# Who washes their cat?



## chillipup (18 October 2016)

I've just seen some photos on TV where viewers were asked to send in their pets being bathed. Someone sent in a photo of a kitten being washed in the bath, who does this? I've never washed a cat in my life, and I've owned a few, including hand rearing orphans. 

Apart from cleaning a wound or helping an elderly cat that cannot groom so well, or an orphaned kitten after feeding or pooping, with the necessary wipe over, it has never crossed my mind to dunk the poor sod in a bath. Not withstanding it had fallen into something toxic.

Surely daily grooming or just washing an accidental dirty bum, especially in the case of a long haired cats, is the norm, or have things changed in kitty world?

Do any of you bathe your cat and if so I'd love to know why?


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## pixie27 (18 October 2016)

Mine has been in the bath/shower three times. Twice for a v. dirty bum (long haired stray who we don't think was ever taught how to clean his bum properly) and once because the silly thing thought he could catch the drops coming out the shower.

Wouldn't wash him for fun though - he hated it.

Friend's cat bloody loves water and hops in the shower whenever she leaves the door open.


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## blackcob (18 October 2016)

My boss has sphynx cats and I'm told they have to be bathed regularly. Apparently having no hair causes their skin to become greasy and they are prone to blackheads if not washed!


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## Meowy Catkin (18 October 2016)

My cat isn't fussed by rain or even walking in puddles, but he hates being bathed. Sadly I did have to wash him once as he got covered in oil, so he needed to be fully washed with washing up liquid and then fully rinsed out and boy did that take a lot of rinsing.


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## Fiona (18 October 2016)

I did have to wash ours once when she was a kitten, as she went up the chimney, and was consequently very sooty....

Had to summon hubby home from the pub to assist, so from memory she obviously wasn't very impressed lol.

FIona


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## Lindylouanne (18 October 2016)

One of ours gets a bath twice a month in the summer as he gets the feline equivalent of sweet itch and licks himself raw. We use tea tree to help with the itch/stopping infection and when he is clean and dry the bald areas are lathered in coconut oil to keep the skin supple. Our vets haven't come up with a better solution yet and steroids do nothing. He is currently bald down the back of his legs, tummy, backs of ears and underside of the tail but this year hasn't been as bad as some because we started dousing him in Diatom earth powder which really helped to keep the mites at bay.


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## chillipup (18 October 2016)

pixie27 said:



			Mine has been in the bath/shower three times. Twice for a v. dirty bum (long haired stray who we don't think was ever taught how to clean his bum properly) and once because the silly thing thought he could catch the drops coming out the shower.
Wouldn't wash him for fun though - he hated it.
Friend's cat bloody loves water and hops in the shower whenever she leaves the door open.
		
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I did laugh when I read your sentence 'I wouldn't wash him for fun though - he hated it' Did you escape unscathed Pixie? 
And how odd about your friend's cat enjoying showers. I understand the Turkish Van cat enjoys playing in water, could it be one those?



blackcob said:



			My boss has sphynx cats and I'm told they have to be bathed regularly. Apparently having no hair causes their skin to become greasy and they are prone to blackheads if not washed!
		
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Ooo, I never knew that, thanks bc 



Faracat said:



			My cat isn't fussed by rain or even walking in puddles, but he hates being bathed. Sadly I did have to wash him once as he got covered in oil, so he needed to be fully washed with washing up liquid and then fully rinsed out and boy did that take a lot of rinsing. 

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I helped out washing oiled seabirds once, the rescue used green washing up liquid too and it took an absolute age to rinse them off, I can only imagine what it must have been like with a furry cat 



Fiona said:



			I did have to wash ours once when she was a kitten, as she went up the chimney, and was consequently very sooty....
Had to summon hubby home from the pub to assist, so from memory she obviously wasn't very impressed lol.
FIona
		
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Up the chimney? Oh my word, of all the places she thought would be great to hide in! 



Lindylouanne said:



			One of ours gets a bath twice a month in the summer as he gets the feline equivalent of sweet itch and licks himself raw. We use tea tree to help with the itch/stopping infection and when he is clean and dry the bald areas are lathered in coconut oil to keep the skin supple. Our vets haven't come up with a better solution yet and steroids do nothing. He is currently bald down the back of his legs, tummy, backs of ears and underside of the tail but this year hasn't been as bad as some because we started dousing him in Diatom earth powder which really helped to keep the mites at bay.
		
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Aww that's so sad for your kitty LL, have you discovered what particular mites affect him?


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## Lindylouanne (18 October 2016)

The vet thinks it's the spit injected by harvest mite and fleas. The first time he came home from stuffing his head down a rabbit hole his head swelled up like a cauliflower and he had to be rushed to the vet. Poor boy gets washed, douced in powder, has frontline spray everywhere and he still gets bitten so it really is a case of managing the condition. Needless to say with that lot on him not one tick ever manages to attach itself so I suppose there is something to be thankful for.


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## Equi (18 October 2016)

Ive washed mine a few times in summer when hes come home covered in fleas, just tea tree shampoo. He gets scabby ears in summer, i assume from either mites or fighting (hes neutered and a big...well pussy!) so he gets his ears washed in botanica.


