Easiest way(if there is one?), to give a cat a bath

[NNN0LHI]

For the most part cats don't need baths. Until they get older and either can't or won't spend the amount of time required to keep themselves adequately groomed. Then you as the human may need to step in. When your cat goes from only sleeping 18 hours a day to sleeping 18 and a half hours a day I wouldn't become to alarmed. They all do that as they get older.

First off every cat I had never minded having water sprayed on them with a removable shower head. Just like when they went out side the rain never bothered them either. Now on the other hand if you put just one inch of water into the bottom of a bath tub and try to put a cat into that, all bets are off. Never had a cat that liked that one bit. They freaked instantly. But if I begin by putting them into a dry bath tub and just spray them down, shampoo, and rinse with a removable shower head or plastic bucket they don't seem to mind that much at all. Mine actually purrs when I am lathering him up. He must like that sensation? They don't like their heads sprayed though. I just wipe his head down with a damp washcloth.

That is how I do it for anyone who may be needing to do this.

Don

[Mz Pip]

1. The couple of times

that I had to give my cat a bath (skunk one time, covered in poop the other) I put water in a bucket and submerged her up to her shoulders. She had her paws on the rim of the bucket so she felt like she had some control. I was able to wash her without too much difficulty. This is a cat that I cannot put a collar or flea medicine on but I think she knew I was trying to get the nasty stuff off of her.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Cat Bathing As A Martial Art (from the Internetz)

Know that although the kitty cat has the advantage of quickness and lack of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength. Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don't try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a very small bathroom. If your bathroom is more than four feet square, we recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift positions.)

Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and know how to dress to protect yourself. We recommend canvas overalls tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, a hockey face-mask, and a long-sleeved flak jacket.

Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule.)

Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo. You have now begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life.

Cats have no handles. Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded. Do not expect to hold on to him for more than two or three seconds at a time. When you have him, however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy. He'll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. (The national record for cats is three latherings, so don't expect too much.)

Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out at this point and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact, the drying is simple compared with what you have just been through. That's because by now the cat is semi-permanently affixed to your right leg.

You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.) After all the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat.

In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become psychoceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.

You will be tempted to assume he is angry. This isn't usually the case. As a rule he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath. But at least now he smells a lot better.

[silverweb]

3. Wonderful!

Reminds me of this one.

:rofl:

[Voice for Peace]

4. this might work for the bath

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9TmmF79Rw0

"How to Deactive a Cat"

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. I learned the "scruff of the neck" trick from a vet, and it came in handy

when I needed to trim the knots out of Kidley's fur, but the clip idea made me laugh out loud.

[Warpy]

6. I had to wash mine when she got pool chemicals all over her

I did it in a bathroom sink and kept her front paws on the rim and her face and ears completely dry. She didn't purr but she didn't freak out, either. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, I expected to be a bloody pulp. The hard part was holding her in a towel afterward because she shivered like crazy exposed to air. She eventually dried enough to let go, though, and headed straight for the food dish like nothing had happened.

I have friends who bathed their cats in a bucket. It seems that keeping their front paws up and their heads dry are the two secrets to a clean cat and intact human skin.

[charlie and algernon]

8. that's kind of how I give a pill to my cat

I sit "Indian style" and plop the cat in the hole my legs make. This allows her to put her front paws up on my leg. Then it's just a matter of tilting her head back and putting the pill in her mouth. She complains, but doesn't scratch. I initially tried wrapping her in a towel, but that just encouraged her to try and squirm out and suddenly her claws become a factor.

I really think that you just have to let the cat thinks it's somewhat in control of things, or at least think it has an escape route and they're fine.

[TygrBright]

7. I find that holding the neck scruff and using a damp washcloth works fine. n/t