Is bathing a cat good?

If you are a cat lover or you have a kitten at home, surely you have ever wondered if bathing a cat is good or bad and if it is really necessary to do it. Well, in this article we will answer all these questions and we will even give you some advice so that you know exactly what you have to do in case you have to give your pet a bath.

The belief that cats do not like water and that they spend the day cleaning themselves and therefore do not need to bathe them is not really true, and if you keep reading then we will discover why. The truth is that everything depends on several factors, as if you have used it since childhood, if you have had a negative experience with water, or if you really need to clean it for a specific reason, among others. So take a look at this article and see if bathing a cat is good or not.

Is it necessary to bathe a cat?

The answer to this question depends on each animal, and is that veterinarians say that it really is not necessary to bathe a cat if it is healthy and looks good, at least, not on a regular basis but only when strictly necessary, and that if we bathe our feline frequently, it is possible that it loses the essential oils that its fur contains and above, we provoke a traumatic experience. So bathing a cat is not necessary at all, but it’s good if you need it. In addition, felines are one of the most hygienic animals that exist, since they spend most of their time bathing their tongue all over their bodies, so if your cat has short hair and is indoors, with a good Regular brushing will almost always be enough.

Everyone knows the typical phrase that cats hate water but this statement is uncertain, since everything is a matter of getting used to them. As with other animals, you can educate a cat from a young age and get used to bathing and having contact with water, but the ideal would be to start bathing it from the 2 or 3 months old, which is when he has been given the relevant vaccines and is in full stage of socialization, so that he does not get sick and learn that water is not “bad”. If you have to get used to bathing an adult cat it will be much more complicated.

Also, there are also some breeds of kittens that like water like the Bengali cat that have no problem playing with water and are excellent swimmers. But obviously, of these races there are only a few exceptions. However, it is possible to accustom a cat to bathe it at home without running away and without having a negative experience.

When to bathe a cat?

Whether or not you are used to bathing, there are some extraordinary situations in which it may be necessary to bathe a cat:

• If you have taken in a stray cat or adult puppy and it is dirty.
• If your cat has an allergy or has a skin infection.
• If your cat has suffered a heat stroke or simply very hot in the environment.
• If your pussycat has long or semi-long hair, and you can not untangle it with a brush or have oily skin.
• If your cat has fleas and you have to remove them with a special shampoo.
• If your cat has ringworm that affects the hair, the skin and the nails.
• If your cat has been dirty with a product, especially if it is chemical or toxic, it can not be removed and / or with the help of wet wipes.
• If your pussycat has stopped grooming for some reason.

Only in these cases will it really be necessary to bathe a cat, but it will suffice with the same daily hygiene, brushed more or less regular depending on the type of coat you have and also, you can use wet wipes soaked in dry shampoos specific to respect the ph of the skin of cats to remove certain dirt remains without getting a bath.

Tips to bathe a cat properly

Before bathing a cat it is important that we take into account a series of guidelines that it is better to follow to make the experience as pleasant as possible.

The first bathroom of cats is always the worst because everything is unknown to them and they do not know what awaits them at that moment, so it is very important that we let’s be calm, be patient, and do not make sudden noises or raise your voice when speaking so as not to alter or make our pussycat even more nervous. You must caress him and treat him with a lot of affection at that moment.

Also, if possible, ask someone familiar to your cat to help you bathe and hold it if necessary. Also try to fill the tub or the container that you are going to use with warm water and before you target your cat, as the sound of water spouting from the tap can make your pussycat even more nervous and make him more aggressive. Also, you can also place a towel to nail the nails in the bottom of the bathtub if you want.

Use a specific shampoo for cats to avoid damaging the skin and coat of your pet and bathe gently trying do not touch the whole area of ​​the head not even getting close to him so he does not scratch your face if he tightens. Once you have soaped and rinsed well, remove your wet cat and dry it with a towel as best you can to remove the maximum moisture. If you think that your cat is going to tolerate the noise of the dryer well, then put it at a temperature and a medium power and start to dry your hair from a prudent distance.

The earlier you do it and the more times you give a bath to your cat, the more likely it is that you will end up liking the experience and the easier it will be for everyone, so do not be afraid and stop asking if bathing a cat is good or bad because everything depends on many factors.

If you want to read more articles similar to Is bathing a cat good?, we recommend that you enter in our Basic Care section.