Monday, May 24, 2010

My 2 cats need a bath. I've made progress and the one will at least get near water now.how do I do this?

I have 2 cats.both are indoor.and I try to bath them about once a month.I can typically give one a bath in the tub (she will stand somewhat still), but I have to put the other one in the shower and hold the door closed b/c he hates water (he's a long haired cat and desperately needs a bath again).however, I've started making progress with him and he will sit in the tub and let me turn the water on.but just a drizzle and he has started to play with the water now. I'm afraid that if I put him in the shower again I'm going to lose all the progress that I've made but I'm not sure if I can get him to stay somewhere close to still in the tub long enough for me to bath him.any suggestions?
Answers:
i'm the same as you when it comes to clean animals.
from the floor and carpet to the litter. there is dirt everywhere.
i just give my cats a bath a quickly as possible and get it over with. i don't think they will ever get used to a bath. if i hold the skin around the back of the neck they sit still pretty good. i put them in a very large bird cage after with animal dryer blowing them dry. after i give them treats and lots of attention. that's the part they love.
i guess you could get them used to being in water and some cats will even swim. same as dogs. but i don't even know any dogs that like bath's. my dog (a shih-tzu) loves to swim but bath time? ha ha. he knows its getting done no matter what and he sure puts on his pouty face and mopes around. when he's done he's all hyper and runs around the house. he he.
actually my cats run around all hyper too!! after the cuddle of course.
good luck
Spare yourself and take them to a professional groomer.
Throw them in a pool they will have to face their fears.
get a friend into help
cats bathe themselves. most cats don't really like water. try coming them frequently instead.
Let a prefessional cat bather/groomer do it-If you are only doing it once a month, the cost won't hurt as much as a clawed face, arm or leg-
the beauty of having cats is that cats are self-cleaning..I have had cats for over 20 years and the only time I ever gave them baths was when they had fleas.and now with frontline I dont even have to do that.
You really shouldn't have to wash cats as they are very clean and self cleaning and once a month sounds alot unless they are of a particular pedigree?.well maybe when they are really dirty which is what I used to have to do. Try using water spray bottle with the cleaner/shampoo in it then one with just water, and then you comb and rub with a towel. i used to do that with my cat if he was dirty. but it has to be a really light mist otherwise they can feel it. But what i ended up doing letting him slowly get used to water by having him around the shower and letting him drink from it, eventually they get used to having a bigger depth and more water on their coat. But nothing will stop the howling!
They are cats, they dont need a bath. especially if they are indoor cats. Cats spend 30% of thier life grooming, generally they don't need our help.
I bathe mine in the tub. I have to bathe my girl first because she hides too well. She tolerates the bath but cries. When he hears her cry, he comes running to save her and then I grab him and give him his bath.
Don't put him in the shower, this is too traumatic. Cats clean themselves! It sounds like you need to brush them regularly, especially the long-haired one before the hair gets matted. If you feel you MUST "wash" them, just use a warm washcloth and run it over them. This will take off surface dust/dirt/dander. The rest is up to them.

Check out Drs. Foster %26 Smith - they have a website - they probably have wipes or some kind of dry shampoo you rub in and brush out.
While most cats keep themselves perfectly clean, others need occasional bathing. There are several ways to do this, from taking them to a groomer, to putting them in a cat bag and bathing them in your tub or sink, to special cat harnesses, to getting a friend to help. There are also waterless pet shampoos made for cats that you rub in and brush out. I personally use a harness on my cats and tied the leash to the kitchen sink. I then bathe them in the sink. They sit pretty still for me, and I'm lucky that none of mine have ever tried to harm me for it. I started them with water when they were all kittens. 3 of mine will swim even! With the harness they can't get away from me, since they aren't fond of the pressure from the kitchen sprayer. 1 of my cats I can't use it on, he flips out and does acrobatics. I fill one side of the sink with soapy water and the other with clean water. He goes in the soapy side and I use a cup to get him covered in it, then lather up, drain the sink, and use another cup to pour clean water from the other side of the sink over him till rinsed.

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