Should You Bathe Your Pet Cat?

Cat care is something that every feline companion owner should take seriously.  Your furry friend relies on you for food, medical care, and attention, and you need to be able to provide what your cat needs.  When it comes to bathing your cat, however, is this really a necessary part of cat care?  Do you really need to risk life and limb to get Fluffy into the bathtub on a regular basis? 

If you have an indoor cat, you certainly will find that bathing them is usually unnecessary.  Unless your cat manages to get soaked in soda, colored by a child with a marker, or has a litter problem, you can typically skip the baths as part of a regular cat care regimen.  Of course if your cat is experiencing an allergy, is too overweight to groom himself, or has developed a flea problem, a bath may well be in order.

Outdoor cats may on occasion need a bath, depending on how dirty he gets and how good he is about grooming himself.  Generally bathing is only usually necessary if your feline friend has gotten fleas, been sprayed by a skunk, or come home covered in grease, dirt, oil, or some other icky and smelly substance.

If you need to bathe your cat, arm yourself with several thick towels, wear gloves if you’re concerned about getting scratched, and head to the bathroom with your kitty.  Be sure to run the bath in advance or your cat may be scared by the sound of the running water.  Shut the bathroom door so he can’t flee. Make sure the bath is just lukewarm – the warmer temperatures enjoyed by humans are much too hot for your kitty, who has thinner skin than you do.  It is better to bathe your cat in a bath that is too cool rather than too hot.

Place your cat in the bath and hold him gently but firmly in the water.  The water should be fairly shallow, ideally just below his shoulders when he is standing on the bottom.  His head and neck should be completely out of the water when he is standing in a natural relaxed position.  Never run a bath so deep your cat can’t touch the bottom or that he gets his head and neck wet – he will panic and you may well lose a great deal of skin in his efforts to escape.

Talk to your feline friend quietly and soothingly, and while holding him in the bath, use your free hand to wash him by pouring water over his shoulders and back with a plastic cup or Tupperware container.  Never pour water on his head – keep his face and head dry if you can.  One thing cats hate more than anything is getting a wet head and especially getting water in their ears!  Cat’s ears face upward like cups, unlike ours, which face sideways and down.  If your furry friend gets water in his ears let him out of the bath so he can shake his head and dislodge it.  If the water runs deeper into his ear it can be very uncomfortable (which you’ll know if you’ve ever had ‘swimmer’s ear!’) and may cause an infection.

If you must wash him more thoroughly, use a baby shampoo or a good cat shampoo – the chemical agents in human shampoo may be too strong for your kitty’s sensitive skin.  Always rinse him very thoroughly afterward – if you have a clamp-on spray hose for your faucet, use that to wash him until the water runs clean and all the shampoo is out of his coat.

When you’re done, remove your soggy and grumpy feline from the tub and rub dry using towels.  If he has long hair you may be tempted to use a hairdrier – you’ll see why this is a bad idea when you switch it on and the noise makes your cat hit the roof!  It is also easy to burn your cat if you use a hairdrier and once again the temperatures produced are too hot for your felines thinner fur, so the use of a hairdrier is best avoided.

To dry your kitty, you can wrap him in a towel if he’s good natured and hold him in your arms like a baby for a few minutes to warm up and get dry.  If not, let him go and be sure to keep your house warm while he dries off.  Congratulations! You’ve successfully bathed your cat.  Now all you need is a couple of band-aids and a mop to clean your bathroom, and you’re done.