Update 1:
she is black and is also terrified of spray and stuff like that
Update 2:
no
powders or waterless shampoos will work, ive tried them before, i think
she might have got it outside (shes an outdoor cat) its been raining
alot lately so she always come in smellong like damp.
Update 3:
she is nutered but what does that have to do with bathing her?
Update 4:
my
cat is very well looked after, kept in at night but has freedom to go
out during the day she is fed well on food she has had all her
injections and is nutered...
Answer
Orfan:
just because 'people say' something doesn't make it true. i have both
long and short hairs and have read varying statements on the necessity
of bathing them. in my experience, they do need baths, and they're
indoor only, so i can only imagine an indoor/outdoor longhair would need
at least a yearly bath if not every six months. but her bathing
schedule should be determined by you, in consultation with your vet or
groomer if necessary.
the first step in bathing her is to make sure she is completely brushed out. no knots, no extra dead fur. if she isn't, you won't get her completely clean and she'll mat afterward.
next, select your location. a glass-enclosed shower with a removable showerhead is best. if you have only one of those things that's ok, but try for the glass enclosure rather than the removable showerhead. eriously, don't even try the sink unless you have no other option and it's really deep.
next, gather your supplies: cat shampoo, cat conditioner (highly recommended for long-haired cats), a stack of towels, a drain trap, and shorts or swimsuit for you. if you do not have a removable showerhead you'll need a pitcher for the water. place all except the towlels in the shower, and the swimsuit or shorts on yourself.
then, collect the completely brushed out cat and place him in the shower. if she wears a collar, and i sincerely hope she does being an indoor/outdoor cat, remove it. get in the shower yourself and shut the doors. if you don't have doors, a weighted shower curtain tucked inside the shower may be the next best thing. remove the showerhead from the wall or if it's attached, switch the water to come out of the bath spigot, if you have one. if you have neither of these, you may need to go somewhere else, or at least direct the water away from your cat.
wet your cat with the removable showerhead on a gentle spray or a bucket. make sure the water is lukewarm but not too hot. if you tie your hair back, stand up, and hold her with one arm while wetting her with the other she'll have less to grab onto. do not spray water in her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or anus.
the first step in bathing her is to make sure she is completely brushed out. no knots, no extra dead fur. if she isn't, you won't get her completely clean and she'll mat afterward.
next, select your location. a glass-enclosed shower with a removable showerhead is best. if you have only one of those things that's ok, but try for the glass enclosure rather than the removable showerhead. eriously, don't even try the sink unless you have no other option and it's really deep.
next, gather your supplies: cat shampoo, cat conditioner (highly recommended for long-haired cats), a stack of towels, a drain trap, and shorts or swimsuit for you. if you do not have a removable showerhead you'll need a pitcher for the water. place all except the towlels in the shower, and the swimsuit or shorts on yourself.
then, collect the completely brushed out cat and place him in the shower. if she wears a collar, and i sincerely hope she does being an indoor/outdoor cat, remove it. get in the shower yourself and shut the doors. if you don't have doors, a weighted shower curtain tucked inside the shower may be the next best thing. remove the showerhead from the wall or if it's attached, switch the water to come out of the bath spigot, if you have one. if you have neither of these, you may need to go somewhere else, or at least direct the water away from your cat.
wet your cat with the removable showerhead on a gentle spray or a bucket. make sure the water is lukewarm but not too hot. if you tie your hair back, stand up, and hold her with one arm while wetting her with the other she'll have less to grab onto. do not spray water in her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or anus.
If you get water in her face she could get
an ear infection, irritated eyes from the chlorine, or panic from the
water in the nose and mouth. you can wet the top of the head carefully
with your showerhead or bucket, and if you want to wash her face, wet a
washcloth and wipe her face. to clean her behind, spray or pour water
above the area and make sure it runs down. be sure to wet her underside,
tail, and the equivalent of her 'armpits' - where her front and back
legs meet her body.
next, shampoo her. she'll probably be mewing pathetically if she's like my cats, and trying to get out. the glass shower door won't let her - genius. apply cat shampoo to all the areas you wet. work it in, and be sure to get her 'armpits' and all around her feet. lather it like shampoo on your own head. rinse the same way you wet her down, and be sure to get all the shampoo off. it's better to over rinse her than underrinse, as leftover shampoo can cause skin irritations. if you use a bucket, this process may take a while to fill and rinse and fill and rinse, but it's necessary.
next, apply conditioner the same way you did shampoo. you don't need to be as concerned with her paws, but apply it all over her fluff - sides, back, stomach, tail, legs. rinse her again. some products say you can leave them in but they can make your cat greasy, so rinse at least most of a leave-in product out.
