To think that you don't bathe a kitten?

[ImNameyChangey]

There's no need is there? I just popped into my Aunt's house to see her new kitten...it's 9 weeks old now and so gorgeous. She said "Oh you're just in time to see me bathe it!"

I said "Why are you bathing it? It's too small and there's no need..." and she said "Oh it's been scratching so I think it's got fleas."

I then gave it a good inspection and said "no...it hasn't got any fleas and if it did then the thing to do is visit the Vet and ask the receptionist for some flea treatment for kittens..."

She was going to shampoo it with Johnson's Baby Bath!

I persueded her not to and told her that no matter what "cat bathing tutorials" she's seen on Youtube...it's not the go....you don't wash them at all unless they've fallen in something smelly or dangerous....AIBU? I hope she wasn't waiting till I left to do it!

I have a disabled kitten who falls over a lot. Sometimes he falls on his poo and needs a bath but he is fine with it.

I can't see any need for it in your aunt's case though.

We had to bathe our cat once when it crapped in the carrier on a car journey and covered itself in it with panic, our cat does not like car journeys. DH still has the scars from the subsequent bath.

I've got two 8 year old cats we've had since kittens. One has never needed washed & the other has been bathed twice - once after she jumped from the fridge into a tray of melted chocolate & caramel that hadn't set yet. The second time she got covered in her sisters anal gland yuck.

I'd maybe have considered bathing them as kittens just to get them used to it. It took both DH & I to bath Rivercat last time.

When I was young we had a litter of kitten's whose mum was very ill. When tiny we had to clean them because she didn't; they had to be fed from eye droppers or waded in saucers of milk and their fur got rank.
As soon as they could wash themselves there was no need though.

Bathing a nine week old kitten is much safer than using flea treatments to get rid of fleas. Even the treatments that are safe for kittens are still less safe than non-chemical flea removal. But you'd also need to use a flea comb or nit comb to remove any remaining fleas. Johnson's baby bath is perfectly safe to use on a kitten.

Show cats are bathed from a very young age - if they get used to it as kittens they'll accept it as adults.

As long as the owner is careful with the kitten, bathing can't do any harm, and might do some good if the kitten does indeed have fleas since flea infestations can be extremely dangerous - even fatal - to kittens.

Mine gives herself a wash in the kitchen sink.

People bath their cats? I learn something new everyday.

surlycue My camera has never been as busy!
Here is one of them pre and post poo removal!

I wouldn't bathe my adult cats, they do a good job themselves and I value my eyeballs

Awww squeeeeee!! What a little fluffball! Very cute

Please don't use crap like Johnsons baby shampoo on pets or children. It's full of harmful chemicals. Better to use an organic range that doesn't contain parabens and other nasties.

It's only 'gentle' on the eyes because the ph is the same as tears. It's far too alkaline for skin/hair.

Aww cutesy little fur babies. Too adorable I could eat them. Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze.

I sometimes run a shallow bath of warm water for mine when they come in covered in mud. They lie down in it. The mud, not the bath. They just paddle a bit in the bath.