AIBU not to shower my cat?

[Eltonjohnssyrup]

Met with friend and FOF yesterday. Conversation turned to pets. Both have bog standard short haired domestic cats.

Both of them said that every couple of months they shower their cats. Someone holds it and they spray it with the shower. They are both adamant that this is perfectly normal and cats will tolerate it.

I've always been under the impression that cats are entirely self cleaning and this is not necessary and possibly a bit cruel. They insist not to do it is manky.

AIBU or are they? (I have tried very hard not to make any Mrs Slocombe type jokes).

Yes, I think if you get an orphaned or kitten farm kitten, or one whose mother didn’t teach it how to clean itself properly for some reason, then it’s possible that they’ll need washing. But most cats work it out even then. And I think those naked wrinkly cats need washing because of their skin.

But still. The self-cleaning aspect of cats is one of their best features. I can’t see why you’d do that if you didn’t have to.

Do not shower your cat! I knew a woman who did this once, she was a nutter and the cats hated it and kept trying to run away. If you're in a place with skunks and the poor cat gets sprayed then maybe, or cat gets unusually filthy for some other reason and you don't want it tracked all over the house. Otherwise no.

Ohyesiam I’ve heard of some Americans doing that. It’s horrible as they also use their claws to play, hold things and scratch themselves. Some Americans, I don’t know about other countries, also have their dog’s voice boxes removed, to prevent barking in apartments. Obscene.

The only time I washed one of ours was when he was a kitten and slipped up in his litter tray and got covered in poo.

It’s a breach of trust to shower your cat. It’s hugely stressful for the vast majority and totally unnecessary unless there is a very good reason such as to apply a prescribed medicinal product.

Cats wash themselves and have their own scent. They get stressed if this is removed or something changes it. If I kiss and snuggle one of mine for longer than a couple of seconds, she washes my scent off immediately.

If a cat gets mucky or caked in something, a damp flannel can be used to clean the problem area, but anything large or if the cat is getting stressed it’s wiser to take them to the vets and have it gently shaved off. The fur grows back very quickly.

Cats are best not interfered with. They have their own ideas of what they need in their lives and anything else just stresses them out and they’ll end up not trusting you.

Hell no. Their fur is double coated to make them waterproof and keep warm/cool. If you wash them you are striping their coats protection.
It's like cutting the claws of outside cats so they can't use them to climb to escape predators or hunt.

Showered my cat after a poo accident. NEVER AGAIN! I still have the scars mental and physical

Oh yes, I once had to shower a domestic shorthair outdoor cat (dubious, strong smelling chemical substance on her fur when she came in). My protective gloves and my arm were scratched to ribbons.

Yes, I think if you get an orphaned or kitten farm kitten, or one whose mother didn’t teach it how to clean itself properly for some reason, then it’s possible that they’ll need washing. But most cats work it out even then. And I think those naked wrinkly cats need washing because of their skin.

Yes, there are cats that don't / can't groom themselves.

But even then, I'd only do this if it was genuinely necessary and obviously not with shampoo / soap.

putting some butter on the cat (to encourage licking) sounds like a better solution, tbh.

That's actually a great suggestion imo (if your cat can stomach dairy. Mine certainly did. We had to guard anything that containted milk....)

nope nope nope, that is not normal - why the fuck would you do that to a cat - it is horribly cruel. They spend half the day cleaning themselves. One of mine is white too so I'd notice if he was dirty!

The one and only time I have ever washed a cat ( and I've had them all my life) was when my old cat came home reeking of cat wee (honestly it made my eyes water) and had obviously been sprayed on - I literally sat him by the sink and used a sponge very gently - (and he was still pissed off). Showering??!! - your friends are bloody nuts!!

This is abuse I reckon. Cats don’t need showering unless they are absolutely caked in shit or something from a fight/falll down a well etc. It’s unnecessary and cruel. Idiots.

Only needed to shower my cat once when she came home covered in something revolting. She hated it and didn’t come home for 3 days.

I’ve had cats my whole life, only cleaned them twice. One got covered in creosote and another lily pollen. Both got bathed.

Other than that no I leave the little furry monsters to clean themselves.

How odd, my cats are 15 and 14 and I have never showered them, they smell lovely to me

They are both generally the sort of people who have a clinically clean house. I suppose it's part of that. Cats seem happy enough, they're actually a bit spoiled otherwise and go to them for cuddles and sit on them.

I've never showered any of my cats.

However, I did once have a bath with one of them! There was I, relaxing in a lovely bubble bath. There was he, sitting in the side of the bath when (for some reason known only to him) he suddenly launches himself at the wall and in true Tom & Jerry style lands splat against the tiles and slides down them into the bath.

The bath rapidly fills up with blood (mine) as we both scrabble to get out.

Funnily enough he never tried it again.

The Persians didn't mind being showered (but again it was only done for necessity). We even blow dried them on a low setting so they didn't get cold. One of them was always trying to get into the water and we had to make sure the bathroom door was always closed when running a bath.

I do know of Persian breeders, now I think of it, who regularly wash and blow dry their cats. One of them recommended talcum powder for grooming too (a recommendation I ignored).

Re Angry face poking out of towel, the nutter I used to know who bathed her cats every few weeks would insist that they didn't mind (so why are they hiding the moment the shampoo comes out then?), and continue doing so afterwards even as they gave her looks that made it clear that they were plotting her demise.

Had three cats who all lived to about 16 and didn't shower any of them. I once tried to rinse the back legs of one of them who had got cement on them (don't ask).

Current mog likes to shelter under cars and sometimes comes in with oil or grease on her back - I have bought some special cat wipes for her from Vets4Pets.

I washed one cat once. He had been up the chimney

I don't know why this made me laugh so much

Better method

One of my cats watches me have a shower then gets in afterwards (the water’s off) and I have to give her a container of water which she half drinks and half washes her face and paws with I think she thinks she’s copying me, but I wouldn’t dare switch the shower hose on.

The only time I showered a cat was when he came in through the cat flap covered in black oil. Of course it turned out showering alone wasn't enough - what was needed was Swarfega, then a shower. If you've ever Swarfega'd a cat you'll understand how much blood there was.

Showered my old cat years ago when he'd managed to roll in oil. DH was working from home and on a teleconference, cat was a British Shorthair male and if anyone is familiar with the breed they have a very, very loud pissed off miaow. DH had people in Australia asking if someone was being murdered next door.

I don't think the cat ever forgave me, his successor as fortunately been more intelligent.

Please read Cat Bathing As A Martial Art. It's funny, yet educational