How to bathe a cat

By Anjie Coates, AnimalForum.com staff

The best time to start bathing your cats is when they are young. It's much more difficult to teach an older kitty that water will not make them disintegrate.

To bathe a cat, the first thing you need to do is gather all of your tools. You will need:

• A dish to pour your diluted shampoo into.
• A square cup to scoop your conditioner with. Whether you have a domestic shorthair or a Persian, you will need to condition them so their skin doesn't dry out.
• Cat shampoo.
• Conditioner.
• Degreasing dish detergent.
• A bath sponge.
• A few towels, depending upon the size of your dog.
• A spray attachment for your tub or sink. (We won't be filling the tub here. If you fill the tub, you're in for a huge mess and a really mad kitty.)
• Warm water. (A cat's body temperature is higher than yours. If the water is too cold for you, it's way to cold for your cat. Besides, the warm water will calm them.)
• Ear cleaner or baby oil.
• Cotton swabs.

Before you start the bath, brush the cat. If you don't know which brush to use, read the article on choosing the right brush.

Next, clean your cat's ears. You should check your cat's ears often--at least once a week. Look for little wax balls and grime. Put baby oil on a cotton swab, but don't soak it; just a bit will do the job. If you put too much on, use baby powder in the ear to soak up the excess. Do not go any deeper into the ear than you can see. Clean his ears just like you'd clean a child's.

Mix your kitty shampoo and pour it into the dish. Get your sponge, towels and conditioner ready. Set the water temperature, then turn the water off again. Make sure the drain is open.

Now you're ready. Put the cat in the sink/tub. Hold her under her forepaws. (If she become uncontrollable, hold her by the scruff.) Talk soothingly while you give the bath. Turn water on slowly, and wet the cat down, praising her as you go. Turn off water. Do not fill the tub/sink unless you want to start a fight.

Now use your sponge to soap up the cat, taking care not to get water or shampoo in her eyes, ears and the like. (Using a sponge dipped in to a bowl of shampoo will help you avoid getting too much shampoo on the cat.) Wash everything, tushies included, and praise her as you go. Use your degreaser for oily spots like above the tail, and under ears.

It's time to rinse. Try to whisper in the cat's ear, since this will distract her from the water. Make sure the temperature is right, and rinse until all the soap is gone. If you don't get it all out, her skin will itch and get dried out. Next, apply a conditioner. This will get rid of any soap left on the body and help prevent matting and dry skin.

OK, now for the drying. Plop the kitty in a towel. Use your first towel to squeeze off most of the water, the second to fluff and dry. Then place her in a crate, near a heat source. (A sunny spot would be nice.) The cat will lick a lot of the excess water off herself, but be sure to have a new towel ready. After about 15-20 minutes, take kitty out and dry her some more. When she is all dry, give her another good brushing.

And your lovely kitty is all done. Congrats to you and kitty!