question

she see's water and all hell breaks lose.

Answer 1

Sad thing to say but grab her by the skin on the back of her neck to where she cant move and put her in the water and wash her using your other hand hope that helps

Answer 2

First recommendation - purchase and apply soft claws. you can find these at most stores like Wal-Mart or K-Mart. Also purchase a good thick pair of kitchen cleaning gloves.

Second -- Use your smallest bathroom and have all supplies together and easily reachable. I always include a large plastic measuring cup to pour clean water over my kitty rather than trying to hold her under a faucet.

Close ALL doors and cabinets so even is she gets away she will really have nowhere to go.

For her first few baths make em short and sweet. You can be more thorough later, now you just want her to find out she want be hurt or killed by this insufferable procedure you are torturing her with.

Afterwards, have a nice warm towel ready. dry her as well as possible with the towel. Then set the hair dryer on low and warm. Again, keep those gloves on! Just keep it on the first few times long enough so that she is not dripping wet and let her go sulk for a while.

When she comes out for a rub and nuzzle, tell her she smells so wonderful and was a good, good girl, we know the good girl part is a lie and so does she but cats like that sort of thing.

She will never love a bath, but she will learn to accept it as a fact of life.

Good luck!

One thing I forgot to say is while I have never had to bath my long hair adult cat - probably because she does not get into everything, I do spend a great deal of time grooming her and I use a special glove with a cleaner to remove as much dander as possible.

My baby however, is always into something and since she was taken from her mother way, way too early I do have to bath her occasionally. She started out a little wild and a lot frightened, but if you truly take the time to do the above (as well as several of the other answers) kitties will take their baths without too much fuss. (I don't really think you should try the toilet bowl method, and I think it just might be justice if they sat down one day and got a good scratch on the hind end for their trouble!)

Answer 3

Normally, you don't need to bathe kittens or cats. I regard it as an emergency measure...my flamepoint Siamese once had a close encounter with some paint and briefly became a tealpoint Siamese, which made a bath necessary. She didn't like it; most cats don't. I'd try spot-cleaning the kitten with a warm, damp washcloth rather than bathing her.

I don't know why you're trying to bathe her, but if it's because of fleas, there's an easier way. Go to the vet and ask for "Advantage" in the strength for cats under 9 pounds. This is a tiny tube of stuff that you squeeze out onto the back of the animal's neck and rub into the fur there. You apply it once a month during the warm, wet months when fleas are a problem - it kills them quickly and keeps them from coming back.

Answer 4

well, first plan on getting WET! I give my cats a bath once a year, and I make sure that I have the bathroom door closed so if they jump out, they can't disappear under a bed or something. Hold the kitten away from your body, and dip it into the bath tub that I put water in before hand. The running water on them freaks them out, so after I have them good and wet and lathered up, I start to drain the tub (there may be a ton of fur) and turn on the water slowly and I use a cup and pour it over them until ALL of the soap is washed off. Make sure that you are using a shampoo for cats. Good Luck, I feel for you!

Answer 5

My cats were bottle fed. I knew I would be giving them baths. I used the double kitchen sink. Remove anything the cat can pull down. Have the soap and a plastic cup at the ready. Fill one side 3/4 the way with warm (not hot) water. Have towels ready. You will have a max of about six minutes to get the cat clean. (clip claws the day before you do this, or put on fake tips). Wear a long sleeve heavy shirt. Back the cat into the water, squirt on the soap, quick swish and bail as much water over to rinse as you can. After while let the cat climb into the empty sink, bail the remaining rinse water and wrap it in a towel. You will be wet, but then, you don't do this every day. Switch towels two or three times. If you can pass the now angry cat to someone else to dry while you get changed, it helps.

Answer 6

Cats are instinctively afraid of water. I think its cute, but it can also be annoying. Cats shouldn't be bathed at all until they are about nine weeks old. It stresses them out WAAY too much. I have three cats and when that special saturday rolls around every month they all run!!! Unfortunately there is NO way to get a cat to like baths. They will never "get used to it". Ever. I have three cats. The largest is 15 lbs..and no. He is NOT fat. This guy can jump half way up the wall when he's getting a bath. The only thing to do is to fill the tub up with three to four inches with cool to warm water, grab the scruff of the kittens neck (if it scrathes) or hold it around its midsection and place it in the water. It shoudln't go above its back. I use a plastic cup to pour water over my cats. Its the easiest way. Dunking them only gets water in their ears which do need to be cleaned out as well. Yeast infections in cat ears SUCK. So keep em dry!

Answer 7

If the kitten is REALLY dirty, put a little lukewarm water in a sink, you will have better control over the baby, if she isint all that dirty, cats clean themselves.
I have a white cat, he went outside for the first time the other day, he is a HUGE cat, I really didnt want to give his lard-*** a bath, and he had grease, dirt, you name it on his hair, the next day he was all white again.

Answer 8

be foreceful yet rewarding. Similar to cutting their nails. "You have to do this, but I promise you you'll get a treat"

Cats are generally self cleaning, so I would stay away from regular baths and only use on an as-needed basis. Otherwise they are prone to getting worse cases of dandruf with is what most people are allergic too. So give a bath to a cat, esp a male cat is a double edges sword best left alone.

Answer 9

Well for one thing, it helps to have at least two people. =) My mom and I will sometimes get our cat's fur a little wet first so that he doesn't notice it quite as much once he's in. I find that it's better to use handfulls of water instead of having him submerged into water. Part of the reason they don't like water is because they lose their sense of control of their location--a big thing with cats. It also makes them cold. After you're finished, wrap him/her in a towel for a while to keep it warm. Good luck and be sure to wear steel gloves!

Answer 10

Most cats don't like water. Let the water drip out of the faucet so she can get used to it. A cat cleans himself so they only need a bath once a year according to my vet.