I want to shampoo my cat,how do I do it?

[BlackMagicalCat]

I want to give my kitty a bath and scrub her with shampoo,but not sure how to do it,does anyone else give thier cat a bath?

[LacyRoze]

Very thick gloves at least up to your elbow. I started bathing the cat we had years ago from a young age so she eventually tolerated it. Most cats will never enjoy a bath and will resist with everything they have. Be prepared....and good luck!!

[katie727]

first i'd make sure you have the right kind of shampoo, its not good to use just any shampoo (like say, you would use for yourself) it could irritate your kittys skin (not too fun). you can get pet shampoo almost any where, and its fairly inexpensive.
about actually washing the cat, i always found that in a kitchen sink is the best place. make sure you hold the kitty so it wont run off and get nice soapy kitty bath water all over your house ;)

[Cedar]

I put one of my cats in the tub and poured water over him. Try not to get any water in the ears. Make sure you have several towels ready to dry off the fur and keep the cat warm till dry.

[Dio]

You want advice on how to bathe a cat? First, put on a full set of armor. Then, fill the tub with water. Drop the cat in the tub --take note that sometimes the cat will hover over the water for a split second before somehow managing to get traction in mid-air thus propelling himself to the other end of the bathroom. The cat will still be dry. Most likely many things will get broken. Any vulnerable spot on your body will become traction as well. Make sure you have lots of bandaids.

[BlackMagicalCat]

Thanks for the responses

[Pandoras]

Question: Why do you want to bathe your cat? Assuming you've got your armor and are really planning to do this, how old is the cat? _catroll_

[Élistariel]

My cat hasn't needed a bath in a long time.
Here's how we did it.
Trim claws
Find good cat shampoo.
Put cat in tub
Use detachable shower head. (the kind you can move)
wet cat
wash cat
rinse cat
stand back, cat will sling water.
wrap cat in towel.

I've never been clawed giving my cat a bath. My cat just paws at my arm and whines.
Then again, if I want to trim his claws, all I have to do is flop him on his back and clip away.

[Isil Darkmoon]

Why do you want to shampoo her? Cats generally only need to be bathed if they are:
1) actively dirty --if they're sick (getting vomiting or diahreah on themselves), got into something toxic they shouldn't groom off, or get into something dirty/sticky like honey, trash, etc.
2) have fleas. A cat as young as your girl should NOT be bathed with flea shampoo or have flea drops (Advantage or Frontline ONLY! Hartz, biospot, etc, are TOXIC) applied to her. If she has fleas, ask your vet for advice.

If she is grooming herself, is not visibly dirty or smelly, and doesn't have fleas, DON"T bathe her. Cats keep themselves remarkably clean and don't need it nearly as often as dogs.

Most off-the-shelf cat shampoos are fine. Scented ones, extra-shine, soothing, tea-tree, oatmeal, etc, work and are pretty interchangeable. I don't recommend off-the-shelf flea shampoo without consulting your vet. Some contain substances that are toxic to the cats, particularly young kittens. If you don't have any cat shampoo on hand and she's gotten into something really nasty like motor oil, a gentle dish soap (dawn or joy are the best) can be used on her safely.

If you are going to:
Make sure her nails are clipped first. (You can do this with a regular pair of human nailclippers-- be sure to use the clippers perpindicular to the floor, facing up and down. Trimming them when they're sideways paralell to the floor can make the nail splinter some.)

You can bathe her in the sink (as she's small) or the bathtub. Put down a towel or some other fabric in the bottom so she can get some traction--slipping on the ceramic scares a lot of cats. Make sure she's wearing a collar (NOT a flea collar!) so you have a grip.

Fill up a bucket/large bowl of water that's very gently warm. Get a cup, ideally with a handle (a 2-cup liquid measure works well.)

Get the kitty, put her in the sink, pet her, make a fuss, let her calm down. Pour some warm water over her slowly. Start at her shoudlerblades and move down her back to the base of her tail. Go back and forth between these two points until the water has run down her sides all the way.

Pour water down her legs, from the shoulder/hip bones.

Put your palm on her chest, middle three fingers extending up towards her chin. Put your thumb on the outside of one leg, supporting her "armpit" between your thumb/finger; do the same with your pink to her other leg. Gently lift her front legs up and pour water down her chest/stomach and the insides of her legs, if needs be.

Now pour water over her tail. Last, use your hand as a smaller "cup" and scoop a little water over her head between the ears. Squeegee it around by hand. Never pour water on a cat's face near the eyes or nose--just push it gently around to wet the areas.

Shampoo her in the same order you got her wet. (Don't rinse between areas). This is the best pattern to get in the habit of using--when you flea shampoo her at an older age, leaving the tail and head for last cause the fleas to concentrate in those areas so you can target them with a heavy dose of shampoo much easier. Shampoo the tail FULLY and heavily--go very light on the head. Again, put a little between the ears and rub it around the ears, her neck, cheeks, and chin. Don't shampoo the nose bridge or around the eyes.

Make sure the water is still warm, then rinse the same way --body/legs/stomach first, then tail, then head.

Wrap her up in a big towel (dryer-warmed if you really want to spoil her. Ruffle her fur enough to get any standing water off, then set her down in the towel and let her go.

She'll probably sulk for a couple hours, until she's completely dry. And as long as the house is a comfy temperature, there's no point in trying to dry her a lot. Even if you get her bone dry, she'll go back and lick each and every hair into place again, so it doesn't matter if she's grooming wet fur or dry fur.

