Giving cat a bath?

Question

When ever it ry to give one of my cats a bath it always gets angry and scratches and bites. my other one just tries to get out but doesn't try to hurt you on purpose. they are about 8 months old. i don't know what to do.

btw it is "i try" at the beginning

Answer 1

You don't really need to bathe your cat that often, but if you really need to get a second person to hold the cat. Cut down on the stress of the cat by only bringing him/her to the bath after the water has stopped, and its quiet.

I just use this water-less foam from Walmart made especially for cats. You just pump out some foam, massage into your cat and towel dry. -its much simpler this way

Answer 2

Trim nails prior to bath. Use a cat muzzle during bathing. Cat muzzle cover the eyes & the cat usually calms. Hold cat using one hand on shoulder blades, this prevents the cat from moving upward. Do not attempt to leash, I have seen many cats get injured this way. Cats do not need a bath as often as dogs. I only give my kitties a bath if the have gotten into something really dirty or stinky. If your cats absolutely flip out stop, cats are very good at cleaning themselves so why stress them. Brushing helps to get dander & dead hair out. You can also give them a dry bath with a mousse or powder bath sold at vet or pet store. Be careful & good luck!

Answer 3

Why do you want to bathe your cats? It's only necessary to bathe cats if they get some kind of gunk on their fur, or if they've rolled in something stinky.

Before you bathe your cats, be sure to trim their claws. That way, you won't get scratched while trying to bathe them.

If your cats have fleas, get Advantage or Frontline from your local pet supply store or your vet. Don't use a flea collar. These usually don't do an effective job; they sometimes irritate the skin so that the cat breaks out in a rash.

Answer 4

After having cats for many, many years, I have come to this
conclusion. There are just some cats that will never take a bath, period. With those, I have gotten at the pet shop, the
liquid bath, that you put on a clean cloth and wash them.
It does a good job.

Answer 5

I bathe my cat because I'm allergic to cats. He's now 18 years old and pretty used to the process although he swears at me a lot.

*My* method for bathing a cat:

Fill tub nearly full of warm water (not hot and not cold)
Dilute some dog shampoo (I use Pure Pet's Pure Pearl) until its pretty watery.
Pull some warm towels out of the dryer and set them in the bathroom.
Drag cat from under the bed (do not say "Bath").
Carefully, set the cat into the warm bath water rear legs first... let him put his front legs on the rim (sometimes its good to have a towel there to occupy his claws)
Wash cat with diluted shampoo
Swish cat through tub water to rinse... or, attempt to rinse him by dumping warm water over him... I've found swishing MUCH easier.
Wrap cat in warm towels and tell him how good he is.
Clean bathroom and multiple wet towels.

Answer 6

Well you did not say if they are inside of outside cats.... inside cats should not have to be bathed but maybe once a year....I use baby wipes weekly on my 13 cats(all inside cats) but I do submerge them in the bathtub once at the begining of summer... There is no easy way to bathe them they hate getting wet...have a friend help you out who is tuff enough to scruff the cat and hold its front feet at the same time....it takes my son & I about two mins to bathe a cat this way....Good luck and don't get bit.

Answer 7

Do you have a closed in shower, like a little cube on w/ a door? If you do just toss the kitty in there and turn the water on, medium temperature so you don't burn or freeze it. That's in my exprience the best way to *partially* clean kitties who don't want baths. I know it seems sorta cruel and they'll probably freak out in there but if it really needs to be cleaned and it won't take a bath what else can you do. Right?

Answer 8

One option is to start getting it used to water very very slowly. First, be prepared with plenty of the cat's favorite treats. Now, go to the dry sink and put the kitty in it. Give it lots of treats. Do this several times a day (if possible) for a few days. Once kitty stops freaking out about being in the sink, run the tiniest bit of water in the sink...hardly enough to even be felt. Be sure it's comfortably warm. Put kitty's feet in it, and give more treats. Keep up the gradual increase, plenty of repeats, and profuse treats. It might take a while, but with any luck, the kitty will adjust and might even learn to like bathtime!

Now, my friend swears by an alternate method. I've never tried it, but it seems feasible. You need a helper for this method. Put the cat in a cloth pillow case (with its head out the top of course). One person needs to hold the pillowcase securely at kitty's chest and back (NOT the neck!) Now, put the kitty in the sink (be sure the water isn't too hot or too cold). Water and soap will go right through the pillowcase to reach the kitty, but she says the claws stay inside. Might be worth a try!

Answer 9

Ok, cats may not needs bath as much as dogs do, but, they still need baths. Baths can reduce skin problems such as dry skin and irritated skin. You dont really want to get their head under as they will usually go bananas.

Heres what I do with my 3:

First I do it in the bath tub because they are full grown(as kitten in the kitchen sink).
I run the water lukewarm and not on high blast(they do not like that sound)
I hold the cat up by their front legs and back and just dip them under the water
I will grab their arms with one hand and rub their fur under the running water(quickly)
Then take them to the other saide of the bathtub to gently massage the soap in their fur(scratching them and petting them and telling them in a soft voice how they are such a good kitty)
Then I hold them like I do at first running the water over their body, then use one hand to rub them down under water.
Then as I hold them I turn the water off, grab the towel and wrap them like a baby.
I rub on the outside of the towel for a bit then set them down using the towel to dry them as much as possible(kind of like drying you hair)
Once I dry all the soaking wet water off of them I get their treats and give them a few and pat them on the head telling them how good they did.
After they eat their treat I let them run off under a bed or wherever to lick themselves the rest of the way dry.

I have 3 cats and I find this technique very easy. It is a good idea to clip their nails beforehand just in case. Let me tell you by doing the baths this way I have only been scratched maybe a few times by each. And not that bad either.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 10

The only time I gave any of ours a bath was when we first got them--they'd been sleeping in the litter box inside a cage. After that they took care of any fur cleaning on their own.

Bathing too much strips out the natural oils in their coat and can cause dandruff--or even nausea if you left any soap or shampoo in their fur. Cats just don't need a bath unless they got into something that they can't get out of their fur on their own.