Does Anyone Give Their Cat a Bath?
By lauriefnp
@lauriefnp (5111)
United States
February 1, 2007 3:17pm CST
My cat is an indoor cat, and he keeps himself clean. I have tried to use the waterless cleaner on him to "freshen him up", but he doesn't go for it. I can't imagine being able to give a cat a real bath. Has anyone had to bathe their outdoor cats?
THE FOLLOWING IS A JOKE, OF COURSE!
How to Wash the Cat / Toilet Cleaning Instructions :
1. Put both lids of the toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.
2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid.
4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds.Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "power-wash" and rinse.
6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.
7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.
8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.
9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.
10 people like this
92 responses
@Marie2473 (8512)
• Sweden
1 Feb 07
I had a cat named Tequila - he was the best cat ever. unfortunately I got allergic and had to give him away.. never cried so much in my life.. oh well, back to the subject...
He LOVED to bathe. He actually could lie on my stomach while I was in the bathtub, and he would sometimes go in the by himself, jump in and start screaming for someone to come and open the water... ha ha ha, very weird cat - but he never smelled bad!
4 people like this
@Marie2473 (8512)
• Sweden
4 Feb 07
he he he, yeah he was a great cat and i know for a fact that he got to go to
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
1 Feb 07
Marie, I laughed so hard reading this post. I'm sorry that you had to give Tequilla up, and hopefully he went to a good home where he continue to be spoiled! This is such unusual behavior for a cat! I can just picture mine paddling around in the water trying to get out! Mine doesn't like the bathtub, but he's still weird- he eats canned mushrooms and thinks they're a delicacy!
1 person likes this
@kerjostalit (196)
• United States
1 Feb 07
my cat would never allow us to bathe him. He is an indoor cat though and he himself is very particular and will not allow himself to get dirty. He is always grooming. I just laugh at the picture of trying to put my cat in a bath! He would scratch the heck out of me.
2 people like this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
1 Feb 07
It sounds as if our cats could be related! Mine doesn't even sneak outside often; I think that he would have a meltdown if his paws ever got dirty!
@kerjostalit (196)
• United States
1 Feb 07
yeah, we joke that our cat is very vain. He has to make himself pretty on a daily basis.
1 person likes this
@Trace86 (5030)
• United States
2 Feb 07
I actually used to give my old cat a shower. I'd put on my swimsuit and take him into the bathroom and shut the door. I would make sure the water was already warm. We would sit in the tub and get used to it for a minute. Then I would take a cup and wet him down. Then lather him with baby shampoo. Then it was time to rinse. I'd stand up and he'd put his paws around my neck and hide his face in my hair. We would turn around several times under the spray and rinse off really well.
Then we get out of the shower and I'd wrap him in a mound of towels and dry him off as good as possible.
Next, I would escort him to a pillow next to the space heater where he could lick and detangle and dry off.
He was so soft and smelled so nice.
I don't think I could do this with my new cat though because she has claws.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
2 Feb 07
The pillow by the space heater is a nice touch! Thanks for the great post. The things that we do for our animals...
I wouldn't recommend doing anything to seriously annoy a cat with claws, that's for sure!
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
1 Feb 07
Oh i've done it. Not easy usually and not all that much fun. The best way is if you have two people and a utility sink with a sprayer. One person holds and the other washes. Plan on getting soaked during it and for them to not be too happy with you afterwards.
I saw that joke before and it had a picture with it of a cat who had been given a bath. It was funny to see.
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
2 Feb 07
It is tricky. You basically need to hold them at the back of the neck and keep one hand on the butt to keep them in the tub. Yeah you can get messed up if you aren't careful. Now our one just makes a mess with it but doesn't hurt anyone. He just gets away from my neice when she bathes him, braver girl then me to do it alone, so the bathroom ends up soaked but she gets it done.
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
2 Feb 07
I think I'll just let my cat clean himself. I don't know if I could deal with trying to fight with him.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
1 Feb 07
I wouldn't want to be the one who had to try to hold the cat. They get pretty strong when they're challenged. Not to mention that their teeth are like little needles. I imagine you could get pretty messed up, even if they are de-clawed.
1 person likes this
@LittleMel (8742)
• Canada
1 Feb 07
I hope animal abusers don't read that and get an idea.
