Any suggestions on how to give my cat a bath?

Hi, my name is Nadine and I have a female cat who will NOT let me give her a bath! The one time I tried she tore me up and I had help! Anyone with any advice would be nice. She's a in and out cat. She does pretty good at keeping herself clean except for the dirt close to her skin that she gets from rolling around in the dirt and sand. I love her and I dont want to put her thru that again b/c she really did not like it. Shes not a lap cat and she will let you know when she wants to be petted etc. She is also a biter. She can be a mean kitty!  Help!!!

[opus88]

Unless a cat becomes excessively dirty from a poop mess for example.....there is NO REASON to ever bath a cat!!!.....in fact its not a good idea at all, it removes the natural oils that protects their skin...
When kitty becomes full of debris like from rolling outside give her a good brushing and that will remove it all easily....
cats will fight you, a both is scary for them they naturally don't like water!

If you should ever ever really need to please, put a matt down on bottom of the tub so their feet don't slip around...that also scares them if they can't get a good foot hold.
before you put kitty into the sink add just a very small amount to warm water, about 2" and gently sit them in the sink...I say gently I would use any shampoo unless necessary and if you do....just A SMALL amount of a pet shampoo..not human.
and rinse well.....but again I stress A CAT DOES SELDOM IF EVER NEED TO BE BATHED!!

[Jade59]

Opus gave you a fabulous answer!  Brushing is not only good for kittys fur, but for the skin also.  If she's not used to the brushing, try starting just a little at a time.  Sounds like you have a cat that will definitely tell you when she's had enough.  My cat wasn't used to brushing and it's taken a long time, but she's finally tolerating it well.  Another tip, brush your cat when she's sleeping.  That way she's nice and relaxed and you can get more brush time in.  This trick has worked well for me.  

I took a look at your profile pic and you have a very cute cat...really pretty, but...that is a bizarre position your kitty is in.  Is her leg alright?

[crzywt4it]

Thank you both for yr answers. I have only bathed her once and I really didnt want to have to do it again, but with her going in and out since the weather is warmer I thought she may need a bath occasionally. She is the only cat I have ever owned that with bite and claw u terribly when bathing. She doesnt like brushing either but I will try to sneak it in occasionally.

Thank u Jade, she is very beautiful. I call that her sexy pose!! LOL!! Nothing wrong with her leg she just sits like that at times!! Shes a weird one!!

[Jade59]

Oh okay, whew!  It looked like...well, lol, I don't know what it looked like.  Maybe like her leg was broken.  I'm glad to hear she's alright.  Cats can be so funny and get into the strangest positions.  Her "sexy pose"...that's cute :)

Yes, try the brushing when she's sleeping.  If I try to brush my cat outside, she'll take a few steps juuuust out of reach, lol... so while she's sleeping works best :)

[swampcritter]

There are some really interesting videos on youtube of cats who like to be bathed (including kittens splashing around int he tub). But that is a rare thing.

[Jade59]

Hahaha...some of those were cute!  My favorite was the white kitty with black tail and black marking on it's head just cruising around in the tub of water and batting at a couple of floating toys.  That was darling.  However, I did NOT like the one where they are throwing kitty in the tub, then shutting the shower door real quick.  Kitty is clearly terrified and clawing at the door.  I only watched them throw the cat in 3 times and had to stop. I was upset to watch that.  Some people, I swear!

[Jade59]

LOL...I pulled up some of the videos titled "talking cats" and Jade jumped up here with me and began meowing at the screen! :)  

[crzywt4it]

Yeah I know it looks strange but shes fine, and boy can they get in some strange positions!
They are so funny!!

[April2]

Some cats will just never let you bathe them. I have one cat that will let me do it, she's not happy about it but will put up with it. I only would do it about once a year, though, just to loosen up some hair, etc.
I have another cat that I tried when she was real young and she flipped out and was climbing the walls, the shower curtain, scratched me up pretty bad so I never tried again. I would like to right now because she got something sticky on her back. I think she knocked over some orange juice or something. But I'm afraid to try again!

I guess each cat is different in their personalities so I don't know what to tell you. If she won't let you bathe her then you may not ever be able to. Just give her a good brushing when you can and hope that she will groom herself well enough, I guess!

[swampcritter]

Swampy showed his kitty the talking cats...she hissed in absolute disgust and walked away. Hahahaha!

[Jade59]

LOL!  

Jade and I liked the cats that were actually meowing in an unusual way, NOT the cats with the human voice overlay.  We felt tricked with those... :)

[swampcritter]

Swampy's favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ikm3o5hDks

and this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzzjgBAaWZw

[Jade59]

Hahaha...oh, I Love the rat and cat one.  Totally adorable.  The other one was super cute too.  Big ole scardy cat at the end, lol...

Thanks for making me smile, swampy :)

[rouxmaker]

Yeah they all right YOU DONT BATHE CATS . You think he mean now! I had to bathe one of mine b4 for mites I put a large tub outisde full of warm water and slowly dipped him in it. All I got otta that was a wet nasty cat!

[crzywt4it]

LOL!!

[GinnyLee327]

hey there right you dont need to bathe your cat, but sometime i run a baby wipe over my kittys feet, and i brush her alot,

[crzywt4it]

hey Ginny, thats I good idea! I never thought of that! Thanks!

[BigK16]

Baking soda works good if you can do it  really fast with some normal shampoo. I gave my  cat a bath a month ago but she didnt like it at all. I massaged the towel over her until she was nice and soft but she hates the sink and water alot now.     Cats tend to roll over in the dirt outside!

[PrettyKitty1]

Jade,

You don't like the black cat that talks and says 'Oh My Dog, Oh Long John, Oh Long Johnson, Oh Don Piano...'   ???
hhahahahahaha I could not believe my eyes and ears when I watched that video!!!!

[Jade59]

PK...THAT was funny!!!  I saw a couple videos that were clearly NOT the cat, but human voices.  THAT video though was hilarious!  hahahahaha.....

[rockinhippy]

Hi,

I agree with all the others on Cats generally not needing to be bathed, but I used to have a very feisty long haired girl who would litterally kill not to be bathed, , (sadly now passed) but I  have also found that when she got older & less able to cope herself, & due to epilepsy she sometimes genuinely did need a bath, she would then not only let me, but would actually get in the tub & tell me she needed it...lol....though I found the best way was with a slip mat. very little pet shampoo, & to use the shower hose, (not the spray) it made the water easier to control, & she actually grew to love this, I think at the end she was so old (20) that she liked the warmth on her achey (achy) old bones

& I too found baby wipes great for not so bad times to help her clean up after a fit when she was younger.