I know cats can get by without having to take a bath because they can groom themselves, but I know that some pet owners give their cat baths occasionally or whenever they feel like it. So I'm wondering if you give your cat a bath? If yes, then how often do you do it and does your cat feel comfortable when you give them a bath?
I have a persian, and people do say you need to bathe them and comb them regularly, but I only sent her for a bath at a pet shop once. She is a cat, so she is pretty clean and smell ok most times, so I don't see much need for it. Maybe once every couple months is fine.
No, I never bathe my cats and never have in all my years of rescuing. They're very clean animals and bathing them isn't good for their skin, in my opinion. Not to mention, I would never put them through that kind of stress and fear unless absolutely necessary. Which it never is, since they're indoor cats and do a thorough job on their own. Only brushing (just our persian, not necessary for short haired).
Having had cats all my life and also someone who runs a small rescue center for abandoned and mistreated cats and kittens - unless it was needed for medical reasons or other exceptional circumstances - absolutely never would I subject a cat to the extremely traumatic experience of bathing it unnecessarily. As not only is attempting to immerse a cat in water - one of the surest ways of giving it the impression that you are trying to kill it - but its totally unnecessary - as unlike humans who don't have an inbuilt means of cleaning their bodies - nature gifted cats with their own very effective personal grooming tools and therefore - as cats are naturally extremely fastidious creatures in terms of cleanliness - who are more than well-equipped to tackle their own personal hygiene and hair care needs - there really is no need for them to be bathed like humans. In fact - even if there was no other option than to give a cat a bath - its generally best only done under advice from a vet - especially as - not only does bathing strip all the natural and very necessary oils from a cat's fur - but it is also known to be one of main causes of skin problems in cats.
Immersing a cat in water seems a bit too much, when I bathed my cat I just placed him in the bathroom and poured water on him because he seemed to be feeling very hot because it was summer that time. That was the only time I gave my cat a bath. He was tolerant when I was giving him a bath, but vomited afterwards because his stomach got exposed to the cold.
I tried to bathe my cat once and he growled at me, so I stopped and apologized to him as I kept his mind from scratching me with a little tap on the head, yep I talk to cats, and he looked at me and stopped growling. I never bathed him again.
It's no secret, cats HATE being wet LOL So proceed with extreme caution if you're going to go down that route because there'll some vicious scratching and biting involved hehe I don't currently own a cat, but when I did, I never bathed it.
My cat never scratched me though when I bathed him. I guess I was just lucky because my cat is not that "violent". Some cats for sure won't hesitate to harm their owner if they forcibly give them a bath.
i have never bathed any of my cats in the past, but my most recent kitten seems to have a fascination with water, any time he hears the tap running hes straight over to it sticking his head under! so if your cat is happy to let you bath it then i dont see any harm in doing so, but most cats hate water anyway so it probably wont be very likely that it would want you to.
I had two cats and I never bathed them. They were indoor cats and they were constantly grooming themselves. I have known people who give their cats baths but never understood why. My cats never smelled bad and their fur was always soft and shiny. I don't think mine would have allowed me too anyway. Cats are very clean animals and spend a good portion of their day grooming. I figure they save you time and energy from having to bathe them.
Well I would be foolish to spend my hard earned money or waste my much needed free time with doing something that does not need to be done. I am just being difficult, though, and it is just a personal preference, but no I do not bathe my cat. To be honest I am not sure if I have ever considered it, and I am pretty sure he would freak out and scratch me if I tried so I will just avoid that whole mess.
We like to keep our pets clean at my house, so I definitely bathe my cat. Sometimes I let my cat go outside and at times I don't know what she's been up to. So to be on the safe side, I rather give her a bath several times a month. These baths, she TOTALLY hates. She turns from sweet little lady into one big rabid princess, like one of these cats that you see on YouTube that yowl, cry and practically speak. In order to protect ourselves (the bathing has to be done in teams) we put on several pairs of baby socks on her paws and presto, 0 scratches.
@MichelleVL, Don't those socks get loose and fall from your cat's paw when she struggles when you give her a bath? Do you solely hold her or you have an assistant? Your cat must hate you for giving her a bath several times a month. Do you use soap or shampoo?
Hi Sidney! Yes my cat totally hates me for a few hours after her bath LOL. She acts totally distrusting and weary of me for a while, but then gets over it. I usually bathe her with the assistance of my daughter and we use cat shampoo, but when it runs out and have not had a chance to buy more, I will bathe her with baby shampoo. Like for example Johnson and Johnson.Several times a year I will bathe her with shampoo specially made against fleas, and will leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse off. Now for the socks, I'll put several infant (newborn) socks on each paw (like in layers), and then we hold them up with "scrunchies" when they get to stretched out due to use. One of the reasons why we bathe her so much, is because she sleeps with us and I'd rather be on the safe (healthy) side.
@MichelleVL, Scrunchies seems way to big to fit in a cat's leg, I bet it had to be knotted many times, right? LOL. Well I am uncomfortable with my cat roaming around the neighborhood, he might get some viruses or disease like my other cats in the past, so I just keep him indoors. Luckily my cat never gets fleas.
Oh my God yes! LOL I have to loop them so many times. That is the first hurdle I have to go through in the process of bathing the cat. When she sees those little socks coming on, she knows what's coming. When I find the little scrunchies it's a lot easier because I only have to make the loops twice. I totally understand why you don't let your cat out. This is my first cat, so I feel bad for her when she is stuck in the house, day in and day out watching everything happening outside. I have her vaccinated against a bunch of stuff so that makes me feel safe about letting her go out.
My cat can go out, but only in the backyard because the walls there are high enough for him not to be able to escape. He can't roam in the front yard unattended, because he can easily climb atop the gate. In the US, gates are not that popular, right, so they really do get to "travel" once you let them out. Well at least kitty is not "holding a grudge" everytime you bathe her, lol. Is she spayed though? She might get pregnant while roaming.
No she is not spayed yet. I was trying to find a place where I could spay her in an affordable way, and recently found a non-profit organization that will do it for about US$35. So I will be spaying her soon. The other places I found were more expensive US$60 and up. What I've done when I know she is in heat or in the beginning stages is that I keep her inside. I can tell by the signs. She usually becomes overly affectionate, will start rubbing herself all over the floor, will start her mating calls, and will also look like she is twerking when you rub her rump and back. LOL.
I laughed at the twerking part, lol. So when my male cat starts to rub himself all over the floor then most likely he probably wants to mate, lol. I see some cats doing that, and I thought that they were just enjoying doing that to themselves as part of their playtime. I never had any of my cats spayed or neutered before, so I have no idea that it can be quite costly. Does your cat have a microchip so that if she gets lost she will be easily returned?
Looks like you have some little horn balls for balls for pets. LOL Mine is not far behind. No, my cat doesn't have the chip yet, it's quite costly. I've heard it's in the hundreds of dollars. She does have a little plaque on her collar with her name, phone number, and address, so that if she gets lost then people can reach out to me. That has been so far my cheap chip alternative. Since I'm new in my neighborhood, I've also made sure that my closest neighbors see her or get to know her so if she ever wanders off, that they can point me in the right direction. Do your cats have the chip yet? If so, how much did it cost?
