# How to bathe a cat?!



## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

My 17 yr old cat, Sadie, is not so good at grooming herself these days. She has long hair and, well, lets just say, after using the litter box she is not so "fresh" smelling. 
The question I have is what is the best way to give her a bath without completely stressing her out? I have been using damp to wet wipes to clean her fanny but recently she needs more than a quick wipe and even with that she shreaks!! 
I thought about taking her to the cat vet where she is treated and where they do grooming but I would much rather help her out myself if that is a possibility.
Any suggestions for an easy way to get her clean? Do you think using powder, then brushing her out well would do the trick?
Thanks for any ideas....


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

When I was a groomer, I had to do cats occasionally, I think I only had one that didn't freak out.

You kinda just have to do it quickly. For most cats I'd just grab their scruff so they don't really move and bathe them as quickly as possible (with lots of meeooooooooowwwws and an angry face glaring at me LOL).

There's really no stress-free ways to groom a cat that I know of... maybe someone else who is more experienced would know.

You could probably trim some of her fur down around her areas if she has trouble reaching it. It'll probably look a bit funny but then at least stuff isn't getting stuck there.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

GoldenLover84 said:


> When I was a groomer, I had to do cats occasionally, I think I only had one that didn't freak out.
> 
> You kinda just have to do it quickly. For most cats I'd just grab their scruff so they don't really move and bathe them as quickly as possible (with lots of meeooooooooowwwws and an angry face glaring at me LOL).
> 
> ...


I was afraid there might not be an easy way. Thanks for your honesty. I definitely plan on clipping back the fanny area. The current state just will not do.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

My first thought was "very carefully". 

Hugs to you and kitty...getting old isn't for sissies!


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

Yeah, cats are tricky LOL. 

If you're going to bathe her, make sure she's brushed out really good first because if she is matted anywhere, getting wet will make those even tighter and harder to get out.

Most pet stores sell decent de-matting combs... they look like little curved razors on a handle... be careful though as they're SHARP! 

I wish you the best of luck and maybe someone else can give you more tips!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Its worth investing in a kitty muzzle...a cat bite is downright dangerous. 
Trim claws - Wear long sleeves to protect your arms.

I use two five gallon buckets fill as deep as you want...one with diluted soapy water (so it rinses easily) and a wash cloth...the other with fresh water. Hold by the scruff and dunk...once their feet back feet are in the pail at the bottom...they dont struggle 'as much'.

Have a big towel ready!

Good Luck!


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## Angelina (Aug 11, 2011)

Here is what I do. Fill your sink with warm water first. Be very calm and remain that way, wear long sleeves. Have a plastic glass handy... a sprayer on the faucet is even better. Take a small towel and wrap it around the cat's chest and front legs holding it tight at the back of their neck. Lift the cat into the water and wait for it to calm down...hold very tight, calm, talk to it. When you can start rinsing the cat using the plastic glass. Get your soup and conditioner on it, run in gently. If the cat starts freaking and heading for the counter make sure you just keep that towel tight and wrap it in another if you need to. Make sure your counter is very cleared off ahead of time!

Then use the faucet and your cup or sprayer to rinse the soap off making sure the water is not too warm or two cold. Once done wrap the cat in a nice dry towel rubbing lightly.

My cats are all use to this now and one will purr as I'm bathining him. Make sure after your older cat does not get chilled, you may want to put him in a room when done so he can dry off in peace. Lots of cat treats when they are ready but leave them alone til they get over it! Good luck to you!


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## Aireal (Sep 15, 2011)

I work at a vet were ive had to bath several cats. I find if the cat freaks at the sound of water like most, then before bringing the kitty in the room fill two sinks or tubs with luke warm water. Lightly scruff the cat and place them in the first tub, most cats will first try to escape then will calm down. Get the kitty all soaped up and use the water to work anything out of there fur. Then put them in the other tub to rinse, towel try and let them go lol.
Wish you where here I'd show you how to make a leash into a nice sucure kitty harness its alot easier then scruffing but I dont know if I can tell someone as much as show them ya know. :


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## Aireal (Sep 15, 2011)

Lol im slow, darn phone. Some good post above


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

You guys have all been great. Thanks for the suggestions.


