Bathing?

[Gillian Harvey]

Bathing cats is ... er ... interesting at the best of times!

BUT .... a word of warning about shampoo....

DON'T use human shampoo (or washing up liquid), however nice it makes them look!  It has chemicals in that are toxic to cats!  It has all those unnecessary things (for cats) in it, like glossing agents and serums that coat human hair to make it sleek.  Cats lick this stuff off (no matter how thoroughly you rinse, and it's generally not easy to rinse a cat thoroughly without administering general anaesthetic! ... to the cat, that is!)

Also, DON'T use Tea Tree oil cat shampoo - despite these being on the market, Tea Tree is also toxic to cats - for some it can be fatal.  So please be very careful what shampoo you use!

Washing up liquid is fine to use - I use Fairy like Lottie does and I've used it for years on my Persians and my customers cats.  Just make sure you use the original Fairy and NOT the antibacterial ones. The natural oils in the coat soon recover - after about 1 day. I use Fairy, rinse thoroughly, then another wash with a specific cat shampoo for the particular coat, and again rinse thoroughly. I agree about Tea Tree though, shouldnt be used due to toxicity to cats.

Ems, just a point for next time (ha, will there be a next time?!!!  ) You might want to think about drying the coat with a dryer. When I bath, I always dry with a dryer (I've got a stand dryer, but you can use a normal hairdryer), using a slicker brush as you dry, that way, you get even more of the loose hair out. Also, I never put the cat right into the bath, I stand the cat on a plastic crate with a bath mat on top, and use the shower attachment. Glad it went well anyway!

[Rosella moggy]

I've never bathed a cat and don't fancy the idea much.  I'm fond of my fingers. 

Thanks Susanne I was beginning to think I was a bad Ma for not bathing the boys. I've never bathed a cat but remember my sister bathed our family cat Tiger when I was about 6 and me and my little brother went into hysterics crying as she looked so skinny and upset. I think I'm scarred for life 

[Catjane]

The only time I've washed a cat was when I had a longish haired cat with 'breeches' who sometimes got poo on them. I would dunk him in about 2 inches of water in the bath and wash his bum! 

Yeah, my friend's cat Tigger is like that!  Every so often it's a small dunking for the large furball - he absolutely HATES it!  And isn't it funny how TINY they look when deprived of their fluffiness?  Bless!

I've yet to bathe mine, and won't unless they obviously need it - they're all shorthairs so likely as not I'll never need to.  Having said that, I think it could be quite good fun for two of them, as Meesha and Sabu absolutely love water!  I once had to rinse their fur out round their necks when I put 'Spot On' on them - they seemed to have an allergic reaction to it so it was straight under the tap for them!  They didn't seem to mind one little bit!

[Hippykitty]

It may be a good idea to brush your cats daily while they're moulting, and frequently when they've stopped moulting. I think this is better than bathing, as cats are designed to wash themselves (unless they are VERY longhaired).

Glad you managed to do this without being lacerated.

I don't know anything about shampoo for cats. The only time I've washed a cat was when I had a longish haired cat with 'breeches' who sometimes got poo on them. I would dunk him in about 2 inches of water in the bath and wash his bum! 

[forever_missing_my_boys(Lisa)]

ive only ever used baby bath to wash my cat in when shes had pooh stuck to her bum

id advice only to use a very mild bubble bath or shampoo such as johnsons baby

[ems]

Hi CatJane,

We just used sensitive baby stuff, only a tiny amount and gave them a good rinse.

Thanks Sam, they seem happy enough now and feel lovely and soft!

Certainly won't be a regular thing but it has definately helped to get rid of a lot of the excess hair Nina was shedding all over the place.

[Catjane]

Bathing cats is ... er ... interesting at the best of times!

BUT .... a word of warning about shampoo....

DON'T use human shampoo (or washing up liquid), however nice it makes them look!  It has chemicals in that are toxic to cats!  It has all those unnecessary things (for cats) in it, like glossing agents and serums that coat human hair to make it sleek.  Cats lick this stuff off (no matter how thoroughly you rinse, and it's generally not easy to rinse a cat thoroughly without administering general anaesthetic! ... to the cat, that is!)

Also, DON'T use Tea Tree oil cat shampoo - despite these being on the market, Tea Tree is also toxic to cats - for some it can be fatal.  So please be very careful what shampoo you use!

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Glad it all went well they be all nice and soft and silky now and will thank you for it in the long run 

[ems]

Well the deed is done! 