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## Hoof_Prints (18 October 2016)

My mum used to have a cat who would sit in the bath when it was ran warm ! You had to shut the door or else you would be sharing. I have used pet wipes on a stray I took in, but have never bathed one properly.


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## tallyho! (18 October 2016)

I used to wash my old one loads and she loved it.

New one... not so much. I still do it though and especially during summer. It makes a huge difference to her and the carpet! Can't say its traumatic... once she's in the warm, she sits and closes her eyes


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## chillipup (18 October 2016)

tallyho! said:



			I used to wash my old one loads and she loved it.

New one... not so much. I still do it though and especially during summer. It makes a huge difference to her and the carpet! Can't say its traumatic... once she's in the warm, she sits and closes her eyes 

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From my experience of cleaning oiled birds, the water has to be hand reddening hot, to clean them properly. Lots of the birds, including swans seemed to relax in hot water, much like us I guess


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## Booboos (18 October 2016)

I had a disabled cat when fell over a lot which included falling over in his litter tray. I used to wash him a couple of times a month and he was perfectly fine with it from the start. Almost everyone on the FB group for cats with this condition washed their cats, never heard of anyone having problems.


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## HashRouge (18 October 2016)

You'd have to have a death wish to try and wash my cat!


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## Peregrine Falcon (18 October 2016)

HashRouge said:



			You'd have to have a death wish to try and wash my cat!
		
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One of my old cats hated being brushed, I would have taken out medical insurance should I have attempted to bath it!


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## tallyho! (18 October 2016)

Yes definitely - some you remember... not every cat is a water baby for sure...

Out of 15 cats I can honestly say there was only a few that I couldn't get near water. I've scars to prove it. One of them loved water and jumped in voluntarily  he was hilarious! He could quite often be found waist deep in the brook staring into the water  - probably at crayfish, who knows... only in summer though. In winter he'd share the shower before plonking himself in front of the radiator loudly purring and licking . It was annoying at night you know!


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## FubsyMog (19 October 2016)

I have 2, and they usually get a bath once or twice a year. I find it helps get loose coat out when summer is coming in. gets the accumulated filth out as well. One of them is really greasy, and it improves her coat. She could do with a more frequent wash, but she hates it. She hates being brushed more though, and she gets quite lazy with self-grooming - the bath seems to get her grooming better, for a while anyway.


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## Blanche (19 October 2016)

I washed a kitten years ago at around 4 months old. He came in as a stray with his mother and one day she sat down next to him and puked on his head. I was too stunned to move to start with and just watched trickle down him. Luckily he was as stunned as me and didn't move so I managed to scoop him up before he ran around the house spreading it everywhere. Giving him a bath just seemed easier and quicker than anything else. Not long after he fell in the bath while I was in it and that was tricky trying to catch him as I created tidal waves every time I went to grab him. That time he was not amused. Sadly I had to have him put down at 6 months due to cardiomyopathy.


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## highlandponygirl (19 October 2016)

I can just imagine the fall-out if I tried to bathe my two. They do actually like water and will happily play with the kitchen taps when they're running and think me chasing them with a watergun when they scratch the furniture is a game  I did once bathe a stray cat who came to live with me, she was really dirty and flee-ridden that I felt there was no other option. That was a two-man job, and never again lol.


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## Zero00000 (19 October 2016)

I have longhaired cats, the girls keep themselves clean but I will bath once or twice a year for a good groom, I also have a pure white longhaired lazy boy fluffyfuzz, who likes to pretend he is a black cat a few times a month, I have to bath him to wash off the oil!


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## Apercrumbie (19 October 2016)

I value life and limb far too much to even consider trying


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## SEL (19 October 2016)

apercrumbie said:



			I value life and limb far too much to even consider trying 

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That is exactly what I was thinking! My parents enormous moggie ran through a newly laid cement foundation once and it took 3 of us to wash it off him. Pretty much everything that had been on the cat was on us, the floor, the ceiling, the worktops...... He sulked for days.


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## pixie27 (19 October 2016)

chillipup said:



			I did laugh when I read your sentence 'I wouldn't wash him for fun though - he hated it' Did you escape unscathed Pixie? 
And how odd about your friend's cat enjoying showers. I understand the Turkish Van cat enjoys playing in water, could it be one those?
		
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Yeah it wasn't the most enjoyable task for either party! Once he was in the water and calmed down he didn't seem to mind it (or he was sat very still plotting his revenge...). But getting him dry was a whole other ball game


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## Aru (22 October 2016)

I wash mine.
However I have a very very chilled out and easygoing cat who has been that way since I chose her as a tiny rescue kitten and its been a slow process..however now if the water is warm she will go play in the bath after im done..
I appreciate she is not normal!
So far I've only needed to wash her after she had dirty protests from the indignity of being forced to travel in her carrier(shes much better if feliway is used) 
I started getting her used to it as we live in a tick paralysis region.prevention involves soaking them in frontline spray every 3 weeks or bathing every few days in a parasite wash....shes an indoor cat so thankfully avoiding those at the moment but may need the option in the future and would prefer her to tolerate it!
One of the treatments involved in tick paralysis as an illness is a tick bath and clip for to check for further tiny ticks..if an animal with tick paralysis becomes stressed they deteriorate and can die...we usually have to use a full anaesthetic on cats to tick wash them...I figured getting the kitten used to handling and water might be a bit better in the unlikley case she had to be treated.

