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Bathing Your Cat

Bathing your cat does not need to be the intimidating endeavor it might seem. Most cats will tolerate bathing with some grumbling and an escape attempt or two, but little else. Remember to keep calm, talk reassuringly to your cat, and praise its good behavior to help ease its anxiety. As long as the cat knows that you are in charge, things should go smoothly. If you are very worried about your cat's reaction to bathing, have a friend come and help you by controlling the cat while you lather and rinse.

Why Bathe?

There are several reasons to bathe a cat and the most common is flea control. Flea baths must proceed following the instructions on the flea shampoo that you use. Usually, the lather must be left on the cat for a certain amount of time to kill the fleas present on the animal. You will need to follow additional special instructions for rinsing your cat and washing its face.

Showing your cat in a cat show is another reason for a bath. Grooming a cat for showing is a process of several shampooings and rinses; initially degreasing the fur and then enhancing the coat color. The goal is to make every hair separate from the others, so that the cat presents a shiny, rich and full coat.

You may want or need to bathe your cat to control allergies. Most cat allergies are reduced or eliminated by regular bathing, as this removes the saliva allergens from the cat's coat. Cats can be misted with distilled water and wiped dry in between baths. The frequency of baths depends on the severity of your allergies. Start out bathing once a month, with damp wiping in between, and increase the frequency of bathing if necessary. Bathing regularly this way reduces the amount of shedding your cat does as well.

Finally, you may need to bathe your cat because of pesticide, paint or other toxic contamination. You should consult your vet before undertaking any efforts if the cat is badly contaminated. Remove dried paint or tar with petroleum jelly, or cut away the dirty fur. Wash the contaminated area with shampoo and rinse well. Prevent the cat from licking its fur by drying the cat thoroughly with a blow dryer if possible, or wrapping it in a towel until dry.

What you will need:

Ready, Set, Water!

Where you choose to bathe your cat is determined by where you feel comfortable, and where you have a sprayer or can attach one. Using the bathtub with a hand held shower or bathtub-faucet sprayer attachment is the best choice, followed by using the kitchen sink with an installed sprayer or kitchen-faucet sprayer attachment. Using a pitcher of water to rinse a cat is quite difficult, since it requires refilling for each rinsing, and makes rinsing the underside of the cat nearly impossible. The bathroom is also a superior choice because it is a small space that can be closed-off from the rest of the house, can be kept warm while the cat is drying, and can easily tolerate any spills or splashes.

Lay out the towel that you will use to dry the cat before you begin bathing. Wear comfortable clothes that can get wet and dirty. Dilute the shampoo if directed on the bottle and have it handy in a spill-proof container. Trim your cat's claws as well, before you begin and remember to remove your cat's collar and/or flea collar if it wears one.

Turn on the water and adjust the temperature so that it is warm to the touch. Your cat will get cold and may shiver as you shampoo, but the rinses will be warming. Place your cat in the tub or sink. Put one of your hands on your cat's shoulders, roughly at the scruff of the neck. Don't hesitate to use some muscle to keep your cat from bolting, or to scruff your cat (grabbing the skin at the nape of the neck and tugging up on it) to control it. Talk to your cat reassuringly.

Thoroughly wet your cat's fur, making sure to get the underside, tail, anal area, chest and behind the ears, BUT AVOID GETTING THE INSIDE OF ITS EARS OR ITS FACE WET.

Note: Show bath. Use GOOP or a heavy duty hand soap and apply this to the DRY coat at the base of the tail, behind the ears, and wherever your cat's coat shows any noticeable 'breaking'. This step removes the excess grease that accumulates in these areas. Rub the soap in and then rinse thoroughly making sure no soap remains. Continue as above.

Keeping one hand on your cat whenever possible, pour some of the shampoo on the cat. Begin to lather paying extra attention to the area behind the ears, the anal area and the base of the tail. Rub the shampoo down into the fur with your fingertips. Lather all parts of the cat, using additional shampoo as necessary. Rinse your cat thoroughly so that no soap remains (the fur should feel squeaky clean). You may wish to repeat this shampoo to completely de-grease the coat.

Note: Flea bath. You may be instructed to leave the lather on for a period of time. Pay extra attention to areas on your cat where you have seen flea dirt, such as under the front or hind legs. Complete the washing and rinse as directed on the bottle. Follow with the application of a flea spray after drying.

Note: Show bath. For this first shampoo, use Dawn. You should completely lather, rinse until squeaky, apply more Dawn, lather and rinse again. Next, shampoo your cat with color enhancer, rinse again, and then apply texturizer if necessary, and rinse again. You may follow the final water rinse with a conditioner, such as Nexxus Humectress, or a rinse of 3 parts water to 1 part white vinegar, to completely remove the soap.

Once your cat is rinsed the final time, you should turn off the water and wring the excess liquid out of its coat before moving it to the towel. Place your cat on the towel and wrap it around your cat so that it cannot escape. Congratulate yourself! You have a clean, but wet, cat! Towel dry your cat as best you can, preferably until its fur near the skin has begun to dry. Slowly unwrap your cat and begin to brush out the coat. Use either the brush or the comb as your cat prefers.

If you have a shorthair, you should continue brushing until you see that its fur is damp, but beginning to look normal. Your cat may then be released into the house, as long as it will not be chilled.

If you have a longhair, you should attempt to dry the cat with a blow dryer to prevent matting and hairballs. Use the lowest setting, brushing or combing its fur against the lay of the coat until dry. Do a small area at a time, and clean the hair from the brush frequently. You may increase the setting on the dryer if your cat permits it, but be careful not to scorch its skin. To dry its belly, hold the cat up so that it is standing on its hind paws. Rest the blow dryer on a towel so that it points up at your cat, and brush the fur dry.

Note: Flea bath. Dry as directed on the bottle

Note: Show bath, longhairs. Make sure that your cat's ruff, behind its ears, its tail and the feathers on its hind legs are dried thoroughly and appear fluffy. Consult your breeder for additional advice and details.

Finally, make sure to give your cat hairball remedy or petroleum jelly to help it pass the excess hair. No matter how clean you get your cat, it will do extensive grooming of its own after a bath.

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