And just as in the case of humans, it can be washed, but only if specific products are used for cats, which are suitable and do not contain harmful substances.
When can I bathe a cat?
Our kittens are very independent, they are always grooming themselves, their body is ready to perform their daily cleaning, but you should also help them by brushing them, especially in autumn and spring, which are the moulting months. If your kitten is not outdoors and you regularly brush its fur, there is no need to bathe it. If you want to do it, it is not advisable to over bathe them, because you suppress their natural oil, which protects them from the cold and gives them a good coat.
There are extraordinary circumstances or situations in which we must bathe our kitten, some of them are:
- When you foster or adopt a stray kitten.
- Your kitten has semi-long or long hair and you cannot untangle it with a brush.
- When your kitten’s skin is very oily.
- When your kitty suffers from an allergy or skin infection.
- Your kitten has picked up fleas and you need to eliminate them with a special shampoo.
- Your kitty stops grooming itself, and needs help, usually when your kitten is very old.
- When your cat has soiled itself with a toxic or chemical product.
- When you have ringworm affecting your skin.
- If it is very hot and your cat may suffer from heat stroke.
How to bathe a cat
When bathing cats, it should be taken into account that they usually do not like it. Therefore, it is important to create a calm and relaxed environment. The smaller our kitten is the better, since when it is small everything is new to it, and it can be a fun experience. If your kitten is calm and relaxed you can include a toy, so that he associates it from a young age that bath time is fun.
Before bathing it, we recommend that you dry brush it, especially if your kitten has long hair, to remove all the dead hair and loosen possible knots. You can put your kitten in the bathtub, tub or sink, but first we recommend that you cover it with a little water, so that its paws touch the water, and at the same time it can stand up. He will feel much safer in a place where he can stand up and without a lot of water.
The water temperature should be about 30º and, little by little, the cat will be wetted with the hand, caressing it, or with a soft sponge. Lather and let it act for 5 minutes. Then, rinse it well to avoid itching or other discomfort and dry it with a hot towel, and then with a dryer (only if your pet is not afraid of it and knows the noise it makes), the air should be warm and you should leave a prudential distance of about 30 centimeters between your kitten and the dryer.
Another option on how to bathe a cat
If you have already tried to wash your kitten with water, and he is very scared and nervous, the best thing to do is to wash him with a dry shampoo. As in the previous case, let’s create a calm and relaxed environment where we can give our kitten a bath. The first thing to do is to brush our kitten to remove any dirt, dead hair or possible knots. Then we will follow the instructions of our dry shampoo, most of them you will have to rub the product all over the body, taking special care with the face of our kitty.
After the product acts, we will have to brush again our kitty, and dry a little with a cloth the most humid parts or let it dry in the air. But all this depends on the product you use, we recommend you to read the instructions of the product very well before you start bathing your kitten.
At what age can a cat be bathed?
The ideal is to start bathing a cat when it is a puppy, in its socialization stage, so that it gets used to this activity little by little. The first bath can be done between 2 and 3 months of age. In this way, the cat learns to bathe itself and gets used to water and soap, getting to enjoy bath time.
If you see that from the beginning your cat is very reluctant to bathe, never force him to take a bath, since you will create a negative association and a bad experience that is not necessary for him to go through. Your cat will always stay clean and neat whether you bathe him or not, remember that cats are very clean animals. Don’t forget to give your kitty a reward after the bath, for how well he has behaved.