How to Successfully Give a Cat a Bath

Cats spend a good part of the day grooming and cleaning themselves, but they still need your help sometimes. Cats rarely need a bath unless they get infested with fleas or get unusually dirty and cannot clean themselves. Unlike dogs, though, cats hate the water. So take care to bathe your cat properly and make an unpleasant experience tolerable for your kitty.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rubber mat
• Bathtub or sink
• Cotton balls
• Petroleum jelly
• Warm water
• Flea or cat shampoo
• Towel
• Brush
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Gauze or rag
• Cotton swab
• Wood, some wire screening or piece of carpet

1. Place a rubber mat on the bottom of the bathtub or sink to protect your cat from slipping.

2. Put small cotton balls loosely inside his ears to keep the water out.

3. Wipe a very small amount of petroleum jelly around the cat's eyes to keep the soap and water out.

4. Talk gently to calm your kitty as you pour warm water over his body and rub in the mild cat or flea shampoo. The manufacturer's label will tell you how long to rub the shampoo.

5. Dry your cat by rubbing vigorously with a towel. Stay in a warm room away from drafts while you brush out any mats, check for fleas and skin irritations, and completely dry the cat.

6. Polish your cat's teeth with a paste of baking soda and salt on a piece of gauze or a wet rag. Rub the paste all over and around her teeth.

7. Check the cat's eyes and ears. First clean away the petroleum jelly with a damp cloth and check eyes for discharges or cloudiness. Then check for ear mites by looking closely in folds on the inside of the ears. Any debris around eyes and ears can be wiped away with a moistened cotton swab.

Tips & Warnings

• Start bathing your cat when he is a kitten to get him used to the water. That way you'll have lot less trouble later on.
• Try putting a piece of wood, some wire screening or piece of carpet over the side of the tub or sink for the cat to scratch on as he tries to get away from the water. That way, he won't dig his claws into you!
• Make bathing a weekly or monthly routine. If you check her coat, eyes, ears, mouth and skin regularly, you will be quickly alerted to any health problems should they arise.
• Never submerge a cat's head in water.
• Be extra careful to protect eyes and ears from water. Cats have no way to do this for themselves.

[Ally]

on 6/26/2008 you should always comb out mats BEFORE bathing as a wet mat is much harder to attack.