Give your cat a bath

Cats do a pretty good job of keeping themselves clean, but they do occasionally need a bath. With most cats, bath time can be a lot of work. Here are some tips that might make bath time easier.

Before you even begin with the bath, you may want to consider trimming your cats nails to reduce the risk of getting scratched, and get all of the supplies you will need ready in advance.

Once you are ready for the bath, the first thing you want to do is remain calm and positive. Your cat can sense your emotions, so it is important not to give your cat a clue of what is about to happen. Fill the bathtub with enough lukewarm water to cover your cat’s paws and now you are ready for bath time!

Gently put your cat in the bathtub while holding on to the back of your cat’s neck. Try to give your cat a little free rein in the tub so she doesn’t feel trapped, but without letting her escape.

It is recommended to apply a lubricating eye ointment to prevent irritation to the eyes. First, take a scoop or a cup and gently pour it over your cat until her fur is wet. Then apply a cat shampoo and rub it into her fur (avoiding the eye area). Once she is completely shampooed, rinse off the shampoo by scooping water over your cat, or holding your cat under the facet. They also make a facet attachment (as shown in the picture) which makes rinsing the shampoo out much easier, (which I highly recommend!).

Once the shampoo has been completely rinsed out, gently pat and rub your cat with a towel to dry her off.

I have never had a lot of success using the bathtub, between squirming cats and sore knees, (I won’t even mention the sore back!) I started using the laundry tub. This actually turned out to be a much less painful process for both me and my cats.

Please share any bath time tips that have worked for you or funny bath time stories with us.