next, grab a towel without letting her get out - possibly throw it over a door or towel bar first. wrap her in it and rub gently. she probably won't tolerate much of this, and that's ok. i always place this towel on top of a stack of towels in an enclosed area so that she sits atop the 'cat towel' to dry off and doesn't get fur all over the others. there may be some fur on the lower towels, but not as much. most cats will flip out if you try to blow them dry, so unless it's bitterly cold in your house you're best letting her dry on her own. your cat will sit on her stack of towels and pout while licking herself dry. run a wide toothed comb through her fur after you dry her, again when she's damp, and again when she's dry. it might be good to clean her ears with cotton balls after her bath to ensure they're dry (and clean). gently rub the inside of her ear with a cotton ball as far as you can reach with almost no pressure - too hard and you might hurt her. use a new cotton ball for the new ear.
i keep my cats closed in my bathroom (but not in the shower) until they're completly dry. make sure she has food, water, and a litterbox in there. you may have to clean some litter out of her paws with a damp cloth when she's dry. do not put her collar on until she's dry. do not let her outside until she's completetly dry either.
if this sounds too complicated, take her to a groomer. many places offer cat grooming and it's up to you if their price is less t
next, shampoo her. she'll probably be mewing pathetically if she's like my cats, and trying to get out. the glass shower door won't let her - genius. apply cat shampoo to all the areas you wet. work it in, and be sure to get her 'armpits' and all around her feet. lather it like shampoo on your own head. rinse the same way you wet her down, and be sure to get all the shampoo off. it's better to over rinse her than underrinse, as leftover shampoo can cause skin irritations. if you use a bucket, this process may take a while to fill and rinse and fill and rinse, but it's necessary.
next, apply conditioner the same way you did shampoo. you don't need to be as concerned with her paws, but apply it all over her fluff - sides, back, stomach, tail, legs. rinse her again. some products say you can leave them in but they can make your cat greasy, so rinse at least most of a leave-in product out.
next, grab a towel without letting her get out - possibly throw it over a door or towel bar first. wrap her in it and rub gently. she probably won't tolerate much of this, and that's ok. i always place this towel on top of a stack of towels in an enclosed area so that she sits atop the 'cat towel' to dry off and doesn't get fur all over the others. there may be some fur on the lower towels, but not as much. most cats will flip out if you try to blow them dry, so unless it's bitterly cold in your house you're best letting her dry on her own. your cat will sit on her stack of towels and pout while licking herself dry. run a wide toothed comb through her fur after you dry her, again when she's damp, and again when she's dry. it might be good to clean her ears with cotton balls after her bath to ensure they're dry (and clean). gently rub the inside of her ear with a cotton ball as far as you can reach with almost no pressure - too hard and you might hurt her. use a new cotton ball for the new ear.
i keep my cats closed in my bathroom (but not in the shower) until they're completly dry. make sure she has food, water, and a litterbox in there. you may have to clean some litter out of her paws with a damp cloth when she's dry. do not put her collar on until she's dry. do not let her outside until she's completetly dry either.
if this sounds too complicated, take her to a groomer. many places offer cat grooming and it's up to you if their price is less t
Enry:
The
best place for your cat's bath is a laundry tub or sink. Fill this half
way with warm water. Gently lower your cat into the water by holding
his two front feet in one hand and supporting his body with the other.
Try to avoid over splashing the water as the noise tends to frighten
cats. Get the coat, minus the face, thoroughly wet then apply the
shampoo and work it into a lather. Rinse well using a sink hose or by
pouring water from a cup over his coat several times.
Now its time for
the conditioner, which should be diluted first with warm waterNow its
time for the conditioner, which should be diluted first with warm water.
Work this into the coat and then rinse again. Once the coat rinses
clean, squeeze out excess water then blot dry with a towel. It's best
not to rub as this can cause tangles but to blot using multiple towels
if necessary.
With a hair dryer set on medium heat, dry your cat's coat, holding the hair dryer about a foot away and keeping it constantly moving. Make sure not to blow air into your cat's ears or on his face. You can use a wide-toothed comb as you dry. The coat can take up to 24 hours to completely dry, so be sure to keep your cat warm and out of drafts in the meantime.
Hope It Works X
With a hair dryer set on medium heat, dry your cat's coat, holding the hair dryer about a foot away and keeping it constantly moving. Make sure not to blow air into your cat's ears or on his face. You can use a wide-toothed comb as you dry. The coat can take up to 24 hours to completely dry, so be sure to keep your cat warm and out of drafts in the meantime.
Hope It Works X
Jide:
Give
her a really good brushing, then fill your tub with water that's body
temperature. I hope you have a hand shower - otherwise, this will be
really hard!
Get a friend with gloves (!!!!!) to hold kitty and then you wash her.
Get a friend with gloves (!!!!!) to hold kitty and then you wash her.
