Should I bath my indoor cat?

[MidnightVelvetthe7th]

Just wondering, I thought cats were self cleaning but we had relatives round yesterday & one of them made a comment about my indoor girl needing a bath. I can't smell her but will believe I'm immune to any stench.....I've had her for 2 years now & not bathed her in all that time, she's 8 & fully fit & well.

Please don't, unless you find a stripy blood pattern on your forearms inexplicably stylish.

Do you have a death wish?

No.

No way, they are self-cleaning and shouldn't smell unless something's up

No. I've never even bathed my 2 10yo outdoor cats! There's no need ubless they come in covered in muck.

It's a great way to bond.

Hahahahaha. No
Unless you get someone to film it and you can send it to you've been framed

Mine must hum then.
5 yo outdoor boys and never been as a much as splashed!!

I do mine with a spray and cat my she loves it and she stunk last week and someone commented and I had already thought it. What does a smell mean? I just assumed it's because I wasn't in all day and the Windows weren't open

My 20 year old stinks, but this is down to his age. Its not an awful smell, but it's not pleasant either?! It's coming from his mouth and the vet gave him antibiotics for this, but the smell doesn't seem to go away. I will not be brushing his teeth, as suggested by a vet I used to go to when I lived in a very hot country. In fact in this hot country, they bath their pet cats & it's not unusual for a cat to go to a grooming parlour several times a year. Madness.

The only cat I ever bathed, was a kitten I had. She was covered in fleas, so as well as the flea treatment the vet gave me, he suggested I give her a bath. It is not something I will ever repeat. She was distraught and I my arms and hands were scratched beyond recognition. I don't think she ever recovered, as she was the crossest cat I ever met.

If love to bath my Persians. They'd look soo cute all wet. But I suspect they'd hate it and it would seal my fate.

I bath my indoor cat as she does tend to get a bit whiffy and as she likes to sleep practically on my face at night I'd rather she smell more pleasant!

I use warm water and pet shampoo and she's mostly resigned to it once I get her in there. She also tends to sit in the bathroom sink when I'm brushing my teeth so I sometimes turn the tap on and give her a quick shower.

But whatever you do, do not try and save time by having a shower with your cat - almost lost a nipple!

No. Cats are self cleaning. Unless they happen to fall into something horrible then you should never wash them.

My favourite ever MN post said:

Cats are like vaginas, they're self cleaning

That's stayed with me and makes me chuckle.

Your cat may need it's teeth cleaned, or it may have washed its fur immediately after eating and left the smell of cat food on itself.

I had three indoor cats (down to one now sadly) and none of them have needed a bath except when the old cat we have now had stomach upsets and got poop stuck in her fur. If poop is sticking in your cat's fur ask the vet to give it a sanitary cut to shave a strip of fur off its rear end so it is easier for it to keep clean.

I used to get my cats' teeth cleaned about once every two years. Their breath would smell if this wasn't done.

No poop in his fur. I groom him very day and the fur around his rear end is very sparse. He can't have his teeth cleaned, as he's too old to have anesthetic. He has Loxicom every day, so is pain-free. I don't mind putting up with the stink. We've come this far. Goodness knows how though, he's a contrary old git man.

Has he had a vet check recently? If he's old and has started to smell it may indicate an issue.

Posted too soon
He's a handsome one. I had a long haired girl who was once dirty round her bum. (Upset tum!) I tried to rinse it.
Long story short. It's hard to unhook a cat from your own forearm whilst trying to deal with an errant shower head.

Thank you. Yes, he's a regular at the vet, as he has other ailments that require attention. The latest was, they thought he might have renal failure, and I was convinced he had it, but no sign of that, thankfully.

Cats and water, not generally a good mix.

Definitely not!
Mine did get a bit ripe with age but she also had lots of underlying issues and was long furred too.

Never in a million years would have bathed both of mine - I wouldn't want to put us both through the trauma.

If you're worried she may smell, ask other visitors what they think. If any other agree, then it might be worth getting the vet to have a quick look at her. As others have said, she may have just eaten something smelly.

Cats can smell different, my girl almost smells a bit musky (only if I put my nose on her coat), my boy always smelt like something new.

That idea sounds very brave. Or catshit insane, so to speak.

I'm saying this as the person who barely survived a cat falling into a tub I was already in and who still bears the marks decades later.

KingJoffreysRestingCuntface, that is SO adorable!

My dog and cat are both very clean, but I don't wash the cat, I only wash the dog.

I do take the dog to get his haircut every 6 weeks, so that may help? Not sure if there are any cat groomers out there?

No. Just no.