HELP!!!! I THINK MY CAT NEEDS A BATH
Posted by organicallygrown on Jul 21, 2007 · Member since Nov 2006 · 85 posts
I'm trying to give my cat a bath and she totally refuses. She has a lot of dandruff and sheds a lot. I don't remember the last time she had a bath and I think it is about due. Do you guys have any suggestions??? By the way, we brush her twice a day, so I don't understand it. That's why I'm thinking she probably just needs a good bath and that would take care of the problem. ???
Uh, good luck? :)
My mom's cat sometimes has a dandruff problem, and a bath always helps her. Maggi is kind of lazy, though, so she's easy to bathe. She just sits down and howls.
Do you have a shower with glass doors? Then you can just climb in, close the doors, and keep the mess enclosed.
no shower door. i was thinking about petco or petsmart. i wonder if those guys would do me the favor...??? LOL
no shower door. i was thinking about petco or petsmart. i wonder if those guys would do me the favor...??? LOL
Yeah, I was going to recommend going to a groomer, preferably one that specializes in cats since they are much more difficult to groom than dogs.
If you don't want to do the groomer route, could you try a washcloth method? I did this with Joe when we first found him because he was filthy and refused to get in the tub, even before there was water in it. I just used a wet washcloth, a bit of shampoo, and gave him a rub down.
Is the dandruff excessive and smells funny? Does this happen every year, or is it a new occurrence? Is she scratching a lot? It could be a sign of allergies (specifically the food you're feeding your cat). You might consider taking her to the vet. And if it is an allergy to her food, don't let them push that Science Diet crap on you: http://www.californianaturalpet.com/
If there isn't any thing wrong, you might want to invest in a shedding blade and some Pet Wipes. You should be able to get both items at a local pet store (or your friendly neighborhood Big Box store - they have everything). If your cat is like mine, she will run from the Pet Wipes, but it is a lot easier than trying to give her a bath.
I have always bathed my cats in our bathtub twice a year, at shedding time. Put a towel on the bottom of the bath, use body-temp water. Run water into the tub so it's about kneedeep to a cat. Climb in with your cat, either in your BD suit or a swimsuit. Use a plastic cup or similar as a rinsing aid as they don't like the showerhead thing.
Of course my bathroom is tiny so there's really nowhere to go. And I did tend to choose sweet-natured cats. But if you don't act all nervous and stressed they may just submit; yowl, but submit. Mine always did and I have no scars.
When I was about 13 or 14 the cat we had tipped over an oil pan on itself when he ran out in the garage. The vet advised us to bring him in so that we could get him a shot to knock him out because it would be easier to bathe since it was going to take a long time to get all the oil off. I will never do that again. I felt so horrible because he's laying there all limp with his tongue hanging out that I cried the entire time I was washing him. :'(
Another cat I had in my 20's just loved getting a bath. I raised her since birth and she got them pretty regularly. She also liked to play with the water when I was in there.
I guess it all depend on the cat. My Tigger likes to take shower and likes the water hot. Of course the shower water is not very strong. I wash her during summer time every two weeks to get the loose hair off. I use a rubber cat comb to massage her when shower her. I can wash half of the cat off. That much of hair.