There are dozens of videos and stories online featuring cats having a bath. Have you ever bathed a cat? It used to be common to plunk a cat into warm water with gentle cat-friendly shampoo in order to free the cat of fleas—at least here in California. When I bought my silver-shaded Persian, she came with this instruction: “Bathe her once a week.” Say what??? I didn’t understand why—still don’t. But I did give her one bath. Neither of us were happy campers. Never did it again. Never saw a need to do it again. She was purrfectly capable of licking herself clean.
Now if a cat goes under a car and gets greasy, yeah, you might want to dunk her in a tub of water and scrub her clean. If she finds herself in a toxic substance, yes, take it upon yourself to wash her. And if fleas are a problem, she might need a flea dip. But many cats are kept inside now and don’t get greasy. And fleas can be dealt with in a much better way.
What about litter box problems? A long-haired cat with irritable bowel syndrome or who has eaten something she shouldn’t, can come out of the litter box with messy pantaloons. I’ve had to plop a kitty bottom into the bathroom sink a time or two. Sorry Katy, Daisy, Max.
In case you find this necessary, I suggest placing a towel in the bottom of the sink before adding the cat to the water. It seems to give the cats a little security—they don’t slip and slide around so badly. My other tip would be, make it quick. Don’t dilly dally. In and out.
If you enjoy seeing cats struggle or seeing them get the best of a situation, Google cats taking a bath or cats in the bathtub and get a couple of chuckles. Otherwise, just be glad that your cat has a rough tongue and the desire to keep herself clean and that you don’t have to try giving her a bath.
