Giving a cat a bath
By courtknee525
@courtknee525 (3742)
United States
March 20, 2013 9:52am CST
Last week I decided to give my kitten a bath. When shopping for his supplies I bought a kitten shampoo so I could start getting him used to having a bath. He didn't smell bad, he just smelled like he had been with a bunch of cats before coming here.
I know cats clean themselves but I find it a little gross to have an indoor pet who never gets cleaned with soap and water. I figured I wanted him to get used to baths as a kitten so it will be a little easier to give him baths when he's grown.
Of course he did not like the water at all lol. We have a big utility sink in our laundry room and that's where I gave him his bath. He was actually really good about the bath and didn't scratch me at all. He just wrapped his two front paws around my arm as I bathed him.
What I found really weird was how bad he smelled when he was wet! This is my first cat and I've never really been around a wet cat so I didn't know they had a smell. My kitten smelled like bad breath when he was wet. It was so bad I couldn't smell the kitten shampoo until he completely dried off. I was just wondering if anyone else had this stinky cat problem when they are wet because I was caught off guard lol
1 person likes this
6 responses
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
20 Mar 13
Oh you are so lucky you didn't get scratched! I did when I tried to bathe Sassy. She was my Tortose She'll kitten. She lives with another mylotter now and has for a long time. My daughter brought her home against her husband's wishes and we were not allowed to keep her. I miss her still.
1 person likes this
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
20 Mar 13
He's actually a very sweet kitten, he doesn't even bite or use his claws when we play with him. During the bath he just sort of wrapped around my one hand until the bath was over. That's sad that her husband didn't let you guys keep the cat :( I've already shown my boyfriend the kitten on skype and he thinks he's really cute...lol I've already told him that this cat will be living with us for the rest of his life
@echoforever (5180)
• United States
21 Mar 13
If you're going to bathe them perhaps you may want some rubber gloves to protect your hands and arms...
1 person likes this
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
25 Mar 13
I was wondering how your boyfriend was. I hadn't seen you write if him lately. My SIL is very allergic. He also isn't fond of cats. They are my favorite pet.
@911Ricki (13588)
• Canada
21 Mar 13
You should bath a cat unless they are physically dirty or smell real bad. You are doing more damage than good, they naturally clean themselves, and by bathing them you are sending there body into overdrive, and secreting more (so it will just make it worse). My cats whether they were adopted or found outside had that smell, one actually smelt like a barn it was the food he was eating, I changed it, it got out of his system and he was fine. Also, bathing them too often can cause dry skin, and irritation, which can be infected and then end up with large vet bills.
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
21 Mar 13
Yes, I do know they clean themselves and I don't wash him too often. The kitten shampoo I have is a really mild formula shampoo and he's been fine since the bath. I just noticed that when he was wet (before I even added shampoo) he had this weird smell as soon as he was wet. I don't bathe him often, I only want him to get used to having baths so he doesn't freak out over them when he's older. Since the bath his coat has been a lot softer and I haven't noticed any skin irritations.
@echoforever (5180)
• United States
21 Mar 13
Oh, good to know. Maybe that's why they say they hate water so they won't become too irritated and sick from it.
@dainy1313 (2370)
• Leon, Mexico
21 Mar 13
Hello
Courtknee I hope that you are fine. I´ve had many cats. I used to bath my second one twice a year. My daughter baths the cats we save from the street before taking them to the vet.
One day we rescued one very small gray cat, after the bath we discovered the cat was white!
I didn´t notice the strange smell in my favorite kitty. I don´t know about it. Maybe your kitty really needed that bath.
Blessings Courtknee... dainy
Courtknee I hope that you are fine. I´ve had many cats. I used to bath my second one twice a year. My daughter baths the cats we save from the street before taking them to the vet.
One day we rescued one very small gray cat, after the bath we discovered the cat was white!
I didn´t notice the strange smell in my favorite kitty. I don´t know about it. Maybe your kitty really needed that bath.
Blessings Courtknee... dainy @joystick (1675)
•
20 Mar 13
My friend baths her cats and there is one of her cats that just love to get into the shower with her and it is really funny.
The reason she started to bath her cats were they are long haired and it also helped to remove loose fur, you know the fur that the brush miss.
Her male cat loves a shower, but not that keen on a bath in the sink.
@echoforever (5180)
• United States
21 Mar 13
wow good thing your kitten was mostly okay with that or you could have been scratched up badly. Cats really don't like water. I don't know about the bad smell as I have never had or tried to give a cat a bath before...
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
22 Mar 13
He didn't particularly enjoy the bath but he's a sweet little guy and all he did was wrap his paws around my arm as I washed him. When he's wet he smells so bad...even when I spray him with water from a little spray bottle when he gets up on tables he'll have a hint of that weird smell. I'm thinking it's just a "wet cat" smell similar to a "wet dog" smell.
@nitinnair89 (2900)
• India
20 Mar 13
And i thought cats hate water. The bad smell was the reason why cats hate water naturally. Lol.