My lovely OH did it about 30 mins ago. Both furbabes are in front of the fire drying off (I know its not the day to have the fire on!). Went ok actually, they obv weren't impressed but no shouting or scratching. They just looked at Jon as to say "well this isn't so good but we trust you so just get it over with!"

And the hair that has come off them is phenomenal!

I was the lovely meowmy who gave them cuddles and treats for being good girls, whilst Daddy was the nasty washing man.

Thanks for all of your help guys
xxxxx

[Team Svartalfheims]

i would have thought fairy liquid would be quite harsh lottie and strip too much of the oils away ?

Cat shampoos make NFCs go soft and silky which is very bad and would cause judges to go nutty lol and Fairy cleans but doesn't make their fur go all silky (I do 10days before shows to allow natural oils to come back through). Gets rid of stud tail as well, yay! As you say it might be a bit harsh for cats that don't have a naturally oily waterproof coat like NFCs do.

[Rosiecat]

I bath my Persian (using baby shampoo) but have never been brave enough to do the others (two shorthairs and one semi fluffy) - they are groomed daily though.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I've never bathed a cat and don't fancy the idea much.  I'm fond of my fingers.  Zoom groom is great for getting out loose hair if they're shedding.

[CurlyCatz]

i would have thought fairy liquid would be quite harsh lottie and strip too much of the oils away ?

personally i'd advise a shampoo over washing liquid but if it works for bilbo i'm sure thats fine, other cats with less dense fur might find it abit much though.

[Team Svartalfheims]

I use Fairy liquid for Bilbo and a whitening shampoo for Hub International for Tigger. I'm lucky that this pair just need to hear water running and they are both jump in the bath (pain if you are in it at the time) and Tigger just stands perfectly still under the shower head for her 5 weekly bath.

Personally I have never noticed a bath making any difference to how much they are shedding. If they don't like water then it's prob not worth stressing them by bathing/showering them. Try combing instead of brushing, you'll notice a big difference in how much hair you get out!

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I have bathed the bengals a couple of times and Stitch too.  Stitch does shed quite a bit and I have found her coat much better after bathing.  That said I use cat shampoo (Johnsons springs to mind as the brand) as she does have sensitive skin.  Agree totally with Lynn though, avoid eyes/ears etc

Do not fill the bath too deep either and I find it easier to allow mine to stand on their back legs (on a non-slip mat) holding onto the sides.  Keeps them calmer and makes ife easier for me.   

I gave Zephyr and Foxy a bath last weekend for exactly the same reason.  Like Linda says it easier to put warm warm into the bath and bath them that way rather than using the shower ... cats hate showers!!!  If you don't have a non slip mat put a towel in the bottom of the bath for them to stand on.  I used baby shampoo as it doesn't foam up too much and is good for delicate skin but any shampoo will do (just only use a small amount).

Keep the bathroom door shut and make sure you have a large towl laid out on the floor ready to put wet cat straight onto.

Good luck

http://www.chaptanservices.com/purrs/index.php?topic=3424.0

[Linda (Bengalbabe)]

I have bathed the bengals a couple of times and Stitch too.  Stitch does shed quite a bit and I have found her coat much better after bathing.  That said I use cat shampoo (Johnsons springs to mind as the brand) as she does have sensitive skin.  Agree totally with Lynn though, avoid eyes/ears etc

Do not fill the bath too deep either and I find it easier to allow mine to stand on their back legs (on a non-slip mat) holding onto the sides.  Keeps them calmer and makes ife easier for me.   

[Millys Mum]

Tips: ear plugs & leather gauntlets 

Have you tried different types of brush/comb, the type that rakes all the hair out from deep down would be useful. You could PM Gillian, shes a groomer and could give you tips.

[CurlyCatz]

when i bath any of my animals i use what ever shampoo and conditioner i have in the house no problems, (herbel essence usually) just be careful round the eyes.

My laperm is a lower shedding cat but i did read somewhere that bathing them can actually make them lose more hair for a few days so ?? i have only bathed cody once and i bathed..sorry showered fraser the other week as he had quite bad dandruff build up.

the dogs get done a few times per year mostly when they are moulting badly as it also causes bad dandruff and i get TONS of hair out of them when i do it and they look better afterwards.

[ems]

Hi Everyone,

We have some serious moulting going on in our house! And my OH said we should bath the cats to get rid of some of the excess hair and cool them down a bit.

Any Advice or Tips? And what products to use etc?

I am very apprehensive about doing it as they both don't much like water, just wondering if people think it is worth it or not?

They get brushed as often as i can but it doesn't seem to make much difference.

Thanks

ems
xxxxx