My cat is indoor too and we shower together every three months or so. She doesn't stay too long in the shower because she could get cold, so I used to dry her hairs and get her out of the shower so I can continue mine.
We use pet shampoo, but no, there is no easy way of doing it :)
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
1 Feb 07
I would feel so bad if some loser actually tried this! I can't believe that you can get your cat near the shower. Mine is such a sissy. He doesn't go near running water, and he would never willingly go in the shower. If fact if he's in the bathroom when I turn the shower on to heat up the water, he takes off like a lunatic.
@Justareceptionist (870)
• United States
1 Feb 07
At first I was going to comment, "ARE YOU NUTS????" But oh my, how horrible!! Is that really going to make the cat clean?! Funny, though.
2 people like this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
1 Feb 07
This will actually be a good test to see if people actually read the discussions, although that is not how I intended it. I was curious about how to get a cat to cooperate, because they do have minds of their own, as any cat owner can attest to. Then i got the joke in e-mail and figured I would add it on. People who are cat lovers can appreciate the cat humor!
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
6 Feb 07
Yes, I'm really hoping that no one would even consider doing this for real. I wrote that it was a joke, but you know how some people read.
@shelagh77 (3643)
•
2 Feb 07
ha ha, I have seen this one before, and it is usualy signed by the household dog, having revenge on the cat.
Seriously, no, both the cats I owned had an aversion to water and I liked having skin on my hands and arms far to much to attempt to bath them.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
2 Feb 07
I have to laugh at your response! It's not worth fighting with them, is it? You're right, I have seen similar jokes signed by the dog. I forgot about that.
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
4 Feb 07
NO WAY!! Old Yellow showed up on the back doorstep one morning covered in mud from a romp in the pond with another cat he was arguing with I am assuming. But he looked a mess. I brought him in and proceeded to bathe him, thinking I can do this. WRONG. This cat climbed up my wall in my bath/shower with no problem, he has claws that you would not believe. So I showed him the door back outside and told him he'd better pray for rain b/c he wasn't coming back inside until he was clean! I've never tried to bathe him again. And he is really the sweetest most gentlest cat you'd ever meet.... by the way, we had him fixed not too long after that.
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
6 Feb 07
You didn't say- Did it rain? They sure can get vicious when they're not neutered and they still have their claws. To me, those are necessary surgeries for a cat!
@Alphasee (389)
• United States
4 Feb 07
I have. I kinda forced my cat at first, because she was the messiest cat in existence, but once she got over the initial scare of being able to see herself in the water, and would stop freaking out because of the water (realizing she got a nice hot blow drier afterwards), she learned to love the baths. It took a few scratches, and a few bolting across the house completely drenched, but now she couldn't be happier.
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
6 Feb 07
A messy cat is rare, but I know that some just don't do a great job of keeping clean. I'm surprised yours likes the blow-dryer. I know they like the heat, but I would think the noise would scare her.
@1983tyler (507)
• United States
4 Feb 07
I have heard stories of people who can actually give their cats baths, but the cats were kittens when the baths were first started.
I can't even get my cats to sit for a brushing.
My cats are indoor cats and they keep clean all on their own. LOL
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
6 Feb 07
Mine is the same way. He is not going to sit still to be combed unless he wants to- and that isn't too often!
@crickethear (1417)
• United States
6 Feb 07
LOL, that is hysterical. I will have to pass this on to my friends and work. They will love the new way of giving their cat a bath.
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
6 Feb 07
I'm assuming that they will know it's a joke! I would feel so bad if someone actually tried this. It sounds like it would work, in theory, but I don't think that the SPCA would approve of the method.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
6 Feb 07
It's not worth the trauma to the cat and to yourself, is it?
@FFAgirl_16 (98)
• United States
3 Feb 07
I've bathed my indoor/outdoor cat quite a few times. It's all about stealth for me. I take her and I wrap a towel all the way around her so that she can't struggle while I take her to the bathroom. Then, I make sure I already had the water in the tub up about three inches in nice, warm water, so that she doesn't have to hear the running water and get scared. I lay a towel inside the tub so she has something to grip and doesn't scratch up the tub. I put her in gently and she usually cries and tries to get out, but I move nice and slow when she's climbing out and gently lift her up and put her back in the center. I wash very quickly with pet shampoo, so she doesn't have to be in long, and rinse thoroughly with warm water. At this point she's usually really irritated, so as long as there's no soap left on her and it's not too cold, I let her dry herself off. During the winter I walk around with her wrapped in a towel for awhile so she doesn't catch cold.
