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Should you bath your cat?

Bathing your car

Should you bath your cat? There's no reason to bathe your cat regularly, or even ever. Cats are naturally clean animals, and should only ever require bathing in extreme circumstances. For most of their life, they will manage to keep clean and require no human help in this matter.

There are some cats with long hair who will have problems keeping their rear clean, owners should trim hair accordingly but be prepared to groom this area as necessary.

If you do need to bath your cat, then make sure you use an approved cat shampoo. Using human shampoo on a cat could easily cause skin irritation, and is not recommended.

It is possible that your cat will panic and scratch you during the bathing process. It is advisable to have a helper, a warm bathroom, clean dry towels, a shallow bowl and a jug of clean water. The water needs to be warm, not too hot and not too cold. Speak calmly to your pet and handle them firmly, but not roughly.

Consider the option of washing them with a piece of wet cloth rather than immersing them in water. This is a much less stressful option for both you and the cat. Only if the cat is completely covered and will take hours to clean causing it a lot of distress, should you consider the quick option of a bath.

Pick up your cat and take it to the bathroom. You should have prepared everything in advance, including putting an apron on. Holding the cat firmly but gently, hold it over the shallow bowl out for its feet down. Your cat at this point will probably turn into a giant spiky Starfish. It will avoid the water. There should be no water in the bath at this point, but use a sponge to gently apply water to areas of the cat, using the bowl to pour small quantities of water. keep the plug out of the bath, so it doesn't fill up. Some people use of bathmat to allow the cat something to stand on. Wash the cat gently down using as little water as possible, and washing only the bits of the cat are necessary. You should start at the head end, and worked towards the tail.
Ensure any shampoo you use is used according to the instructions, and rinsed off properly. Gently pat the cat down with a warm dry towel. Keep the cat wrapped in a warm towel, speaking softly and stroking it gently until it is dry.

You should never drop the cat into a bath or sink of water. You should make the process as short as possible. Some cats like water and will happily get their feet wet in ponds or under dripping taps. This is their choice and not the same as bathing them. Never pour water over cats head, never put water in their ears. Use damp cotton wool to wash their face carefully if it needs cleaning.

Hopefully your cat will never need washing and that it will manage to keep itself clean. They are fastidious cleaners and spent a good part of their waking day washing themselves. If you're Is just dusty than simple grooming should remove excess dust. Regular grooming with a suitable cat brush, can be fun and pleasurable for your cat.