Bathtime for Soni

[Sevaede]

Yesterday, Troy decided that Soni needed a good bath. We took and gave him a good scrub. I snapped some pics when Soni would actually cooperate. :p

The colours are a little off in the pictures because I have not gotten the whole thing figured out yet. They are attached.

[Don Juan's mom]

No flak jacket? No elbow-length leather work gloves? Troy is BRAVE. :D

And Soni is a good kitty for submitting to the b*th so graciously. :)

Liz

[DJFyrewolf36]

Soni does not look happy...but at least he *seems* to be cooperating! Or did we just see the good side ;)

[CultureJunky]

Are you washing him with human shampoo?!!
Surely you should be washing with a cat one, as human ones could have things in that could damage the coat? And if it got into his eyes it'd be dangerous.
I looked bathing a cat up on the net and it says you shouldn't normally need to bath a cat?
Here it is.
However I'm not being funny or condemning you Wenis Rubber, just I'd never thought you could bath a cat until I came on Pet Talk!! :D
And there are loads of people who do bath their cats on here.

Bathing
You should not ordinarily need to bath a cat. Cats are normally very good about cleaning themselves, and for most cats, that's all the bathing they will ever need. Reasons for giving them a bath are:
The cat has got something poisonous on its fur,
It doesn't take care of its coat as normal cats do,
You are allergic and need to bathe it to keep allergens down,
The cat is a show cat and about to be shown,
You are giving it a flea, tick, or lice dip,
It is unusually dirty for some reason (perhaps bad weather).
If you just trimmed your cat's claws, now is a good time. Having someone help you hold the cat definitely helps.
If your cat is long haired, groom it *before* bathing it. Water will just tighten any mats already in the coat.

Bathing methods:

Get everything ready. Warm water, selected bathing place (you might consider the kitchen sink as being easier on your back and facilitating control of the cat). Having water already in the tub or sink reduces the potential terror to the cat at the sound and sight of the water coming out of the faucet. Put a towel or rubber mat on the bottom of the tub or sink to give your cat something to sink its claws into. If you have spray attachments, either to the sink or the tub, those will help you soak the cat efficiently. You want to use soap formulated for cat skin, as human-type soaps will remove all the essential oils and leave the cat's skin dried out and susceptible to flea infestations or skin breakouts. There are some soaps formulated for allergic pet owners. Use sparingly and rinse well after working through coat.

The garden sprayer can also be used. Fill an ordinary pressurized garden sprayer (try a hand-pumped type that does *not* hiss) with warm soapy water, put cat and sprayer in empty bathtub, and use the trigger wand to soap the cat with one hand while hanging on to the scruff with the other. Put the sprayer wand down and work the soapy water into the fur, and finally follow with a bucket of water as a rinse. This procedure results in low moans from the cats, but no shrieks.
To dry the cat, towel dry first. You can try hair dryers on low settings depending on your cat's tolerance. Otherwise, keep them inside until they are fully dry. If your cat is longhaired, you will want to groom it as the coat dries. Give the cat a treat after the bath, this may help them tolerate the process.
If the problem is greasy skin, you may wish to try a dry cat shampoo instead.

If you are attempting to remove grease, oil, or other petroleum products from your cat's fur, try using Dawn brand detergent first to remove it, and follow up with a cat shampoo. Dawn is used by volunteers who clean up birds after oil spills. Also reported to be successful is Shout laundry stain remover.

[orangemm]

Awww, kitties who have been bathed look so vulnerable and embarrassed!

What a sweetheart!!

[AbbyMom]

LOL! If I tried that with Becky, I'd have no arms left. Possibly no eyes. :D

[Freedom]

I'm impressed, Soni looks so easy to bathe! I give my cats a bath every other month. Now I am up to 7, it is an adventure. I need the armor to survive! You did great!

Psst, the kitchen sink is MUCH easier on YOUR back, than the bath tub~

[Zippy]

Soni is so well behaved.I give Zippy and Pumpkin a bath once of twice a year.It is a nightmare.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Wow! I think he looks fairly calm and cooperative. I'm very impressed.:) Mine would be little terrors.