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## monarchs_joy (Aug 13, 2011)

I can so appreciate your post... I have a cat that not a good groomer; she's also not very nice. I've had to start bathing her regularly (every few weeks) for various reasons, and I've been able to find a process that works for us. I can't use the "dunking" method because she too gets things stuck in the fur around her butt and has some other fur issues that require some gentle scrubbing. My process is this: 1) brush her to make sure she won't get any mats, 2) trim her nails, 3) bath. I give her lots of time between brushing, nails, and bathing because frankly she hates them all and gets stressed otherwise. When its time for the bath, I put one towel in the bottom of the kitchen sink. This is a really important step and has saved me from having a wet, soapy, mad cat running through the house. The towel in the bottom of the sink allows her to have some traction so if she squirms its against me but she isn't slipping and sliding all over the place. I put one towel on the counter, open the bottle of soap so its ready to go, let the water run so it's warm, put a few towels in the dryer so they're warm when we're done, turn the water off, put on an old sweatshirt, and then go get the cat. All of the prep works makes it so its as fast as possible. I was told that cats get colder easier than we do, so you're supposed to have the water warmer and wrap them in warm towels if you can afterward so they don't lose too much body heat. I get the water warm - not scalding, more like the temp I would use to take a shower. This warmer water actually seems to calm her down, and if I warm her up mid-bath with water she purrs and relaxes. Mine tolerates the water running, but not all do. You could use a bucket with a large cup to pour water over the cat when its time to rinse if your doesn't. I get her wet, wash quickly, and then rinse her with the faucet. I also found that scruffing her makes her really mad. Instead, I put one hand against her chest in between her front paws, which allows me to keep control of her but doesn't irritate her further. After she's rinsed, I wrap her in the towel on the counter and then grab a warm towel from the dryer and wrap her in that to. My cat that refuses to be held for longer than 30 seconds will lay in the warm towel and let me hold her for 20 or so minutes afterward. Then she goes off to groom herself and I just keep an eye on her to make sure she's not getting too cold. We've been doing this for several months now, and nowadays she just sits in the sink while we wash and I barely have to hold her. I wouldn't personally use powder because if your cat does groom at all she would ingest it. I would also make sure you're using a soap that's safe for cats. I think the towel in the bottom of the sink and the warmer water are key for us. Good luck!


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## DaisyGolden (Jan 4, 2008)

Penny's Mom said:


> My first thought was "very carefully".
> 
> Hugs to you and kitty...getting old isn't for sissies!


 
That's exactly what I was going to say, very carefully.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

Well.... I did some brushing and am trying to avoid this whole bathing mess but ultimately the rump of my poor Sadie is too much of a mess. I called my vet's office and spoke to a vet tech (they only treat cats at this clinic). The tech suggested I bring her in (a whole other problem) and have them shave her rear to avoid future "sanitary" problems. 
I am not wild about my kitty having a bare rump but I will do whatever she needs to keep her happy and healthy and at this point at 17 her grooming skills are not the best. So I am considering this option.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the idea of having her little rump shaved to keep her from being soiled everytime she uses the litter box?

Has anyone done this with any of their cats?

Sadie is a petite little long hair, weighs about 6 pounds, but when she isn't happy...watch out!


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## Aireal (Sep 15, 2011)

The sanitary cut really isn't that bad and prob will be best for your kitty at this point. Poor baby


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I used a cat dry shampoo on my kitties when they were alive. I also gave one a bath after she'd rolled in something gag-inducing.

Here's what I did:

- Get an old, thick towel
- Fold in half and sew up the sides to make a "pouch" so you only have one opening
- Depending on sewing ability and size of kitty and towel, you can either add a button or two to the open side, sew in a little closer, etc. Basically, you want to be able to put kitty in the towel, but not have kitty be able to escape from towel. Ideally, just the head should be poking out of pouch, but sometimes a paw or claw gets out as well.
- Fill up sink or bathtub with soapy, warm water
- Have bucket or two of clean water within arm's reach
- Get kitty and put in towel-pouch. This is the fun part!
- Gently lower kitty-in-a-pouch into the soapy water.
- Massage kitty with soapy water through the towel. The water and shampoo will go through and get to kitty's skin, but claws can't get through the towel...most of the time.
- Depending if kitty is scared of loud noises or not, drain tub of soapy water and rinse with buckets of clean water (also through the towel). Sometimes it takes awhile to get all the suds out.
- Release kitty from pouch verrrry carefully. 

I had to do this once or twice when the dry shampoo wasn't cutting it. I never got scratched and my cats were sweet enough to never ever think of biting, no matter what. I did make the mistake of thinking I could drain the tub and fill it back up with water with kitty in the pouch still in the tub. She was so scared, bless her heart, that she peed instead of biting my face off while I was leaning precariously over her. Sadly we had to re-start from the beginning.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

I would do the butt trim myself. Going to the vet and having a stranger handle kitty is probably going to cause more stress (unless your kitty is rare and likes to go for outings). For my long haired I hold a large liver treat in front of him as he's standing with one hand and I use scissors to trim under the tail with my other hand. I only do it for a few seconds and repeat throughout the day. Short sessions ensure he doesn't get cranky. 

I do the same thing at the shelter if needed.


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