How to Bathe a Cat

Cats rarely need a bath as they regularly use their tongue to clean themselves. Nonetheless, in certain circumstances, they may require your assistance. Before you begin, however, consider that nearly every cat despises being wet and think about alternatives that might work such as brushing or even using a cloth to clean your cat. In the best of circumstances it is a difficult undertaking to bathe a cat.

First off, make sure you're fully prepared yourself. Be aware of what you're wearing and the immediate environment. Wear clothing and gloves to minimize exposed skin which is more than likely to be scratched as your cat attempts to escape from the bath. You may want to invite a few brave friends to help contain your cat. When you prepare to bathe a cat, the more hands to hold kitty in place, the better.

If you can, hold your cat's jaws together, but make sure you're not interfering with breathing as you do. Also, trim your cat's nails before you attempt to bathe your cat to further reduce the risk of scratching. Put something on the bottom of your tub such as a rubber mat to prevent slipping. You want to get in, get started, and get done as quickly as possible.

Fill the tub or sink with three to five inches of warm water. Do this before you bring your pet into the room because some cats become distressed by running water and it's difficult enough to bathe a cat in the best of circumstances. It's also a good idea to have a little bit of water, perhaps a bucket or two, available for the bath so you won't have to run the water at all in the cat's presence.

If your cat has gotten into motor oil or another greasy substance rub some olive oil or another vegetable oil on it to pretreat the "stain." Do not use regular shampoo for your cat. Although it may make your hair shine luxuriously, it could be toxic for kitty! Use shampoo obtained from a veterinarian or flea shampoo from a store, or (if absolutely necessary) baby shampoo. You are now prepared for the actual event-it's time to bathe that cat!

Begin washing your cat with a small amount of shampoo, holding onto the cat's neck all the while. Move slowly downward from the neck with a washcloth and speak gently and soothingly as you do. Remember to move quickly but gently. Your cat is not enjoying this! After shampooing, drain the water and use the water from the bucket or buckets to get every bit of soap off of the coat. Afterward, let water drip from the cat and blot it out with a towel. Congratulations. You made it through the process necessary to bathe a cat!

After you bathe your cat, wrap it in a towel. It's especially comforting to the cat if you let the towel warm up in the dryer beforehand. You should let your cat finish drying itself by placing it on a warm towel away from a draft and near a heater or another source of heat. Be sure to comfort and reward your cat with a treat or catnip.