Best way to bathe Cats without been clawed to death

[CrazyHamsterdisguisedasatree]

Ok so doing a huge flea overhaul tomorrow to get rid of the damn things once & for all .
So im going to bathing my cats all five of them with flea shampoo .
I have a bath & a seperate shower , which would I be best using & how best to hold them ?
2 are long haired & the other three should be easier as they are short haired (sp)

Any tips so im not clawed to death would be great thanks

[portraitoftheartist]

Long haired cats need grooming. Bathing won't get rid of unkempt fur or of fleas, you'll just end up with clean fleas.

[CrazyHamsterdisguisedasatree]

The 2 long haired will let me brush them to a certain extent , its just the tails that are bad as they won't let me near them

[deliasmithy]

I have bathed my cats 3 times.
They smelled lovely afterwards.

I think the flea shampoo is awful. Tried it once and made my cats very ill. Didn't work either.

I have bathed my cats after a poo-in-carrier-sat-in-poo incident, and an incident involving pigeon poo and matted fur, and once for the hell of it, because she smells of bum.

Tricks are:

1. Shut them in the bathroom.
   
2. Bribe a helper.
   
3. Lots of towels and thick gloves. Bowl of water and cup
   
4. Speed is essential.
   

So: fold over a towel or mat and put in bottom of bath. Put cat on it. Get helper to hd her down. The helper will need the gloves.

Very quickly pour warm water over cat. Avoid head and ears. If you're lucky you may get away with this stage. Quickly lather up some animal shampoo and work it into coat. This is when the cat will go very mad. There may be one or two escape attempts. Quickly rinse thoroughly, then get the poor bastard into a towel.

Dry cat as much as you can and switch towels and repeat. The quicker you dry the cat the better.

I use hair dryer on mine whilst holding them down very carefully avoiding head. Mine was scared at first then loved it, sat there rolling around loving the warmth. But not on head.

Then feed their favourite treat so they don't hate you. Apply savlon to your wounds. Have some wine. Et voila.

[CrazyHamsterdisguisedasatree]

delia Thanks ill do that today

[VenusSurprising]

Yes to having a towel in the bath or basin before you start - cats little paws don't get cold in the water then. (Sneaky!)

Preparation is key! Have everything you need laid out before hand. Clip their claws a day or two before.

And have lots of big towels, as bathed cats get very wet, and hold a lot more water than you think.

No way would I do five at once though, especially if they're not used to it from kitten hood.

Maybe best bet it grooming them and using advocate and indorex bomb.
You can use vetenary grade valerian on their fur to calm them down- your vet might have some.

[VenusSurprising]

My previous long haired cat adored being bathed as well- he was a stray and covered in fleas- the water used to run red with blood. I washed him in the kitchen sink as it was huge, and could be bleached afterwards.

He also loved the hair dryer. Roll around and lie with his tummy in the air.
I'd forgotten how much he loved that - thanks for reminding me Delia!

[BrevilleTron]

I have bathed GruberCat Prince of Darkness? twice
First time.
DD had visited. And left in a whirlwind of glitter
Gruber started depositing sparkly turds in the litter tray.

So I suited up
Kevlar armlets. Kevlar apron Work gloves crash helmet

Death grip on back of neck. In bath.
He didn't even try to escape.
Just made a noise like one of those tubes we had as kids that made weird sounds when you inverted it.
Had towel ready
Washed and dried.

hated me for weeks despite so many treats


Second time
Repeated as above

[deliasmithy]

My cat was just sleeping under my neck so took the opportunity to smell him. He smelled like a cupboard under the stairs - damp, stale and dusty.

I wish I could wash him but I suspect I would lose that fight.

[bobblypop]

wish I'd seen this thread a couple of weeks ago! I recently found a porr litlle kitten (10 wks ish) in a car park and ended up taking it home. (long story!)
Poor little thing was filthy. I have never had cats before - I am a dog person. So I thought I'd bath him. Thinking he may not like it a bit like one of my dogs and may be mildly put out...but it needed doing. Oh boy was I in for a surprise! (I still have the scars to prove it!) needless to say I don't plan on bathing him again...ever LOL! I am still amazed that something so tiny could inflict so much pain!!

[cozietoesie]

There are rare times when you do actually need to - but other than that, you're right. Avoid it like the plague.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Is it done now? Do you have 5 sulking felines?

[NicholasTeakozy]

This is easily the funniest thread I've read today. Something popped up on Facebook the other day which was a bit cruel but hilarious; instructions from a dog on how to bathe your cat. It involved a few drops of shampoo, the cat and a toilet. I'll leave you to guess the rest...

[CrazyHamsterdisguisedasatree]

Not had chance as ended up away for a few days , hopefully gonna get them done tomorrow

[cozietoesie]

Be realistic, crazy. Book 'em in for a clip etc. Life (yours) is too short.

[Relaxedandhappyperson]

If you do do this, PLEASE film it and put the "highlights" on YouTube.

Your cats will achieve global stardom. You will received global pity and bafflement as to why one earth you tried to bath 5 cats.

[CrazyHamsterdisguisedasatree]

[CrazyHamsterdisguisedasatree]

So I chickened out of bathing the 2 long haired & will be getting them trimmed next week

I stuck the kittens in the shower , covered them in shampoo & stuck the shower on it was bloody hilarious only got one or two scratches from them

My eldest loved it in the bath though it was probably because I was giving him his treats every 2 seconds

[cozietoesie]

That's not 'chickening' - that's your survival instinct kicking in.

Well done on the success with the other three.

[fossil971]

We once bathed our cat (who'd got into some oil) with DH wearing his motorbike leathers for protection , that was after an earlier incident which resulted in a shredded T shirt.