If you get her started young enough, she may get used to it enough you can bathe her straight from the tap eventually. I don't use a bucket/cup for my three anymore. I turn on the tap, stand them beside it, and splash/guide water from the tap all over them, turn it up to soap, then rinse. You shouldn't do this to a young kitten, though--they can inhale/swallow water, and it can scare them and cause them to fear water for life. Only do it if she seems to have adjusted and doesn't get terrified anymore while bathed.

[diamondtiger]

Very carefully! :lol: There's a great site with instructions on how to give a cat a bath. http://www.ehow.com/how_2208_give-cat-bath.html Hope that helps and good luck! :)

[Ahautenites]

I was always told by vets to trim the nails first, then put the cat in an old pillow case (only up to the neck) or an old drawstring laundry bag (again, up to the neck), and then put a dab of plain petroleum jelly (do NOT substitute with bacitracin or neosporin) in the inner corner of each eyeball (not the furry part... I mean the eye itself). This helps keep shampoo out of the cat's eyes. Then, wet the bag with the detachable showerhead, and lather pet shampoo on the cat right through the cloth bag, then rinse the cat with the water until you are absolutely sure there is no shampoo still on it.

And then rinse it again, just to be safe.

Then, towel dry the poor wet furball, and if he or she will tolerate it, use a blow dryer on low to assist the drying process. If that is not possible, then at least wait for a warm day, and do the washing in the earlier part of the day so that the cat has the rest of the day to dry. This will reduce the chances of the kitty getting a cold.

[Darakash]

As others have said, cats usually only need a bath if there is some reason they are especially dirty, and such. But the only tip I have to add to the rest is, I found that an old window screen placed into the bath space for the cat to stand on (ideally use a sink and a screen big enough so that it sits at an angle) will cause the cat to cling to the screen to keep her footing and therefore not use her claws for other, less pleasant purposes.

[MorningDove030202]

As a Vet Assistant in real life, I HIGHLY recomend triming the nails first and make sure the shampoo is for cats.

Dove

[Old Witch]

Only one thing to add....Call me first, I wanna come watch....:lol:

[EponaCapaill]

You want advice on how to bathe a cat? First, put on a full set of armor. Then, fill the tub with water. Drop the cat in the tub --take note that sometimes the cat will hover over the water for a split second before somehow managing to get traction in mid-air thus propelling himself to the other end of the bathroom. The cat will still be dry. Most likely many things will get broken. Any vulnerable spot on your body will become traction as well. Make sure you have lots of bandaids.
LMAO!!!! :rollingla

[EponaCapaill]

I want to give my kitty a bath and scrub her with shampoo,but not sure how to do it,does anyone else give thier cat a bath?
My advice? *given as a former vet tech* Pay a groomer to do it or take it to the vet to have it done. Much less aggravation for you and quicker for the cat.

[Catiana]

I would suggest using a waterless shampoo. It usually comes as foam, like hair mousse, and you squirt it into your hands and then rub it over the cat, it will make the fur damp so then just "dry" them off with a towel.

[Bryony]

well... I do.

Get the water in the tub before the cat is in the room, and have enough for rinsing so you don't have to run the faucet (that freaks them out more than the water). Here's the odd part about the way I do it. I get in the tub with the cat, but have a full sized bath towell in there for the cat to cling to, instead of me. It works like a charm, I've never been scratched or bitten for giving kitty a bath.

[BlackMagicalCat]

well... I do.

Get the water in the tub before the cat is in the room, and have enough for rinsing so you don't have to run the faucet (that freaks them out more than the water). Here's the odd part about the way I do it. I get in the tub with the cat, but have a full sized bath towell in there for the cat to cling to, instead of me. It works like a charm, I've never been scratched or bitten for giving kitty a bath.

Yay,I did it,And im laughing so hard at some of your answers,okay,my cats claws came out,but I held her behind her neck and gently rubbed her fur,no she didnt like it but she did put up with it.She had no traction in the tub,so I had some control over her,but made sure she didnt get hold of my hand or arm.Thanks all for the responses

[EyeballKid]

This a method I often use when I need to give my cat a bath:

Step 1- Fill the bathtub with warm water about 2" deep.
Step 2- Put relaxing music on I.E. Enya, Dead Can Dance, Enigma
Step 3- Find your cat, who at this time is completely aware of what your doing and is ready to shred you like enchilada meat.
Step 4- Apologize to your cat (keeping your head low, and avoiding eye contact) and promise him/her that you will never do a crazy thing like this again.
Step 5- Drain the bathtub, and give your cat copious amounts of their favorite treat.

[AlAskendir]

I want to give my kitty a bath and scrub her with shampoo,but not sure how to do it,does anyone else give thier cat a bath?


Don't use water...sprinkle her with cornmeal (absorbs grease), pet-pat-shake/ comb that out, and sprinkle her with cornstarch (absorbs fine dust, dirt, and other greases), pet-pat-shake/ comb that out......if she's still dirty, flavor her fur with something she loves, and watch her bathe herself many times.....

[Psypress]

:excuseme:

[BlackMagicalCat]

:excuseme:
Bless your heart,are you trying to tell me something here? :) Okay,I did put her in the tub,she didnt like it but I managed to rub her fur a bit. :hehehehe: