Bathing a cat can be intimidating, but it is possible! Ideally, you should start bathing your kitten at a young age. With patience and some precautions, adult cats can become accustomed to being bathed.
- First, comb out any mats. Once the hair coat is wet, mats can no longer be combed through. There are de–matting combs and cat combs made especially for their hair coats.
- For self–preservation, use pet nail trimmers. Trim their claws before bathing by gently squeezing the toe slightly. The nail will extrude and the clear ´hook´ can be removed. Avoid the pink area where the nerves and blood vessels lie.
- Next, put a small amount of bland eye ointment in the cat´s eyes to prevent possible soap irritation. Use a good cleansing shampoo. There are tearless shampoos, flea, seborrhea, oatmeal, anti–microbial, and anti–fungal shampoos available.
- If your cat is aggressive or fractious to start with, consider using a cat mesh bag for bathing. It is more difficult to soap up the fur, and using a mesh bag can avoid being scratched or bitten. A soft cat muzzle that goes over the eyes and with a Velcro closure behind the ears is another good way to calm your cat.
I use my double kitchen sink to bathe my cats, and thoroughly disinfect the sinks and countertops when finished. Fill one side of the sink with warm water before bringing the cat into the room. Slowly set him into the water while assuring him. It is best to firmly hold the cat by the ´scruff´, the loose skin over his shoulders, as he usually initially struggles.
Use a plastic cup to slowly pour water onto the fur, starting at the back. Avoid splashing water into his eyes, nose or ears. Cup your hand and wet the head and chin. Work the water into the fur until it is wet to the skin. Once the fur is wet, move the cat to the adjacent empty sink or a towel–covered countertop and apply the shampoo and lather him up. If there are fleas, you should use a flea shampoo and leave it on for a few minutes to kill the fleas.
Transfer the cat back into the water; again use the cup to pour water on the fur until it is free of shampoo. You may need extra water from the tap to finish rinsing, just avoid spraying him. If you are applying a coat conditioner, do so as directed on the label, rinse again and towel dry. Wipe his ears and put a few drops of ear drying solution in each ear.
Give him a good comb once he is almost dry to get more dead hair out of his coat. Flea combs can be useful in getting dead fleas out of his coat. Depending on your cat´s demeanor, a blow dryer can be used on low power and low heat. Aside from water being sprayed on their faces and being submerged, cats are also fearful of noisy blow dryers.
If your cat jumps out of the sink on your first try to bathe him, gently pick him up and try again. Once your cat trusts you won´t drown him and realize you are persistent, he will usually cooperate in his bath. Good luck!
Sharon E. Anderson, DVM
