Bathing A Cat, Don't Let The Fur Fly

Bathing a cat is one of life’s less than fun things to do. It normally ends up with one very grumpy and alien looking cat, one very wet owner and a bathroom or kitchen which looks like a scene from a disaster movie. Lets face it, your cat hates having a bath, so why do we do it? Well, cats normally are very good at looking after themselves when it comes to cat grooming. But from time to time, say when they need to be treated for a skin condition, they have got something on their fur or they are a show cat, they will need to face a dreaded bath.

We can get through bathing a cat if we all work together here.

Lets face it, your cat will never like to have a bath (if your cat does, let us know I would love to find a bath loving cat). So don’t think that we can give you the secret to a relaxed bathing session. Our aim is to give you tips on bathing a cat which will help to make things a little easier.

Our best tip when bathing a cat, is to be quick. Do not prolong the experience any longer than is absolutely necessary. Less fuss, less water damage.

What equipment should I have ready when bathing a cat?

Before bathing a cat it is best to make sure that you have everything to hand. Also make sure that your cat cannot see you making the preparations for the bath. They will get to know the signs and start to get frightened even before you have turned on a tap.

Bathing A Cat Checklist:

Put a rubber mat in the bottom of the sink or bath. This will stop your cat slipping and will protect your sink or bath from scratch marks.

Remove your cats collar

Make sure you have a suitable cat shampoo. Do not use household soaps and cleaning liquids. This could damage your cats skin. A proper cat shampoo will not lather as much as normal shampoo and will be easier to rinse off.

Have two large towels ready. One for drying and one for restraining your cat.

Have two cloths available. One for use on the face and one for the shampoo for the body.

If using a jug to wash your cat, have a large bucket of water available for rinsing. Your cat won’t want to wait around too long.

The Only Natural Pet Store carry many cat shampoo's and coat conditioners which are not available in the shops. The banner will take you directly to their shampoo page.

Let the fun begin

Ok here we go. Ready?

Make sure the room is quiet, running water will make your cat freak. This is why it is best to use a jug and pouring water on your cat rather than using a showerhead. It is far less frightening.

Make sure the water is body temperature.

Wrap you cat in a large towel to restrain them, remember to use a calm and reassuring voice. Talk to them all the time.

Pour water over the cats body, not the head. This may be a two-person job.

Gently but quickly rub the cat shampoo into the body area, remember calm reassuring words.

Now pour the clean warm water over the body and squeeze the fur to make sure all the shampoo is removed. Once again do not take too long. Make sure that you keep the face dry during this process.

Once all the soap is removed, tightly wrap the cat in a large clean dry towel and try to give them a quick pat down rather than rubbing (rubbing will tangle fur, especially long cat hair) to get rid of the excess water. At this point you can wipe the face area with a wet cloth but do not use any soap.

All done, it really isn’t worth trying to completely dry your cat and using a hair dryer is a big no no. Poor kitty cat. Keep them inside until they are dry and perhaps a little treat might be in order.

Your cat may be giving you dagger looks at this point, but once he has calmed down and is tucking into his favourite food, be assured he will soon be purring again and will have completely forgiven you. Fingers crossed.

If you find that your cat absolutely cannot stand being bathed, then there are some dry powder cat shampoos available.

What happens if?

If your cat walks in one day and has some how got something on their fur that just can’t be washed out, don’t worry, here are a few tips that should solve these sticky situations.

Paint – Paint should be left to dry a little and then cut out. DO not use paint thinners as your cat is likely to digest some of it. Of course if your cat is trying to lick the paint off, then don’t wait, just clip it out.

Road tar or grease – Rub in some mineral oil like caster oil or Vaseline onto the affected area, then use a mild detergent like washing up liquid to get the sticky stuff off. Be very careful not to get the soap into the cats eyes. Afterwards it might be a good idea to give your cat a full bath using their shampoo just to be on the safe side.

If your cats fur is still very oily try rubbing in some baby powder of cornstarch. Leave it in for about 10 minutes and then brush it out. This can often produce some really good results.

Professional groomers and pet spas

There are of course professional groomers who are expert at bathing a cat, but be prepared to pay for it. Cat groomers have to pay a higher insurance liability if they groom cats as well as dogs. It’s because injury is more likely and some groomers won’t even consider grooming cats because of this. But if you feel that you are not confident enough to bath your cat yourself, then a professional groomer could be the answer.

I want to mention pet spas. I recently came across a company on the net who have invented a machine called a pet spa for washing your pet. All I can say is that I was shocked and appalled that they could say that a cat would be less stressed out by being put into a machine and squirted with water and blown with dryers. There is a video on You Tube, which if you care to take a look is quite unbelievable and I’m sure being the kind caring cat owner that you are will not consider using one. Rant over.

Hopefully we have reassured you that bathing a cat is not as terrible as it sounds. Good Luck and don’t forget to wear your bathing costume.

Top of bathing a cat page

More Grooming pages

Grooming Long Fur

Clipping Claws