Giving Your Cat a Bath

From a behavioral point of view, baths can be stressful and, for some pets, frightening. As in any situation producing fear, snapping and biting are potential problems. So how can the stress of bathing be minimized for your cat and you?

Contrary to all the jokes you're probably heard about bathing a cat (most of them end up with the cat owner in the hospital), cats can be bathed as efficiently as dogs. The work is simplified by providing a surface onto which your cat can grab with his claws, such as a framed window screen. Otherwise you might find yourself wrestling with a wet cat, or applying bandages to an accidentally pierced arm.

Before the actual bath, brush your cat all over to remove any tangles from his coat. Run some warm water into the tub or sink, lay in the screen, then go get your cat. gently place a small cotton ball in each ear, and place your cat in the water. Be sure to keep a secure grip on him!

Using a gentle shampoo made just for cats, soap your cat around the neck first, and work back. Use a gentle spraying to rinse your cat thoroughly. Hold the spraying right next to your cat's skin and lift the hair to make sure all the shampoo is rinsed out. Any left behind will irritate your cat's skin.

Wrap your cat in a towel, take out the cotton, and pat him dry. Rubbing will cause tangles, so just keep patting, using several towels to get your cat as dry as possible. Then use a soft brush to smooth your cat's coat. keep him in a warm place until he's completely dry.

After soaping and rinsing, vigorous rubbing, shaking and rolling are natural follow-ups, and the accompanying frenzy may stimulate conflicts between cats. This kind of excitement-related or redirected aggression is common after feline bath time. To avoid fights, separate your cats until all is once again calm, and rub all cats with the same towel to distribute their scents.