how to wash a cat? (serious question!)

[bumpybecky]

not one of those jokes about how to give a cat a pill etc, but a serious question....

Grumpy cat is about 15-16, he's a black and white boy, not long hair but not short either, sort of in between. He's fairly fluffy but quite skinny underneath. He's mellowed in his old age and hasn't been in a fight for at least a year now :)

He thinks he's a dog as he was abandoned with dogs and really didn't know how to be a cat when we first got him. He's never really been one for much personal hygiene. We've got to the point now that he rarely washes. He's visibly grubby and he smells. His fur looks all sticky up along his back, like he's washed it and it's not gone down again, only it's like that all the time.

He is leaving dirt and flea mess everywhere he sits :( we've flea treated him (advantage on back of neck) but he's still got fleas :(

Tonight I've washed him with a damp flannel and given him a good flea comb. Managed this by allowing him to lick the remains of roast chicken off the plates on the table! over an hour later and now all his back is sticky up and the fur feels horrible :(

So is there a better way of washing a cat? I don't want to really bath him, but just water has not done the trick. I'm not sure if shampoo is a good idea? can you even get cat shampoo?!

any suggestions? thanks :)

[Jux]

Hooray for GrumpyCat!

[RandomMess]

Good news

[bumpybecky]

pleased to report that Grumpy cat is back from the vets :) he's had 7 teeth out and is looking a bit of a mess - shaved patch on neck and leg, couple of blood stained drooly marks - lovely! they warned me he'd be very sleepy but in fact he's been terrorising the kids and attempting to steal cheese and spaghetti, so must be feeling ok. Guess the painkillers are working!

[Jux]

Oh, babe! They are pathetic when very wet, aren't they? So small - most of the cats I've ever had have fallen in the bath at least once!

[bumpybecky]

he didn't even meow! he's not really very vocal. I knew he'd had enough when I was towel drying him and he pooed all over the bathmat! I've not got close enough to sniff him since we released him - letting him chill out a bit first!

[RandomMess]

Aw poor boy, yes mine just complain and stand there looking at you with those sad eyes.

Bet he smells much better

[bumpybecky]

well we survived the bath experience! he was a lot better behaved than I expected, only needed me to do the washing, DH stood guard at the bathroom door (which doesn't shut properly!) Grumpy cat looked very pathetic when wet :( he did try to climb out, but only once. The water was revolting! Hopefully it'll last a while... dental is booked for next tuesday

[RandomMess]

Aw bless your poor cat, hope the dental work goes well.

[Jux]

Oh good, I'm glad he's OK. Good luck with the bath!

[bumpybecky]

Back from the vet :)

stupid cat was very noisy! she's ok, bit on the thin side so need to take her back in a month to see if she'd gaining or losing and consider blood tests then

I think we've found out what's wrong with grumpy cat - he let the vet look in his mouth (I'm not brave enough!) and his teeth and gums are terrible :( really sore looking, teeth look yucky and smell terrible. So he needs lots of dental work. She thinks the problems with grooming are due to his sore mouth and smelly saliva being stickier so making his fur stick up. Next month is dental awareness month so they offer a fixed price for all dental work, so he's been booked in :)

I've got some other flea stuff, but after a discussion with her, I'm not sure it'll be any better than the frontline. Worth a go though.

I'm going to try giving him a bath later on now he's been seen by the vet. Wish me luck!

[Jux]

We're supposed to be seeing the vet this week. I'll ask for an alternative to Frontline, and if they haven't got one I'll see if they can give me a prescription for something online.

What would you recommend? Could you put up a link? I have a feeling I will need to go with as much info as I can get from a product description.

[CMOTDibbler]

Frontline has never worked well for us - Stronghold is great though, and does ear mites

[Nagoo]

If the vet can write prescription you can get flea stuff online.

The furminator works miracles compared to the normal brush. I demonstrated it tony mum and she rushed it home to her dog

[Jux]

Thanks, CMOT and Nagoo.

We have a cat comb, very ordinary thing, but the cats love it, all 3 of them. One of my old cats - now dead - used to love that comb so much she'd play with it. Purrs are enormous in this house!

We have fleas too. Treated them with Frontline combo two weeks ago. Hasn't worked. We'll be seeing the vet again this week. Should I ask for Advocat (pretty sure they don't have it, though).

[tedmundo]

You need to sort the fleas out I think as the flea dirt may give him an allergic reaction / skin disorder.

Don't bother with any over the counter remedies. The only one that truly breaks the flea cycle is Advocate for Cats. Vets prescription only but my word, it does work.

My boy has been flea free for 3 months after 2 years of hoovering, carpet spraying, grooming, front lining and weeping. I cannot recommend highly enough.

The pet wipes may make him smell sweeter too!

[Nagoo]

Oh, and DH has pointed out, the hair is not cut, as if you keep going, less fur comes out, and the cat does not get bald

[Nagoo]

no, it looks very razory and damagey, so I was verrrrrry careful the first go. But it doesn't cut the hair, like CMOT says, it pulls out the undercoat. But the cat seems to really enjoy it, he sits there for ages, purring like mad. A lot of fur comes out, but it's definitely not pulling it out unless it was detached already, IYSWIM.

I got a proper one off AMazon, it was quite cheap when I got it though, about £10. It has a purple handle.

it really makes his fur look clean and tidy :)

[CMOTDibbler]

I've got a furminator Jux (for dpony, not the cats), and it doesn't shave the fur, more drags the undercoat out. Its fab

[Jux]

Nagoo, I have read some reviews of the furminator which say it incorporates a razor and shaves the fur? Is that a fake furminator? Do you know anything more about it?

[Beamur]

My (sadly deceased) cat seemed to sprout extra legs when I tried to bath her (she had cancer in her mouth and couldn't groom anymore). In the end I just used a damp flannel to keep her clean as she didn't mind that too much.

[Jux]

I once showered a cat of mine. She ended up on my head! We washed her there.

Used to know a woman who had given her cat regular baths since she was a kitten. The cat seemed to rather enjoy her weekly bathe! I may do that if we ever get another kitten.....

[Nagoo]

I have a Furminator. I use it on IncontiCat, he can't/ won't groom himself. It sorts out the greasy fur very well. He is short haired, I wouldn't use it on a long haired cat.

www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the%20furminator&index=aps&hvadid=454474035&ref=pd_sl_9lefheajwb_e&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Also I have foam shampoo so he smells less of Bingo and more of coconuts.

I don't try to cbath him, but he gets pretty wet with the foam and doesn't mind.

I find frontline is crap, I get Revolution/ stronghold from various improper sources, you can get it imported on Amazon too.

[snigger]

Undignified workplace inappropriate snort, Jux

[elfycat]

If a cat gets a bit free during a bath they climb UP!

Up chest and onto shoulders where they dig the claws in to get a good leap. Place folded bath-sheet sized towel across top of chest and both shoulders and hold in place with a large, expendable T-shirt.

[Jux]

Mind you, I was sometimes tempted by "How to Wash a Cat, by The Dog"

here