AIBU to consider giving my cat a bath?

[PatheticTrumpet]

Tbh we never have - she's an old girl now of around 12.

It just occurred to me that people routinely bath their dogs and should this be something we should do with our cat? She's not minging at all, but ....

good luck with that one

Cats don't need to be bathed.

Nah! Leave her alone!

Yes you should bath her. And video it. And upload it to YouTube and post the link here :o

YABU they bath themselves. Only give them a bath if they get unnaturally dirty (the time our kitten ran through a plate of tinned spaghetti springs to mind).

Bathing cats who aren't used to water can traumatise you and them [glances at old scars from cat scratches obtained during bathing of spaghetti covered cat]

Get some Savlon in first.

You don't need to bath a cat, I've done it however when mine decided to sleep in an oil patch under a car & was covered in it-not an experience I'd like to repeat so good luck......

If she has no fleas and doesn't smell, why give her a bath? She'll find it very distressing and you'll be covered in scratches.

We used to bathe ours in attempt to get fleas off. At least we lived in a warm climate. Cat will not be your friend afterwards.

No - if she's not minging then I'm sure she's taking proper care of herself without your help. Dogs deliberately go and roll around in the mud, cats don't.

Well you know what they say-you can try to lead a cat to water, but you can´t make it bathe!

my cat used to like sleeping in the bath but she got over that after once jumping in just after i had run a full bath. I never knew a cat could jump that high.

Ours gets in the shower-just as we get out-to drink!

If she's a bit grubby, stroke her with a damp cloth (really make sure all the water's wrung out). We have an elderly cat and do this from time to time and it cleans him up without distressing him.

YABU but I love your user name. Something about the combo that I adore!

I bathed my tabby the other day. He was fighting with a Tom cat and rolled through a pile of his own shit. He fooking stunk and was covered in shit. Really covered.

I locked him in the bathroom and ran a bath with Johnsons baby bath and washed him in baby shampoo. I then rinsed him off with the shower.

He was traumatised. And growled and his soaking wet under the bed all day. But he still spells lovely and is all soft a week later

(plus he's forgiven me)

According to a vet I spoke to once a cats 'personal hygiene' can start declining as they get older and they loose the ability to take quite so much care of themselves.. Our elderly male cat got horribly covered in dust/building material and it seemed to just linger. DH did run a luke warm shower over him in the end, I think I was more traumatised at the thought of it then cat seemed to be..
Have to be prepared to have a very firm grip!

I wouldn't unless you've bathed them from kittenhood, not unless you fancy some random claw shaped stripes on yourself!

I used to bathe my cat, he didn't like it but he tolerated it. But he had sensitive skin and if he was bitten by fleas he would beak out in sores so he needed to be bathed.

But they are very good at getting themselves clean - he even managed to wash fanta out of his fur.

I bathe mine before a show, and he gets a quick bath anyway, about once every ten days. Its not the water or shampoo which mine hates, though he miaows pitifully, its the blow dry afterwards.

Its reduces allergens, and also helps if they suffer from greasy fur.

He looks lovely after a proper bath and fluff up, and smells wonderful.

YANBU

His should of been hide and spells should of been smells...
(should really re-read before I post )

We live in France and went to the pharmacy recently to get flee treatments for our cats. They sold us something that you had to apply every two weeks after the cats bath?? The pharmacist says she bathes her cats every two weeks.
We couldn't face it, seems like cat torture doesn't it?

When we tried to wash the cat's back paw (he'd trodden in his own shit ) my DH got a claw hooked into his cheek!

I used to lodge with a family who had a ginger tom who looked like Crookshanks in the Harry Potter films. Gorgeous cat. His fur used to get really matted though and every couple of months they used to give him a bath. There was not one corner of a very large house where his howling couldn't be heard.

Last year I was havign a bath and one of my cats jumped in to I guess, come and sit on my knee. I don't think she realised the bath was full of water. It was a very very painful experience. For me. They can do a lot of damage with those claws when they are angry about water.

If she is still looking after herself then no need for a bath. You coudl try brushing her maybe? Some cats apparently like that (though mine absolutely don't).

I got a furminator for my old cat. He looks like new! It removes all the trapped undercoat. He's 18ish and not able to groom himself as well as he could. I only paid about £9 for mine though...

Also got some foam shampoo to make him smell better and get the oil out of his fur.

I like him better now he's not stinky.

If you are going to bath your cat, make sure not to get her head wet. Put the water on luke warm. We use groomers gloop for cats, and sometimes johnson's baby on the base of his tail which gets particularly greasy. We also use a whitening shampoo to bring out his highlights, if it is for a show. Finish off with a vinegar rinse, and make sure all the soap is out of her coat - rinse and rinse again until the water is clear. He doesnt mind the bath at all, he just "talks" to me while I bathe him. Ild love to know what he is saying to me. "You crazy woman, dont bathe me, Im a cat", I guess.

Dh's allergies are much better when we bathe the cat, he doesnt sneeze half as much as it is the saliva he is allergic to, not the fur.

We blow dry backwards to get his coat nice and fluffy, and I hate to see him looking bedraggled. It is then when I generally get a few claws in my hand!