Is it ok to bathe your cat or kitten in Dawn dishwashing liquid?

Question

I heard that Dawn kills fleas on contact. Has anyone tried this and if so does it work?

Answer 1

Yes, its ok to wash Cats with Dawn dish soap, make sure you rinse them very well, dawn is safe for cats and larger kittens. It does kill fleas, but more to the affect of drounding the fleas.. I use it all the time. Dawn dish soap is been used for many years for animals. Esp. the animals that were contamanated with oil spills.

Answer 2

It does weaken and does kill some fleas making it easy to remove them with a flea comb while bathing or just after. It is not dangerous to a cat or kitten for that purpose. It will not kill all the fleas and some will revive if not removed. Also, if there are fleas in your home or where the kitten lives they will replace the ones you got rid of. The danger in bathing a cat or kitten is that some people aren't careful to keep water out of the nose and that can be dangerous and even lethal. If you know how to give a bath without putting the animal in danger, and you are just wanting to get the fleas now on the cat off, then dawn with or followed by flea combing works well. I had to do this with an EIGHT DAY OLD KITTEN that was loaded with fleas, injured and likely dropped by a feral mother at a store entrance by busy streets and left there. If the fleas didn't come off, they could have killed the kitten via anemia from all the blood they were sucking.
Kittens that little are too small to put on any flea prevention. That kitten is now a healthy two month old and in it's own home now after fostering by me and then later by the current owner.
IF you are not sure how to bathe the kitten safely, get a Vet tech to do it.
Flea prevention medications are good for cats but check with a Vet for the best kind and WHEN to start it. Some long haired or persian like cats are very sensitive to some anti-flea products.

Answer 3

Dawn is good if there's grease involved,but if not I wouldn't use it. Cats have a different Ph than we do and need soap that is formulated for their skin. Earth Bath is a good choice or something that is hypoallergenic, Shampooing for fleas is not very effective. Really all you do is drown the adult fleas and there are no residual affects. If the kitten is too young / small (2 pounds or under) for a product like Frontline or Advantage consider a Capstar tablet. It will kill 99% of the fleas within an hour and is safe for all but very sick animals. It's an over the counter product at vets. Again no residual affect against eggs that haven't hatched yet but a good place to start. Also consider treating your environment. Baking soda on the carpet works well, but you must change and discard the vacuum bag each time or the fleas will hatch in the bag and reinfest your house. (The heat and vibration from the vacuum hatch the eggs) On a kitten I wouldn't use any flea products with out checking with your vet. There are some that contain ingredients that, while very affective on fleas, can get to the cats nervous system and you'll spend a lot more at the vet's getting the cat healthy again than if you go with a more expensive SAFE product to begin with.

Answer 4

Hello, Yes, Dawn dishing detergent is great for killing fleas on cats. I was given a Hemalayan Sealpoint persian that someone had dumped on the street. When I took him I got more then just a persian I got major fleas. I got Dawn detergent and gave him a bath starting from the head then neck then front legs, body top and under then back legs and finished with the tail from the base to the tip. Lather him up real well this will kill the fleas but dont' use a lot of Dawn just enough to get him soapy with it. After you have done all the body parts rinse him well, you will see the fleas slide down the tub into the drain. Then wait 3 days then give them frontline for cats. Do this once a month during the meantime, vacum every week and dispose of the bag outside. After I vacum I use a flea spray for the carpet. Do this on a regular basis and in time you will have no more fleas. Kroger food store has one flea spray for carpet that is great. Keep in mind it's harder to get rid of fleas when you house has carpet then if you had wood floors. With wood floors they have nowhere to hide but do the cracks and base board. Hope this helps you and Good Luck with the little buggers. I've had my fair share of them.

Answer 5

Yes it works, and I have even had a vet recommend it on a dog. It is NOT good for their coats as it will strip them of natural oils. If you have a flea problem in a kitten, it is about the only choice as most flea control products cannot be used on kittens. I would use dawn rather than letting the kitten deal with the fleas. If you have an adult cat with a flea problem, I would see your vet and get him to prescribe advantage or something similar. Don't go to walmart and get the first flea control product you see, most don't work and may harm your cat. Just bite the bullet and get the expensive stuff from your vet. Good Luck!! Fleas are difficult to exterminate.

Answer 6

Well,
It isnt very safe to bathe your animal in Dawn.
1 - Stripes Natural Oils
2 - Dries out skin
With no Natural Oils the Dried skin can lead to more skin problems such as scracthing and which can lead to Itchy Skin and if the Animal Scrathes it can cause Dermatitist, (Inflammation of the Skin).

No don't wash Cat in Dawn.

Human Shampoo would work best. Make sure to Rinse throughly or the Cat can ingest the Soap Causing Stomach Problems

Answer 7

I see some people have done it, but it's really a very bad idea. Cats NEED their natural oils in order to keep their sensitive skin healthy, and Dawn will strip those oils away. Here is a page about treating a cat with fleas, and how to get rid of them for good.

Answer 8

NO NO NO NO - CATS ARE VERY SENSITIVE TO TOXINS AND SUFFER GREATLY WHEN THEIR KIDNEYS ARE INVOLVED IN TOXIC REACTIONS. I cant believe that you would think to even consider that. I know you're just asking but I saw cats that had that done to them brought into the hospital - itching and suffering from the effects of chemical toxicity. Dish detergent is formulated to REMOVE grease. Can you imagine how dry and inflamed the cat would get, then when it licked itself as they do after any bath to try to smell like themselves again - it would be in effect, poisoned.
What is it with the people who ask this question on this site?
Why is it so hard to go to the pet store and get the right product? Isnt your pet's health worth the 5 or 6 bucks for a bottle of the proper soap?
Man.

Answer 9

No! That soap is far too strong for your cat's skin and coat. Get a flea collar for one thing, and give the cat a bathe in warm water, with cat flea shampoo.

Answer 10

It won't hurt the kitty. Just don't get scratched in the process. If you have air conditioning on, try to blowdry him at least half-way dry so he won't catch cold. I've never tried using Dawn. I just used some kind of flea killer shampoo.