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
5 Feb 07
My cat used to get a lot of static until I got the new furnace with an automatic humidifier. It's a LOT better now.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
3 Feb 07
I love the part of being in "stealth mode". It's true, you have to be even sneakier than the cat, and that's difficult. I like the idea of the towel on the bottom of the tub. That would keep her from slipping and getting scared. You're a great "mom"!
@FFAgirl_16 (98)
• United States
4 Feb 07
Thanks, I certainly like to think so. Shenzi is the only cat I've ever had that needs baths, and it's really the funniest reason. If she starts to get greasy or dusty, her long coat starts to create a lot of static electricity when you pet her, and you get shocked a lot. When she gets bathed, it fixes that. Poor Shenzi never understands why no one wants to pet her when she's staticky, but no one wants to get shocked so into the tub she goes.
1 person likes this
@gberlin (3836)
•
3 Feb 07
My current cats are indoor cats and they give themselves a bath. I did have an outdoor cat and we never gave her a bath either. She did a good job of cleaning up and we did brush her often. It never seemed necessary to give her a bath and probably would have been next to impossible anyway.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
3 Feb 07
Brushing is important, especially for outdoor cats. It loosens the dirt, etc. in the fur so that they can clean themselves more efficiently.
@beckyomg1 (6756)
• United States
3 Feb 07
I like your way to wash them lol. BUt yes i do give my cats baths, it is too funny cuz one is a persian and he looks so funny wet
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
3 Feb 07
Becky, He has the most beautiful eyes! I can tell that he has quite a personality. He doesn't look like he would enjoy getting a bath, though!
@moretolife83 (7)
• Philippines
3 Feb 07
My cat Zach, which is an indoor cat, isnt any trouble when i'm bathing him. He just stands still, stays silent as i rinse his coat. I help him dry up using a towel and hairdryer set to low...because i dont want him licking his fur for a long time(imagine the furball!)
Its going to be hard for the first time, you're going to ran around the place whenever your at gets off with shampoo. Well, you've got to rinse it off because you dont want to have your cat having upset stomach or get sick because of the shampoo he'll try to clean off later.
ANd please DONT EVER do the power rinse you wrote above.
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
5 Feb 07
Don't worry- the power wash is out of the question!
Rinsing is the big concern, because cats would lick and lick until the soap was gone. I imagine that ingesting the soap would make them sick, even if it was a mild soap.
@Myrilia (209)
• United States
3 Feb 07
I can give my one cat, who is indoor/outdoor a bath. But he's a pretty mellow cat to start with. He doesn't do anything, just meows and tries to get out of the tub if I let him too close to the edge. I don't bathe him very often, just if he gets into something stinky outside. I think that cats can get used to baths, if you start when they are kittens. Otherwise, watch out! I would never try to give my female cat a bath, for fear of being sliced and diced...she's fiesty.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
5 Feb 07
My cat is normally mellow, but I just know that he would go maniac on me if I tried to bathe him. I'll try the baby wipes that somebody suggested. He needs to compromise with me here!
@faerieingrey (323)
• United States
2 Feb 07
That's a funny joke! Haha. I have never had to wash my cat completely, thankfully, only her paws once when she walked across a freshly mopped floor and I just wanted to make sure that she wouldn't lick the chemicals.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
3 Feb 07
Mine got up on a freshly painted windowsill once, and I spent forever trying to peel the dried latex paint from his paws.
@thyst07 (2079)
• United States
4 Feb 07
I've always enjoyed that joke. Never tried that method myself, but one time my best friend and I bathed her cat by placing it in her glass shower stall, shutting the door, and turning on the water. Poor kitty had nowhere to go but in the water. She wasn't happy when she came out, but she didn't smell as bad.
My cats take pretty good care of themselves. Though occasionally, I find it effective when they're in heat and driving me insane to hose them down with the sprayer on the kitchen sink. They quit yowling long enough to dry themselves off.
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
6 Feb 07
I use the sprayer from the kitchen sink to spray him when I catch him up on the counter, where he isn't supposed to be. That should count as a bath, right?