She will play in the bath. If im washing her at work we use a showerhead and she just stands there enjoying the massage and only gives out if I take to long and shes getting impatient at being restrained to one area
Il see if i can find a pic..


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## Aru (22 October 2016)




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## LadySam (22 October 2016)

FubsyMog said:



			I have 2, and they usually get a bath once or twice a year. I find it helps get loose coat out when summer is coming in. gets the accumulated filth out as well.
		
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This is what I used to do.  He's a Russian Blue and needs help getting his winter coat out or he gets gummed up with terrible furballs.  Plus, his lovely silver tipped coat would go brown with just self-grooming.  He didn't love it.  He was reasonably polite but it was a two person job.  Ex-husband used to help with bathing duties, but current partner steadfastly refuses.  Cat just gets brushed a lot now, which he much prefers.  Except when I give him a little toupee of hair from the brush when I'm finished.


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## tallyho! (22 October 2016)

Aru said:



			I wash mine.
However I have a very very chilled out and easygoing cat who has been that way since I chose her as a tiny rescue kitten and its been a slow process..however now if the water is warm she will go play in the bath after im done..
I appreciate she is not normal!
So far I've only needed to wash her after she had dirty protests from the indignity of being forced to travel in her carrier(shes much better if feliway is used) 
I started getting her used to it as we live in a tick paralysis region.prevention involves soaking them in frontline spray every 3 weeks or bathing every few days in a parasite wash....shes an indoor cat so thankfully avoiding those at the moment but may need the option in the future and would prefer her to tolerate it!
One of the treatments involved in tick paralysis as an illness is a tick bath and clip for to check for further tiny ticks..if an animal with tick paralysis becomes stressed they deteriorate and can die...we usually have to use a full anaesthetic on cats to tick wash them...I figured getting the kitten used to handling and water might be a bit better in the unlikley case she had to be treated.

She will play in the bath. If im washing her at work we use a showerhead and she just stands there enjoying the massage and only gives out if I take to long and shes getting impatient at being restrained to one area
Il see if i can find a pic..






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gorgeous cat!


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## chillipup (22 October 2016)

Oh if only there were video footage of you washing you cats...especially the cats owned, who were, let's just say from the post, not particularly happy about such a procedure being performed! I've imagined you all suitably attired for the task ahead, wearing thick gauntlet gloves and a welding mask, to attempt the task.

I am pleasantly surprised however, to learn some of your cats are at the very least, tolerable of the odd bath and some of your cats even enjoy being in water and/or are willing to accept their regular spa treatment. 

Thanks for all your posts, you've made me smile...at lot  and to you Aru for the photos of your beautiful, well trained, kitty


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## Orangehorse (24 October 2016)

Only once.  My poor cat had an abscess on her neck which burst as I lifted up her chin to look at her (she had seemed a bit quiet for a couple of days).

It stank and it left a hole in her skin, so it obviously burst at the optimum moment.  I bathed the wound with salty water and it healed very quickly, but I decided the cat needed a bath.  She wasn't happy about it al all!  I wrapped her in a towel and just hung on grimly.  Luckily she wanted to get away, not try to bite or scratch.  I managed to keep her inside the kitchen, so she could dry off in front of the Rayburn and smelt much sweeter afterwards.


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## chestnut cob (25 October 2016)

HashRouge said:



			You'd have to have a death wish to try and wash my cat!
		
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Same here!!

We have washed her bum a few times when she picked up a tummy bug last summer and being long haired, she got herself in quite a mess.  Ever since then we've had her clipped every few months, and keep the hair in that area reasonably short now which helps with hygiene (even though she's a very clean cat generally).  She's mostly an indoor so she doesn't really get dirty.  She goes outside a lot with us in the garden in the summer and will find the most disgusting places to hide, lying down on wet muddy flower beds and in spider webs, but she cleans herself when she comes in.  She doesn't tend to want to go out at all in autumn/ winter when it's wet or cold so doesn't ever get filthy dirty thankfully.


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## MagicMelon (25 October 2016)

Nope, I would never choose to wash my cats. They love water (and have waded in the bath before!) but I'm pretty sure they'd react like any normal cat if I tried to soak them properly. I dont see the point, they keep themselves so clean. The dog however...

I remember once washing a cat properly but that was a rescue that my mum who volunteered with the CPL had taken in, it was a real state covered in something horrid, think it was diesal so would have made it sick to have licked that off. I remember it not being a nice affair!


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## Brett (27 October 2016)

I washed mine on occasion when she was a kitten (dirty bum situation as previously described by another poster). I wouldn't now though. She meticulously grooms herself anyway.


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## Brett (31 October 2016)

Just for fun 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQZtk-fCWQ4


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## sam-b (14 November 2016)

As someone else has mentioned, Sphynx cats need bathing regularly, my girl hates it - so it hubby's job.


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