By Dr. Becker
Today, I’m filming a video at Natural Pet (my animal hospital) on the topic of bathing cats.
Now, I’m sure some of you are watching this video strictly for its entertainment value! After all, most kitties don’t enjoy baths and the whole ordeal can be hugely stressful for everyone involved.
But there are some cats – some Maine Coons, for example – that don’t mind the water. But even kitties who don’t mind water don’t necessarily like baths. This is similar to dogs that love to swim but don’t like bath time.
Anyway, I’m doing this video by popular demand. I get a lot of requests from my clients and Mercola Healthy Pets readers to demonstrate the best way to bathe a cat.
Introducing Enzo the Cat, aka ‘Squishy’
It’s important to take a few precautions before trying to bathe your cat. Keep in mind that when a kitty gets angry or stressed -- no matter how docile or sweet she may be normally – bad things can happen. So I recommend you ask someone to help you with this project. I’ve asked Ashley, the best vet tech in the world, to be my assistant.
Today, we’re going to bathe one of our rescues. His name is Enzo, but we often call him Squishy because, well, he’s squishy! He came to us through our trap-neuter-release program. You'll see he has a notched ear – that’s how we mark feral cats at the same time we neuter them, so we know when we see them out and about that they’re feral and have already been neutered. If a cat with a notched ear winds up in one of our traps, we just release him.
Enzo arrived around Halloween last year. The women who trapped him realized he was quite young – only about six months old at the time. Since the area he was found in has a coyote population, the women were nervous he would become coyote prey. Since he was not fully feral, we opted to keep him here for several months to try to domesticate him, and he domesticated beautifully.
Enzo was at the clinic for several months. Then on New Year’s Eve, my husband decided no kitty should spend the holiday alone. So he came into the clinic, collected Enzo, and he’s been at my house ever since. (We call these scenarios “foster failures!”)
Why Certain Cats Need Regular Baths
I’ve never tried to bathe Enzo, so this will be a great demo for those of you who'll be attempting to bathe your own cat for the very first time.
In case you’re wondering why some cats occasionally need baths, one reason is that many kitties don’t have the best hygiene despite their natural tendency to groom themselves. These kitties can wind up with greasy or sticky coats as a result. And cats with weight problems can only groom areas they can reach. If you’ve ever watched an obese cat trying to groom himself, you know the challenge it presents. The back half of the coat of overweight cats often becomes matted. The skin tends to flake and get infected.
So kitties that don’t or can’t groom themselves efficiently need regular baths.
Preparing for the Bath
Since this task will be stressful for both you and your kitty, I recommend getting everything set up beforehand – before you actually put your cat in the tub.
I’m going to get the bath ready first, including regulating the water temperature. The goal is to get Enzo into the tub, get him bathed, and get him back out as soon as possible to decrease his stress level.
I’m also going to use a flower essence blend from Spirit Essences called Scaredy Cat. If you’re concerned about what your kitty’s reaction will be to bath time, I recommend using a flower essence blend. There are several different types and blends. You can also use Rescue Remedy. What these products do is help reduce your cat’s anxiety.
None of my kitties are declawed, so something else I’m going to do to prepare for bath time is give Enzo a nail trim. The goal is to keep the stress level as low as possible, but in the event he flips out on us, the nail trim will reduce the amount of damage he’s able to inflict. My assistant Ashley will hold and cuddle Enzo while I quickly give him a pedicure.
Then I apply a little Scaredy Cat. I use flower essences very liberally. I pet the cat with some on my hand. I also apply a little to my fingers and rub it on the inside of the tips of his ears. You can also give flower essences orally, but I prefer to give them topically since they are alcohol tinctures.
Enzo is now purring, so the Scaredy Cat is doing its thing.
Now, I’m in the bathing area of my clinic where I have a wonderful raised tub that makes bathing animals easy on the back. You can consider bathing your cat in your kitchen sink, which will be better ergonomically than bending over a regular bathtub.
I recommend you put something down on the floor of the sink or tub to provide a non-skid surface for your cat. I use a wet towel. The water should be lukewarm – not shockingly cold or too hot. And you should have a dry towel within arm’s reach when you take your cat out of the bath.
