Do cats need a bath?

[snowy]

This is really embarrassing, its already 10.5mths and I have never bathed ET. Sometime ago, I googled, some say not necessary as cats keep themselves clean by grooming themselves, while most say it is necessary. I know 2 friends who will bathe their cats every 2 to 3mths. So, do you bathe your cats at all? Is it ok if I don't bathe ET at all, not even once? I will wipe him down with cat wet wipe once every 2mths or so and he resisted. I do comb him daily though and ran a sticky roller over him after that to pick up whatever leftover hair possible.

[Cheap Sushi]

I provide a bath every 6 months. I brush them well. Then plop them in a slightly warm tub. I get them wet and brush them a bit more then I shampoo them gently. I pour the tub water over them to wash the soap off. THEN I have a good towel ready. I pick them up and plop them in a towel and wrap em like a burrito. (with head sticking out of course) I carry them over to my couch and smooch em for 10 minutes. After that I let them go, making sure its not cold in that room.

[Carmel]

Most people do not bath their cats at all unless it's necessary, it's too stressful for them, and us!

I've bathed Blaze once in 17 years... he took it pretty well, but no need to to it again unless he needs one.

[Penguin_Dreams]

I've given my cats a bath twice ever and it was only because of fleas once and the other time when they crawled into a chimney and got soot all over themselves.

Other than that, they keep themselves clean. A healthy cat with an active digestive tract shouldn't have much of a problem with ingesting their hair and moving it out the other end. That doesn't do much for preventing from it getting all over furniture and clothes though.

Does using a sticky roller help with that? I have to admit, I'd never even thought of using one of those things right at the source of all the hair. I always use it to go over my clothes and their favorite pieces of furniture.

[drag0nfly]

It's probably okay, I mean cats in the wild never got regular baths. But I come from a super clean household and in my culture pets are seen as "dirty" if they don't get regular bats, so I wash Truffles every 2-3 weeks. It's def a hassle though, from the actual washing bit to the drying afterwards. Truff is longhaired, so it takes FOREVER for his fur to dry with the blowdryer!

[spirite]

I gave my first cat two baths in the 2 years I had her, and that was because she was an indoor/outdoor cat. I've had my current two for nearly 11 years, neither has ever had a bath, and I've never felt that they needed one. And it is a serious hassle. Especially when you don't think to close the bathroom door. Duh.

I've never thought about using a lint roller on my kitties. Does ET object to it? I've found that using a slightly damp hand to pet them after they're brushed can get all the loose remaining fur off. It also prevents the fur from wafting in the air. I do that, or use a damp paper towel, to get cat hair off the couch, the carpeting on cat furniture, jeans, the comforter cover...It's a lot more effective than a lint roller when there's a lot of hair.

[CatMonkeys]

Growing up, I had a cat who loved to roll in the dirt outside and my mom would wipe her down with a damp face cloth when she came in to get the bulk of the dirt off, but never gave her a proper bath. (She cleaned herself pretty well, but would leave a trail of dirt/mud if she didn't get wiped down before letting her groom.)

We had another cat who once jumped in the toilet before it was flushed, and much to his dismay, he went right from the wet toilet to the wet, soapy sink for a bath

Otherwise, I have never had a cat who needed a bath, they all have done a good job grooming themselves. I've seen on several threads here that bathing a cat can lead to dry skin issues and risk of owner getting mauled by an unhappy cat.

[Zilla]

I used to have a cat who didnt mind baths. Meaning not that he really liked them a whole lot but he didnt put up a fight at all. He even would let me blow dry his fur and he was always very fluffy and soft afterwards haha I wouldnt do it very often. Only when I thought he smelled funky or if he ran outside and rolled in the dirt which he liked to do a lot. I guess whether or not you want to bathe you cat is your personal preference. I dont really think it does any harm unless you do it way to often and give your cat dry skin. Or if he gets REALLY stressed about the whole ordeal and tries to climb up your face in the process I wouldnt do it. haha <<<<Godzilla tried to climb my face once because he thinks the sound of clippers is the world ending so Ive never tried since. Yet hes a cat who will walk up to a dog 4 times his size and not flinch for a second and say hi. But clippers by god are out of the question. He is such a weird cat...

[CJinCA]

I've only ever done flea baths when necessary in the past. My current two haven't had a bath since i got them. I have brushed them and wiped them down with 'cat wipes', you could also use unscented baby wipes, and is far less stressful for them than a bath. They were so soft after the wipes! For most cats, its not necessary to bath unless they get into something. I've heard that Sphinx cats do need regular baths though, something about the skin and oil...

[snowy]

I'm sure glad to hear most of you don't bathe cats unless necessary, whew! what a relief! I thought its bad if I don't, lol...

Originally Posted by spirite

I've never thought about using a lint roller on my kitties. Does ET object to it? I've found that using a slightly damp hand to pet them after they're brushed can get all the loose remaining fur off. It also prevents the fur from wafting in the air. I do that, or use a damp paper towel, to get cat hair off the couch, the carpeting on cat furniture, jeans, the comforter cover...It's a lot more effective than a lint roller when there's a lot of hair.

Oh, I can still get alot of fur out with the lint roller (2 rounds of what's shown on pict), I learnt that from googling. Additionally I thought it would help with reducing dander too. I can't use anything wet/damp on ET, he hates it, he tolerate lint roller better. As for furniture, ET's bedding, I use lint roller too, easier to handle, maybe cos I have only 1 cat.



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