You NEVER try and wash a cat alone - unless that cat doesn't midn a bath.Make sure to get a cat shampoo and ignore the cries. I have two white cats who tend to turn quite gray during winter thanks to my woodburning stove. No tongue cleaning in the world can fix that!
So I usually give them a bath once a season. My boyfriend holds them one at a time and I try my dearest to wash them quickly and thoroughly.
If your handshower has a soft setting, use that - the hissing noise of the water tends to frighten kitty more than necessary.
Have your friend hold on to your cat while you dry her off and then give her a minute to gather herself. Once she stops freaking out, you can try and console her with some kitty treats.
Mine usually forgive me after an hour or so ;)
Jude:
Here is how I do it.
I have two basins filled with water warmer than my skin.
have lots of towels (3 or 4) on hand
and shampoo (baby)
and watered down conditioner.
A plastic cup of some kind.
I take the cat holing the front legs in my left hand... then dip the cat into the water ... shampoo... rub...rinse then put into the(while still holding the legs) 2nd bath water (while I drain the 1st and refill it) and using the plastic cup rinse well. then put on the watered down conditioner on and rinse.
I then place in the 3ed rinse water and make sure to get everything out.
drain the tub... and squeegee out as much of the water as I can. then place on towels and dry until the towel is wet. then put on the 2nd one etc. until you can get them as dry as possible.
Then allow them to be free in a bathroom or other small room so they can lick their fur. (you can brush at this time but I don't' use a hair dryer)
good luck
by holding the legs you have better control of them but it's a messy thing to do!
I have two basins filled with water warmer than my skin.
have lots of towels (3 or 4) on hand
and shampoo (baby)
and watered down conditioner.
A plastic cup of some kind.
I take the cat holing the front legs in my left hand... then dip the cat into the water ... shampoo... rub...rinse then put into the(while still holding the legs) 2nd bath water (while I drain the 1st and refill it) and using the plastic cup rinse well. then put on the watered down conditioner on and rinse.
I then place in the 3ed rinse water and make sure to get everything out.
drain the tub... and squeegee out as much of the water as I can. then place on towels and dry until the towel is wet. then put on the 2nd one etc. until you can get them as dry as possible.
Then allow them to be free in a bathroom or other small room so they can lick their fur. (you can brush at this time but I don't' use a hair dryer)
good luck
by holding the legs you have better control of them but it's a messy thing to do!
Monte:
Tub
is worst place to give a bath --- hard to control cat & dangerous
if you get in with them. The way the water comes out is 100 times
scarier & noisier than in kitchen sink.
Clear kitchen sink area. Have a pile of towels ready to go.
Kitchen sink, with 2-3 inches slightly warm water. Have a plastic cup on hand to poor water over her. Use mild, pet shampoo from pet store, unscented. Have a folded hand towel on side of sink, which she will pull into water and clamp on to, rather than you or faucet.
Start letting the soapy water drain and:
Rinse her off with slow streaming warm water from faucet and pouring water from plastic cup.
Very important NOT to get water in her ears/eyes. Wash under chin, and chest. Try to stay away from eyes & ears.
Let her stand on a folded towel & pet her dry. Get her to a heated room, or sunny room quickly & continue to pet her dry. At some point you will want to gently start running a comb through her fur as you continue to towel her dry.
During the washing process you might want to have an assistant who does the water/shampoo/rinse. Or who helps firmly hold her by the neck. You have to be as calm as you can, with a very firm grip. You want to do it all as quickly as you can.
Be sure she is completely dry.
Good luck.
PS Indoor cats live longer healthier lives. And they can get used to being indoors, if you play with them a lot and make sure they have cat trees, scratching post, clean litter boxes.
Clear kitchen sink area. Have a pile of towels ready to go.
Kitchen sink, with 2-3 inches slightly warm water. Have a plastic cup on hand to poor water over her. Use mild, pet shampoo from pet store, unscented. Have a folded hand towel on side of sink, which she will pull into water and clamp on to, rather than you or faucet.
Start letting the soapy water drain and:
Rinse her off with slow streaming warm water from faucet and pouring water from plastic cup.
Very important NOT to get water in her ears/eyes. Wash under chin, and chest. Try to stay away from eyes & ears.
Let her stand on a folded towel & pet her dry. Get her to a heated room, or sunny room quickly & continue to pet her dry. At some point you will want to gently start running a comb through her fur as you continue to towel her dry.
During the washing process you might want to have an assistant who does the water/shampoo/rinse. Or who helps firmly hold her by the neck. You have to be as calm as you can, with a very firm grip. You want to do it all as quickly as you can.
Be sure she is completely dry.
Good luck.
PS Indoor cats live longer healthier lives. And they can get used to being indoors, if you play with them a lot and make sure they have cat trees, scratching post, clean litter boxes.
