Clean as a Kitten
Cats are born to self-bathe, but even the cleanliest feline can need a good scrub – here’s how to give your cat a stress-free bath
Your cat spends as much as half of his waking hours grooming himself, his relatives and his friends. And you think you need to give him a bath?
Anyone who has tried to bathe a cat realizes just how tough it is. Happily for the risk-averse, a pretty large segment of the experts/cat-lovers population says cat baths are not only unnecessary, they simply shouldn’t be done.
“We don’t recommend bathing cats unless circumstances absolutely dictate otherwise, because bathing is very stressful to cats,” says Stephanie Scroggs, spokeswoman for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International, with offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. “Cats are very, very good at cleaning themselves.”
Cats come equipped with barbed tongues that remove dirt, debris and excess natural oils from their fur.
On the other hand, some cats aren’t water-averse, and some cats aren’t easily stressed. Some owners find their allergic reaction to a cat is reduced by bathing Fluffy every few months; and sometimes a cat gets into an attic or garage so filthy that even the most industrious self cleaning doesn’t really work. And in those cases, the occasional bath is not a bad thing, some say.
Moreover, what if a cat is obese and can’t clean itself or it meets a skunk or gets into a toxic substance like paint or tar?
If you decide to bathe your cat, Tracey Fisher, Phoenix, resident grooming specialist for PetSmart, advises you to be organized.
“Be prepared,” she says. “Get all the supplies you need before you take the cat into the bathroom. And make sure all your supplies are within arm’s reach. That preparation will make the bath less stressful for you and your cat.”
If a bath is the best option for your cat, Fisher and the SPCA offer these tips:
• Before you begin, trim your cat’s claws to minimize its damage to your arms and hands.
• Lay down a rubber mat, bath mat or towel in the bathtub to reduce slipping.
• Read the label on your cat shampoo; make sure it is veterinarian-approved. Don’t use dog shampoos; some can be extremely toxic to cats.
• Gather a soft towel, soft washcloth and cotton balls, and find an assistant, preferably someone the cat knows.
• Before you take your cat into the bathroom, fill the tub with lukewarm water up to the level of its belly. Place half a cotton ball in each of your cat’s ears to protect them from water and shampoo.
• Put a harness, not a collar, on your cat so you can hold it safely in the water.
• Lower the cat into the tub.
• Hold the cat firmly and use a cup to pour water over its back, avoiding its face. Don’t use a sprayer because its hissing sound might alarm the cat.
• Shampoo, then rinse thoroughly until the cat’s fur is squeaky clean.
• Wrap the cat in a towel and pat dry.
• Move your cat to a warm room until its fur dries.
• And if your cat likes to cuddle, give it some lap time right now while the drying happens. And a good treat or two. That may help is associate a bath with a terrific reward at the end.
Meanwhile, on the topic of grooming, here are some additional facts from the SPCA:
• Mothers begin licking their kittens right after birth to clean them, stimulate the release of urine and feces, rouse them to suckle and provide comfort.
• Kittens begin self-grooming when they are about 4 weeks old.
• At 5 weeks, kittens begin grooming their littermates and their mom.
• Mutual grooming continues into adulthood and is important as a social activity that strengthens the bond between cats.
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