[catlady1945]

Kitty doesn't look too pleased!

I gave our cats flea baths once. The most gentle one nearly tore the bathroom apart and he would not go in there for 12 years. The most fiesty one just sat there, not saying a word and let me bathe her.

[Kalei]

I see you use Fructis! I love that stuff, its very good shampoo:) Good choice;) And those pictures were so cute and funny. The kitty was so drenched lol. But I bet Soni is nice and clean now.

[Sevaede]

Hehe! I had no idea cats were so hard to bathe! :D We've always bathed Soni and Isis (since they were five weeks) so mayhaps that has something to do with his complacence. :D Bailey is difficult so I don't try to bathe him. :D

CJ, About your question,

I am not sure. I just try and use methods that have worked for me so far. I don't bathe them that often, I don't think, but they have a tendency to get messy (Soni likes to stand on the edge of the litterbox and flip it over! :eek: ). Plus, it doesn't seem to bother them. I am not super fond of pet shampoos mostly because I can't seem to find any that work well and don't smell odd (just that wretched Hartz orange stuff or whatnot *shakes fist in soapy anger*. Hehe. :D). I do try to make sure that I get gentle stuff but the Fructis is just what I had left over from some free sample dealie.

[Catlady711]

I bathe all my cats at home now (since a good groomer with a reasonable price is no longer available in my area.

They get baths 2-3 times a year, and I also bathe my mom's cat too. I bought all the supplies from a catalog called PET EDGE (http://www.petedge.com/jump.jsp?itemType=GATEWAY&itemID=12) . I only had to bathe 5 cats to pay for itself vs. a groomer, after that basically it's almost free, cept the water and time.

Course you have to remember my cats are trained to a collar and leash (not the kittens yet though), so the suction cup leash thing might not be a good idea for every cat. I had to tie it in a bunch of knots to get it short enough to keep a cat in the tub since it was made for dogs.

The only problem bathing my own cats is Jack refuses to be dried with the dryer, so I have to do Pooky right after him, and when I dry Pooky I can let the air go near Jack and he doesn't seem to mind it, but it does take longer.


Here's the links of the supplies I use:

Pet Dryer (http://www.petedge.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=2827&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=12&iSubCat=112&iSubSubCat=0&iProductID=2827)


Suction Cup Restraint (http://www.petedge.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=4510&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=12&iSubCat=13&iSubSubCat=20&iProductID=4510)


Bio Groom Tearless Whitening Shampoo (http://www.petedge.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=5237&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=12&iSubCat=245&iSubSubCat=0&iProductID=5237)

Pet Sprayer Hose (actually bought mine at Pet Supplies Plus for $12 but it looks just like this one) (http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyid=10359)


Here's Pooky (being held by hubby so I could take the pix) getting a bath. Please forgive the camera fog. lol

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l17/Catlady711/129-2921_IMG.jpg

[critter crazy]

Aww....Soni is a good kitty!! Loki is good too! actually he enjoys baths, since he jumps in the shower with me all the time!:cool: I use human shamppo too! You just have to make sure you rinse it off realy good! :D

[Catlady711]

BTW: human shampoos are Ph balanced for humans not pets, it can dry their skin and hair out, tearless pet shampoos are best.

[smokey the elder]

Soni looks like he's being pretty good, all things considered.

[Sevaede]

BTW: human shampoos are Ph balanced for humans not pets, it can dry their skin and hair out, tearless pet shampoos are best.

Perhaps so, and I understand that, but it's never been or presented an issue or a problem. They all have very silky, shiny, healthy, fur. :)

[KitCat]

The color was good enough to show the bloody scratch on your arm! Hope you all recover well!

[critter crazy]

Perhaps so, and I understand that, but it's never been or presented an issue or a problem. They all have very silky, shiny, healthy, fur. :)
Exactly, dont fix it if it aint broken!:D

[kimlovescats]

That last picture is adorable! ;)