It Is Possible To Give Your Cat A Bath, And Come Away Scratch
Free
Although your cat doesn't realise it right now, after some
tender loving care and a little shampoo, he will appreciate it.
Cats hate water, that much is easy to see as he lashes out at
you with his claws when he gets anywhere near it. Why would
someone want to bathe their cat, then?
Well, they are dirty and can become flea infested just like a
dog, so they do need them. Sometimes, you'll just have to do it.
The key is to not bathe your cat more than once a month as you
will damage his skin and his hair if you do so more than that.
And, you can do it.
The Supplies
To do the task, you'll need some supplies. The very least you
will need are two cloth towels, a pet safe shampoo and
conditioner, a sponge and a sprayer to attach to your skin
nozzle. No sprayer? Then use a pitcher of water and keep it near
the sink. You should try to have a non skid mat there as well to
help your cat feel better about standing in the water.
A scared cat is hard to control. So, if you plan to wash him in
the tub, make sure to shut the door to keep him from getting out
into the rest of the house.
What To Do
Put the mat at the bottom of the sink or tub. Add about two or
three inches of warm water to the bottom and carefully place the
cat in. Talk to him quietly and reassure him that he's okay.
More than likely, he'll settle down within a few minutes. Now
that he's calm, you can wet him down. Use the sprayer but if
this scares him, you'll need to pour water over him using the
pitcher. A word of warning, do not pour water on his head.
You'll clean his face later.
Now he's wet. You can squeeze a palm sized amount of shampoo and
massage the shampoo into his coat. Use slow, calm motions and
he'll relax and maybe even will enjoy it. Once he is lathered,
you'll need to rinse him off. Make sure to get all of the
shampoo out of his coat as anything left on him will irritate
his skin.
Next, do the same with the cat's conditioner. This step is
optional if the cat has short hair. If the cat isn't too upset,
though, you should try to use it on all cats.
Once his body is clean, it is time to do his face. Dampen the
sponge and use it to carefully wipe down his face. Pay attention
to the area around his eyes too.
After The Bath
Now, he's done. Wrap him up in the towels and blot off as much
of the water as possible from his body. Use a dry towel as a
second blotting tool. Now, he'll finish the job himself. For
those who have a long haired cat, you can use a blow dryer at
the very lowest setting if you keep it continuously moving so
that you do not burn him. Now, you have a clean cat and
hopefully no wound marks to show from it.
Your cat will thank you for his bath, and you will both enjoy
each other's company more, next time you snuggle down in front
of the fire.