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 :)

[totallypearshaped]

Have a look at this video of - notice how everything is done quickly and deliberately and how everything is there already so no chance for kitty to get cold.

[frostyfingers]

Yeah, right! No chance with my cat - it was a 2 man job last time round and certainly no hair dryers!

[bumpybecky]

Just saw this pop up in active convos so thought I'd update - I've booked them both to be checked over by the vet. Not until next tuesday though as we're really busy this week and I don't want to have to take the kids as well as the cats (can't hope to control everyone!).

I've not attempted to wash grumpy boy again as I wanted the vet to see him as he is IYSWIM

[bumpybecky]

feeling a bit sad for snigger's Viking mentalist cat though!

[frostyfingers]

Our eldest cat was bitten across the back last week and had the most disgusting stinky abcess that I have ever had to deal with. We had to press the pus out of it twice daily (boak) but took her back in yesterday as it had got to the point where she was incandescant with rage and refused to come in or be picked up. The vet had to sedate her in order to clean it properly and now for the first time in a week she is clean and tidy.

I washed her in hibiscrub last week to try and get the stinky stuff out of her coat and she was hissing and spitting and then looked embarrassed and dejected once she'd been towel dried. Hopefully all is on the mend now - I really don't want to have to do that again.

[monsterchild]

For my really freaky feral cat I just use a warm damp washcloth and give him a "birdbath" with it. he loves it! I think it reminds him of being a kitten. he'll purr and rub, and lick me while I do it. I make sure the cloth is warm, and rinse often. it's not as through as a dunking but we all end up happier. And it gets a surprising amount of dirt and grime off of him.

[Jux]

Oh, we had a cat with fluffy not-actually-long-hair-but-long-enough. She got diarrhoea. It was everywhere and dropping off her fur all over the place. We had a hilarious half hour while we tried to hold her and wash her bum end. Eventually, we felt we'd lost enough skin, and the vet did it for us.

He was v nice. He said he'd had a long haired rabbit booked in for bum washing which had cancelled so he was expecting to wash poo off an animal of one sort or another.

At least they have people who are used to holding animals down!

Hope your cat gets a clean bill (of health). Maybe your vet could do a clean on a regular basis?!

[Jux]

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

here

[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.

[snigger]

Undignified workplace inappropriate snort, Jux

[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.

[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.....

[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]

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?

[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

[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 :)

[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

[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!

[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).

[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

[CMOTDibbler]

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

[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.

[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]

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

[RandomMess]

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